Real name: Kate Whirlwind Horse
Occupation: soldier
Identity: Secret
Legal status: no criminal record
Other aliases: none
Place of birth: Pine Ridge reservation, South Dakota
Place of death:
Marital status: married but separated
Known relatives:
Grandfather- deceased
Son- Jesse Whirlwind Horse - Dubois
Group affiliation: United States Armed Forces, Peacemakers
Base of operations: Washington D.C., Houston, TX
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 140 lbs
Eyes: dark brown
Hair: black
Unusual features:
Strength level: superhuman able to lift 50 tons
Known superhuman powers: flight, highly resistant to damage
Weapons: powered armor designed by Macher with defensive and offensive abilities designed to be compatible with state of the art United States military technology.
History: Kate joined the military immediately upon graduating from high school to fulfill her grandfather’s wish for her to “get off the rez and get an education.” She is a registered member of the Oglala Lakota. She has served as one of the first female combat marines with honors and has earned a college degree during her time of service. She married a man, Lucas Dubois during her service and together they had a son, Jesse. While Kate was deployed for a year when Jesse was only a year and a half, Lucas drove the toddler to Pine Ridge and gave the boy over to Kate’s grandfather saying only, “I’m sorry. I’m just not cut out to be a Father, or a husband I guess.” and left. Neither Kate nor Jesse have heard from Lucas in the years since he abandoned them and they are still legally married. Since Kate’s return from her first deployment she and Jesse have made their home in various bases around the world according to where she is stationed at the time. When she is on deployment, Jesse lived with Kate’s grandfather in South Dakota. A few years ago Kate received notice that her grandfather had passed away from severe and sudden complications of diabetes. She took leave and she and Jesse traveled to the reservation to make funeral arrangements and to gather her grandfather’s possessions, minimal as they were.
Feeling overwhelmed late one evening after the funeral services, Kate went into the attic of her grandfather’s home and began to breakdown emotionally. She was overwhelmed by the loss of her only close family member, being a single mother, deeply hurt still by her husband's abandonment of her and Jesse. To do something with the grief energy she began sorting through the items her grandfather had stored in the attic. “Might as well start now rather than put it off until tomorrow.” Through her tears she rummaged through the few belongings her grandfather had left after supporting her and Jesse. Among the items she found an old military letter tucked into a stained uniform. The letter, apparently written and signed by the World War II superhero, American Flyer describes her grandfather’s service with the elite strike force, Crazy Commandos during World War II and his award of the Soldier's Medal for the time he saved American Flyer’s life when he had been shot down during a raging battle and was wounded. Kate was stunned by this information, never knowing her grandfather had been more than just a hero in her life but also the hero of a superhero. The tears began to flow again, overwhelmed by the love she had for her grandfather, clutching his old army uniform to her chest, seeing what must be the superhero’s blood mixed with her grandfather's still present in the old garment. Her tears fell on the stains as she knelt hunched over the letter and jacket in her grief in that attic. Meanwhile her son had heard her crying and movements and had climbed up the attic ladder to see his mother kneeling there crying and holding the uniform. Suddenly a mist seemed to emanate from the stains of the uniform where her tears had fallen and she was enveloped by the apparition. It’s hues of red, blue and silver swirling around her body and gradually saturating into her. Kate’s body lifted from the floor of the attic, temporarily glowing from the ethereal event.
Kate now serves as the modern day American Flyer. She exhibits all of the same abilities and powers of her predecessor from World War II, but has been given state of the art armor and communications technology to supplement her already formidable abilities. Upon the request of the United States government she has been given honorary membership with the Peacemakers and has, over the last two years become a de facto leader of the group.