GI Joe A Real Staten Island Hero

Growing up in the 1980’s it was hard not to be a fan of GI Joe: A Real American Hero, the reimagined and shrunk down toy line from the 1960’s made a huge impact in 1982. The figures were no longer 8 inches tall; they were now 3 ¾ inches. The Toy line continued to include many different characters as well as vehicles and playsets, but this time the toys were backed up by a mega hit animated series and a surprise hit comic book series.

The Comic Series from Marvel was written by the legendary Larry Hama, and it ran for 132 issues. You might be wondering why we are talking about GI Joe some 40 years later. Well, many people don’t realize that the team had an important connection to Staten Island. That’s right: our fine borough played an important part in the GI Joe Comic book lore.

While battling the likes of Cobra Commander and his Legions of evil doers, GI Joe had a secret base located on Staten Island. Called “The Pit,” the Joe team’s secret base was constructed at Fort Wadsworth, more specifically under the motor pool of the Chaplains Assistance School. It was a five-level underground command center complete with a garage, a hologram room, swimming pool and space for the team to live, eat and relax. And you thought all those tanks and jeeps were just for show.