Emil Fleischman grew up in a family with a strong tradition of service in the army. Since he was something of a geek in high school, his brothers teased him about not being army material. Partially motivated by his desire to show-up his brothers, he pushed himself hard and was not only the first in the family to attend West-Point, he also met the requirements to serve in the Army Rangers.

Emil was deployed in Afghanistan where he built an exemplary service record. However, a close call with a grenade left him with a badly scarred face and a gravelly voice.

After being recruited by the SGC, Emil continued his exemplary service and was eventually promoted and assigned to command SG-15.