Characterization
Jack Bauer was born in Santa Monica, California, on February 18, 1966, to Phillip Bauer, who placed his livelihood in his company, BXJ Technologies. The name of Jack's mother is unknown. Jack had one brother, Graem Bauer. Philip originally planned to give the company to Jack, but as Jack said in Day 6, "I just had to go my own way." Later on after leaving the U.S. Army, he married Teri Bauer, and had one child, Kim Bauer.
Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Science degree in Criminology and Law from the University of California, Berkeley. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and later graduated from Officer Candidate School. He was a member of Delta Force and specialized in infantry operations. Among his awards and decorations are the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Legion of Merit. He received Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger training. He left the Army in the rank of Captain after fifteen years of service. Following his military career, Jack worked for both the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit and for the Central Intelligence Agency as a case officer in the clandestine service. He was recruited into the Counter Terrorist Unit by Christopher Henderson.
He has demonstrated a high proficiency with firearms (typically the SIG P229 or USP Compact), explosives, electronic devices, resistance to torture (after being kidnapped by Chinese agents, and tortured for almost two years, it is revealed he didn't speak a single word for the whole time). He is fluent in German (Season 8) and has demonstrated some ability to either speak or understand Spanish (Seasons 1 & 3), Russian (Season 6), Arabic (Season 8), and Serbian (Season 1). He is also shown to be capable of flying planes (Season 2) and helicopters (Seasons 3, 5 & 8).
Jack's final dialogue with Renee Walker in Season 7 offers insight into his perspective on torture and its ramifications:
| “ | I see fifteen people held hostage on a bus, and everything else goes out the window. I will do whatever it takes to save them, and I mean whatever it takes. ... Laws were written by much smarter men than me. And in the end, these laws have to be more important than the 15 people on the bus. I know that's right. In my mind, I know that's right. I just don't think my heart could ever have lived with it. | ” |
Read more about this topic: Jack Bauer