Born and raised in the country, James Hawkins was a natural outdoors-man. He became an independent survival instructor and was contracted a couple times by the Navy to assist new SEALS in advanced tactics. But he wasn't satisfied with just survival. He went on to learn, and later teach, close combat tactics. With this combo, he earned himself a good reputation and an honorary rank as major.

Always on the lookout for new survival and combat skills, he joined a small special forces team that was deployed to the Persian Gulf in the first war with Iraq. There he earned a commendation for bravery in the line of duty.

His impressive record caught the eye of the Airfore's top brass, who had him transferred to the Stargate program to train off world teams. During his first year at Cheyenne Mountain, he received personal training from Teal'c in Close Quarters Combat. Bored with being stuck in a mountain, he requested transfer to an off-world team, and was put on active duty under SG-2.