In a little small town Northwest of Tifton, Ga a baby boy named Rodney Eugene Thornton was born at a local hospital on August 3, 1968. His parents were Annie “Beauty” Thornton and Kary Thornton. Annie Thornton was the saver of lives. Kary Thornton was the “log man.” He was the last of seven kids born. He had five sisters and one brother. They stayed in a house with a three rooms a kitchen, living room, and dining area. All five damsels stayed in one room. Can you imagine the hell five girls caused living in one room? The two boys stayed in another. And finally the parents stayed in the next. The house was an ash color with slabs lining it at the bottom. It was a porch in the front with two rocking chairs and a plant to separate the two. They would rock simultaneously when the wind whispered just a little louder.
Growing up being the baby wasn’t smooth sailing. Rodney was put to work at a young age. He changed his birth certificate just for him to …show more content…
Rodney was on this ship for three and half years. During this time Desert Storm unfolded and this was the first time he had to “man-up” and get ready for wartime. The war lasted for eight and a half months. He was nervous and shaking in his britches. He finally saw what people meant by getting scarred from the military. He experienced people body parts getting shot off or cut off. Life didn’t seem possible at this moment. Rodney didn’t think he would make it back. He thought he would never see his family and wife. In Africa, he learned everyone isn’t your friend. Rodney was set up by a fellow sailor. He went with a friend to an unknown neighborhood and the sailor and another man tried to rob him. He ran and was able to run fast enough to escape and get back aboard. Also, there was a wreck of two helicopters where a woman aboard the helicopter went down and was buckled down to the floor and she wasn’t saved. They tried to help her with a receiving cord but nothing