Most of us know him as one of the founders of the West Coast hip-hop and rap scene, but Nate Dogg, born Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, had a very different life before he hit the charts. At the age of just 17 years old, Hale dropped out of high school and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He ended up being stationed in Okinawa, Japan, in the division that supplied ammunition to the Pacific.
Hale served as an ammunition specialist for three years before he was honorably discharged in 1989. When asked about why he joined the Marines, Hale always said he did it because he wanted to see if he was a man. When his service ended he teamed up with cousin Snoop Dogg and best friend Warren G to form the rap trio '213'.