Rod Thompson was born in Athens, GA. As a child of the 1980s, Rod spent his formidable teen years watching his parents fight to keep their heads above the poverty level, in the aftermath of divorce and economic downfall. Learning the importance of self-improvement and personal motivation, in 1999, Rod enlisted in the United States Navy, serving for almost twenty-three years on Active Duty, to include ten combatant deployments around the globe, for a combined total of more than six years abroad in defense of the United States.

In 2003, Rod was onboard USS Constellation where he felt the roar of jets launching in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, beginning the war in Iraq. Rod was later deployed in Talil, Iraq in 2006, where he conducted surveillance, intelligence gathering and troop support operations, playing a vital role in US troops pushing back the rising insurgency.