M. James Hunter

James joined the Air Force as soon as he was old enough, initially as a pilot in the hopes of one day becoming a test pilot like his father, or - even better - an astronaut. He was mocked for his forename by fellow pilots, but after demonstrating his apparent genetic flair for flying, it ultimately evolved to become his callsign: "Meredith" Hunter became "Death" Hunter. By the Gulf War, Captain Hunter was an F-16 pilot: during one of the major operations during the conflict his fighter was shot down behind enemy lines, and Hunter was rescued by a Special Forces team. His father - now a General - pulled strings to secure James a "safe" assignment with the Thunderbirds aerobatics team, but James declined, instead deciding to emulate the soldiers who had rescued him by joining the Air Force Special Operations Command.

The bulk of Hunter's later career is classified, though it is suspected that he served in Haiti, the Balkans, Afganistan and Iraq over the course of over a decade with AFSOC. In 2006, Lieutenant Colonel Hunter was assigned to the Pentagon, and remained there until 2009 when he was approached by Vanguard: a multi-service task force established to protect the United States from individuals with dangerous mutations. In light of recent events the organisation had experienced a growth in public awareness, as well as in political and financial support. A subsequent increase in size and scope called for an officer to command the Operations / Special Forces branch, overseeing and training the tactical and containment teams that Vanguard operated.

Currently, Colonel Hunter is based at Vanguard One: the new designation for the former NORAD facility built in Cheyenne Mountain, in El Paso County, Colorado.

Pilot - Hunter is a veteran pilot in the United States Air Force. He first qualified on the F-15C during the late eighties, before transferring to the F-16C shortly before the Gulf War. Since transferring to Special Operations Command in the nineties, Hunter's flight status has lapsed: but recently he has been looking to use his Vanguard status as a means to requalify.

Special Forces - As a former member of the Air Force Special Operations Command, Hunter is a qualified "Air Commando", and served with the 352nd Special Operations Group. He underwent training as a paratrooper, and is classified as a Master Parachutist. He has recieved extensive SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training, and is qualified with a variety of weapons. Though his service record with AFSOC is classified, he does not seem to have a particular specialism (sniper, demolitions, etc) and instead likely served in a leadership role.