What G.I Joe Means to Me
As a child, I recall all the horror stories of war from my father who fought in the Vietnam War. He never cared for the cartoons or the action figures. When G.I. Joe came out, he explained to me battles are not like what you see in cartoons and that good guys fall too. I never had many of the action figure toys growing up but my friends next door had everything including the U.S.S. Flagg. We spent so many summer days setting up battles between the Joes and Cobra outside and then having to bring it all back inside at the end of the day. Now that I look back at it, it's funny that we would bring this massive collection outside and put it back but ask us to clean our rooms?? Because of the cartoon series, the comic book series, and the action figures, these were my heroes. I enlisted in the Army back in 1991 and served during the Desert Shield/Desert Storm campaigns. I was awarded the National Defense Service Medal before a medical discharge due to an retina issue. Even though G.I. Joe was fictional, they gave me a great childhood experience that I will never forget and aided me in becoming the man I am today. Now, I have two sons of my own and I've explained to them that yes, good guys fall too but in the end good will always triumph over evil. We have all started collecting the 25th line which my collection is unopened while they get great enjoyment in their collections. Watching them play with their G.I. Joe toys brings me back to my childhood and the thoughts of playing outside and now I get to share that experience with them. Yes, I do get down on the ground with them and play. My wife would tell you I'm the biggest child out of all of them. I thank Hasbro for bringing back this lineup so people like me who didn't get the chance to have them get another opportunity and for us to also share with our sons and daughters who have an interest in them. Yo Joe!!!