October 1, 1946, in a small town in Minnesota is where Tim O’Brien was born. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father became an insurance salesman after serving as a sailor in WW2. O’Brien attended Macalester College and graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1968. During his time in College O’Brien was an advocate against the Vietnam War and joined many protests, however, shortly after graduating he got drafted. His tour of duty lasted from 1969 until 1970 where he was a foot soldier in the 46th infantry in Quang Ngai province. O’Brien was also stationed for a brief time in My Lai, about a year after the My Lai Massacre. Eventually he was injured from shrapnel in a grenade attack and went home with a Purple Heart.
