Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160
Age: 35
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Right Handed
Blood type:A+

Veteran: US Army Rangers, B Co, 75th ranger Regt. SSGT
Combat vet: 1991, Operation DESERT STORM. 1993,Operation RESTORE HOPE; Ranger/Blackhawk aircrew rescue mission
Languages: English, Japanese, and Spanish
BA: Civil Engineering (just a few credits short of degree)

Personal History:

Kenji Shimura was born on May 18, 1965 in Seattle, Washington, the only child of Akira and Yumi Shimura. Kenji grew up the only child in a hard working middle class family. As a young child, hiking and camping with his father, he developed a great love and respect for nature and the outdoors. Seeing Mt Rainier every day from his bedroom window inspired him and he vowed to climb that mountain. He joined the boy scouts and hung around the local climbing shops, hanging every word of advice dragged out of the experienced climbers there. After Kenji asked for what seemed the 1000th time one of them finally took him on a climb, just to shut him up. The hook was set; climbing was in his blood. Kenji was an average student, he managed to pass with only mediocre grades. His parents scolded him and told him that without an education, he would have to work like a dog to make a living. Kenji didn't listen, most of his thoughts and energy were spend planning the next trip to the mountains.

Late in his senior year of high school his parents were killed in an automobile crash. Kenji had skipped school to make an unsuccessful bid for the icy summit of Mt Rainier, the mountain that had inspired him so. Devastated by the loss of his family, he left everything and retreated into the outdoors. He sometimes spent weeks at a time away from civilization. Kenji returned only to work odd jobs in construction or pick apples in the orchards with migrant workers to finance the next wilderness adventure. Kenji spent the next year and a half-wandering, and running from himself before he decided that he needed to do something to improve himself. He got his GED and studied for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams.

He moved to Bellingham and enrolled at Western Washington University majoring in Civil Engineering. He studied hard at for the first couple of years, but eventually started dropping classes due to the need to work and pay for his tuition and rent. Studying gradually gave way to guide work and the mountains that he loved. While attending collage, Kenji met and eventually married a lovely woman named Tammy Davidson.

Kenji and Tammy moved back to Seattle. He quickly became an accomplished and trusted mountain guide and instructor. When not guiding clients on climbing or fishing trips, he worked as a carpenter and mason to make ends meet and also finance the next expedition. Life was good for them until the Tammy could not bear the separation from Kenji's frequent guide trips and the worrying if he was safe during an expedition. These things finally took their toll. They were divorced 2 years later.

Shortly after the divorce, his guiding trips became fewer and fewer. Inspired by his grandfather's World War II stories in Italy as a sergeant in the 442 Regimental Combat Team, Kenji decided to join the Army. He went to the nearest recruiting office and signed the papers. He was 24 years old.

Kenji entered basic training at Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri and found that the Army suited him well. Already in excellent physical shape from his years of climbing and hiking, he easily passed PT and set a platoon record for the confidence course. Other subjects fell within his realm of experience too, and he held late night tutoring sessions in land navigation and survival. After graduation he went to infantry AIT found that recon skills being an adaptation of the wilderness skills that he had spent his life honing, came easy to him. He graduated and was later assigned to the 10th Mountain division at Ft Drum, New York.

While with the 10th, Kenji realized the error of dropping out of college. He began to take advantage of tuition assistance and took college classes when off-duty. Kenji never forgot his first love, the outdoors. Scrimping and saving both money and leave time, he took trips frequent trips to the Appalachians, Rocky Mountain and Cascade ranges. His superiors could not help but notice the his leave destinations, as well the mounds of equipment found stuffed into wall lockers and under his bed during barracks room inspections. His commander recommended him instructor duty. He quickly became a skiing and mountaineering instructor for the division-training cadre. Kenji realized that he had found his niche. He rose through ranks fairly quickly, through hard work and a no-nonsense attitude. After a year, instructor duty began to wear on him. Kenji was tired, too many of his students were apathetic or just plain didn’t want to listen. He realized he wanted to work with people who had drive and a sense of purpose.

Kenji volunteered for Ranger School and was accepted. While he wasn’t the biggest or the strongest in his company, he never gave up and powered through with great determination. He later surprised others in his class by graduating in the top 10%. After graduation he was assigned to Bravo Company, 75th ranger Regiment. In 1991, he deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation DESERT STORM, conducting raids in the Iraqi rear areas and acting as a quick reaction force. In 1993, He deployed to Somalia, assigned to capture key leaders in order to end clan fighting in and around the City of Mogadishu. One of the missions included the Blackhawk helicopter aircrew rescue.

After his 6 years in the Army, Kenji began to wonder just why he was there in the first place. The frequent deployments and training left no time for him to finish his degree. He realized that even though he had a job that he loved, he wanted the freedom of civilian life.

In spite of the numerous pep talks from his commander and first sergeant, as well as a generous reenlistment bonus; there was no way to change his mind. They wished him well and Kenji mustered out as a Staff Sergeant and moved on to civilian life.

Kenji moved back to Seattle and began guiding again. He soon slipped into a funk and began to think about the things that were important to him. One day while sitting alone drinking at a local bar he was suddenly joined by an old army buddy. He told him about an exciting employment opportunity and handed him a business card. Kenji was told that his skills and experience could be of great help. As his friend explained things he realized that this there was more to it than what was being said.

Kenji called the number on the card. Soon after, he found himself at a Morrow Project training site in Utah. Kenji found himself as an instructor again teaching land navigation and survival. "Just like the Army, he thought, except that there were no high school drop-outs and thugs here. The people he was training were educated, highly skilled people, with a sense of purpose.” Later, Kenji decided that he would fit in well with the Morrow project's rebuilding mission. He asked to be transferred to the field teams so he could help rebuild the country that had given much to him and his family.

Kenji Shimura is 5'9" tall, with a stocky build, short black hair (a carry over from his army days)and brown eyes. He typically wears a Washington Huskies ball cap and a Ranger tab on the sleeve of his Morrow Uniform. He carries an M-4 carbine, preferring it for light- weight and easy handling. His pistol is carried in a shoulder holster. He has a no-nonsense attitude and a low tolerance for bullshit when it is time to get down to business. However, Kenji is not all business and can joke with the best of them often loosing his strong repetiour of barracks humor. Kenji doesn't smoke although he does enjoy a strong drink now and then.