Jonathan (ex-Soviet soldier)

"I will follow you. Snake, give me my mission."

- Jonathan

Private 1st class  Jonathan was originally a Red Army soldier of the LYNX unit serving under Gene during the San Hieronymo Takeover. He then had the distinction of being the very first recruit to join Big Boss and Roy Campbell in the early days of what would become FOXHOUND.

Jonathan was originally a soldier serving in Colonel Skowronski's Red Army command on the San Hieronymo Peninsula. Once Gene took command of the peninsula and overthrew Skowronski, Jonathan and his other Red Army members followed Gene.

During Big Boss' second infiltration mission on the peninsula, he overheard two soldiers expressing distaste for Gene's intentions to fire a nuclear missile at Russia. After retrieving secret documents from Gene's files, he and Campbell decided that it would be beneficial to recruit soldiers on the peninsula to help them with their cause. Upon Big Boss' approach of Jonathan, he quickly subdued him and brought him back to Campbell's transport.

When he came to, Jonathan was true to Gene, despite his dislike for his politics, and attacked Big Boss and Campbell, only to be CQC slammed by Big Boss onto the bed of the truck (Big Boss was impressed at his quick thinking and his healing up quickly, however, saying that Jonathan was trained well). He explained to Jonathan that he and Campbell were not enemies and were fighting to stop Gene from not only destroying Russia but also America. Jonathan explained that Gene's arrival was not the only reason he and his comrades rebelled against the Soviet military - they were abandoned at the San Heironymo Peninsula after the Soviets pulled out of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Gene told the Red Army troops that he would create a nation for soldiers, one where they were never to be cast aside as pawns of the government, and one where they would always have a place to call "home."

After telling Jonathan the story of The Boss, and the ideals she lived before inevitably being betrayed and killed by her own country, his eyes opened. Through Big Boss, he realized that, while politics will always change, you must always be true to yourself and fight for your own cause. With Gene threatening his homeland, his life, and his family, Jonathan raised his hand in friendship to Big Boss and Roy Campbell and officially joined the unit that would soon become known as FOXHOUND.

Soon after, Campbell was diagnosed with a form of tropical malaria, and Big Boss had to contact his "family doctor," Para-Medic, for information on how to prevent the disease from spreading. With the help of Jonathan, he was able to retrieve the necessary medicine and cure Campbell, as well as prevent the malaria from spreading to the rest of the unit.

Later in the mission, after rescuing Snake from a prison cell, Jonathan, Big Boss, and the rest of Big Boss' unit encountered Gene in the hangar used to store Metal Gear RAXA. Gene used his telepathic powers to get all of the soldiers in the hangar to turn on each other and begin firing their weapons. One soldier fired at Big Boss, and Jonathan dove in front of his comrade, taking a bullet in the chest and head for him. Jonathan died in Big Boss' arms, forever influencing his personality and philosophies.

Trivia

 * No matter what soldier the player captures first, it will always be Jonathan and will always look exactly the same (both sleeves rolled up, no gloves, two over-the-shoulder harnesses).
 * Even though he is dressed like a regular enemy soldier, he is considered a unique character by the game due to his small role in the plot. He cannot be killed under normal circumstances (because he is killed off in the story) and is the only character besides Snake that cannot be sent to Cyber-Survival mode. When he is killed he is removed from the player's team.
 * In Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus, during Infinity Mission, the player's Spy Unit can encounter Jonathan with Campbell commenting "You lucky son of a... You're alive!" If the Player successfully completes the mission, Jonathan will become a playable character.
 * Prior to his deployment into Colombia to create the San Hieronymo Missile Base, he used to be a rescuer in various Red Army battles and missions.