Meet The Guy Who Call Of Duty's Lerch Is Based On
Back in August, Season Five of Call of Duty: Warzone dropped - and with it, a brand-new Operator skin. Senior Officer Marcus 'Lerch' Ortega, a Shadow Company Operator of the Allegiance Faction, was met with optimism from fans. However, many people were unaware of just how true-to-life Activision had gone to achieve this persona. The skin is actually based on a real-life tactical training expert in Miami - Tony Sentmanat.
The real-life Lerch has an eye-watering list of credentials that would make any bad guy shake in his boots. Not only is he an ex-Marine with over 20 years' experience, he's also a retired Law Enforcement SWAT Operator. He has extensive experience in mixed martial arts (MMA), plus he retired from Law Enforcement in 2016 after completing 800 real-life operations, reports Essentially Sports.
Seriously, this guy is terrifying - but also a certified bad-ass.
The 40-year-old has his own company called Real World Tactical, where he is a firearms instructor. Their website states: "Our Mission at RealWorld Tactical is to teach real-life focused firearms training specialising in urban concepts that we have learned through our operational experience. Our primary goal is to give the average hard-working person the skills and knowledge for a fighting chance against the human predator looking for its prey."
Click to enlargeAlongside Tu "Ronin" Lam, whose Call of Duty character was introduced in Season 4 of Modern Warfare, the real-life marines use the exact same gear as the US Army, from outfits to weapons, more specifically, Lerch's shades and grip tape on an AK-47.
Speaking in a YouTube video posted on The Real World Tactical channel, Sentmantat said: “When you guys get this character, this isn’t just a skin or a face. This is probably 20 years of hard work put in, to this guy that you are playing. It is not a big deal to some people, but I am an old man. I am already 40 years old and to be on a video game that 50 million people are gonna play it is truly an honour.”
Admitting he has never played Call of Duty because of his hectic lifestyle in the military Ortega explained: "I don't play video games, I don't have time".
He also described how with Lerch's character, he uses the exact same accessories that he uses in real-life combat, such as his holster - a T-series from Blackhawk, and the same AK-47 Mini Draco that he equips (a gunsmith variant of the AK-47, with a short barrel, grip tape and an optic), although admitting it's a base version in the game to avoid any legal complications between Activision and weaponry brands.
Accessories, such as his bag, sunglasses, and T-shirt are fundamentals to what he uses in everyday combat. "When you guys do play my character, understand that the character you are using is an actual real person that has been using and wearing these type of things for the last 20 years," Ortega explained.
Call of Duty has a history of being somewhat inaccurate in the minor details, despite showing a very close portrayal of Wartime events, however, Modern Warfare has definitely succeeded in defining every fine detail about of Warfare in its current situation, with Lerch being the perfect example.