Ridley Rogers Clifton was born February 13, 1948 in Mason, Tennessee. In November 1967, at the age of nineteen, he enlisted into the U.S. Navy in Memphis, Tennessee. From November 1967 through February 1968, Clifton attended bootcamp from Nov. 1967 to Feb. 1968 in San Diego, California, earning the rank of fireman apprentice upon the completion of bootcamp.

Clifton’s first duty station was onboard the USS Spronston stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. September 1968, he was transferred to the USS Hubbard and served in the Western Pacific, Vietnam and Long Beach, California. While serving on the USS Hubbard, Clifton was promoted to fireman 1st class in February 1969, and earned the rank of Machinist Mate 1st Class (MM1) in Feb.1971. Clifton served onboard the USS Hooper until his discharged from the Navy.

During his time on board the USS Hubbard, Clifton qualified as a shipboard firefighter, a throttleman, and held special qualifications in damage control. He was also actively involved in carrier escort detail, gunline operations and the TET offensive.

During his service to our country, Clifton earned many awards including the Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal, Viet Nam Service Ribbon, and the Republic of Viet Nam Medal.

In September of 1971, Clifton was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in Long Beach, California.