James Ramirez

Private James Ramirez is a playable character and the secondary protagonist of the campaign in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Ramirez is introduced in the mission Wolverines!, serving alongside Sergeant Foley and Corporal Dunn in the 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Two-One. Ramirez is presumably Joseph Allen's replacement, as Allen was recruited into Task Force 141.

Ramirez and his squad respond to a Russian invasion and move into Virginia. They then help friendly troops extract "Raptor", and then go on to Arcadia to rescue trapped civilians with the help of the Stryker armored vehicle "Honey Badger".

After destroying AA batteries threatening the civilians, the Rangers move to a devastated Washington D.C., where U.S. troops are fighting a desperate battle against Russian troops. Hunter Two-One assaults and attempts to clear the Department of Commerce building, eliminating a 'crows nest' of Javelin Missiles and an M82 which they turn against the invaders, buying the evacuation site valuable time. They board a UH-60 Black Hawk and assault Russian ground forces, only to get shot down by Stinger missiles over the SAM sites on the Department of Justice building. After their helicopter crashes, Ramirez finds himself trapped in the Blackhawk with injuries and the squad is swarmed by Russian forces. As they run out of ammo, Dunn is wounded, and several squads of enemy soldiers assault their position while a nearby Havoc helicopter blinds the surviving Rangers with its searchlight.

All seems lost until an ICBM launched by Captain Price airbursts, over Washington D.C. The resulting EMP knocks the enemy Havoc and all other aircraft out of the sky. The Rangers help Ramirez out of the helicopter and retreat with his squad into a nearby building while the crashing planes kill the attacking troops. After encountering a friendly runner who tells them to get to Whiskey Hotel, they fight their way through some office buildings. Despite heavy resistance from the Russians, they eventually regroup on the White House Lawn, where U.S. stragglers under the command of Colonel Marshall are attempting to retake Whiskey Hotel. Marshall orders the squad to proceed up the left and they fight through extremely heavy Russian resistance. After fighting through the desperate Russian troops, Ramirez and another Ranger take point and make their way to the roof. They wave green signal flares to call off the friendly airstrikes that are part of the "Hammerdown" protocol. He then sees other green flares on other buildings across the ruined Washington D.C.

Trivia

 * James Ramirez and "Soap" MacTavish are the only repeatedly playable characters that are not scripted to die in the Modern Warfare subseries.
 * Ramirez is presumed to be Hispanic, judging by his last name. However this has not been offically confirmed, probably due to the fact that like Roach, Infinity Ward wanted the player to imagine Ramirez as how they see fit.


 * Ramirez, Foley, and Dunn are the only recurring American characters in the Modern Warfare era that are not scripted to die.


 * The 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment that Ramirez is a part of is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, so it is possible that his unit is the closest unit to Virginia. This is because 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment is based at FT. Lewis, Washington and 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment is based in Fort Benning, Georgia.


 * Ramirez is thought to be the soldier seen on the box art for Modern Warfare 2 due to the destroyed Capitol building behind him, and him being the only playable character in that area. If it is true, it seems that Ramirez wears glasses, or shades, although effects like Roach, who is rumored to wear goggles, do not affect Ramirez at all on his glasses. He also wears a shemagh over his mouth. This is likely the same practice utilized by military personnel to keep particulate out of their lungs in the vicinity of fires or sand. However if it is him, Infinity Ward may have done this to hide his face, so the past tradition is followed.


 * While his gloves are torn and wrist-mounted GPS device cracked during the helicopter crash, and remain so during the events of Second Sun, they seemingly repair themselves at the start of Whiskey Hotel. Even if he changed, his GPS should not be working due to the EMP.


 * When Ramirez is looking at his wounded hands at the beginning of "Second Sun"/ ending of "Of Their Own Accord" it is very similar to when Dimitri Petrenko in World At War looks at his burnt hands as a charred beam falls on him during the inferno in Vendetta.
 * Ramirez is given an order (usually starting with "Ramirez!") a total of 55 scripted times during the campaign, usually by Foley. This has transformed Ramirez into an internet meme which focuses on giving Ramirez strange or impossible orders, and has given him his own unofficial motto, "Do Everything". The meme gives a specific face to what happens in many video games, as the player character often has to accomplish the important and notable tasks. One such meme is "Ramirez! Here's a ruler, now go measure the universe!"

Appearances

 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (First appearance)