Rip Cord joined the Civil Air Patrol in high school. Discovered skydiving and joined the G.I. Joe team so he could jump from much higher altitudes. Qualified expert: M-16; M-1911A1 Auto Pistol; Carl Gustav 9mm parabellum; Browning high-power. "Let's say you got a trouble spot-you can't sail, walk, or ride in. So you send a plane in so high that it can't be seen or heard. Rip Cord jumps and drops like a rock for thousands of feet, then opens his chute at the last possible moment to avoid visual and electronic detection. What he does once he hits the ground you don't want to hear about."
Rip Cord is a G.I. Joe team operative in the A Real American Hero line. First released as a Hasbro carded action figure in 1984, with 1 distinct figure version produced across the 1982 to 1994 vintage run.
Rip Cord did not appear by name in the Sunbow or DiC cartoon series synopses. Original Hasbro file-card lore and Marvel ARAH comics appearances are the primary characterization sources.