Kenneth Ray Clopton was born on December 22, 1943 in Dayton, Arkansas and later moved to Columbus, MS. Clopton’s parents were James Howard Clopton and Lora Faye Sanderson. His mother was born on January 21, 1921 in Sebastian County, Arkansas, and died on January 2, 1966 at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, at the age of forty-four. She was an only child. His father was born on December 21, 1920 in Dayton, Arkansas, and died on August 26, 2004 in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of eighty-three. He had four sisters and a brother. After the death of his wife, whom he had been married to for twenty-five years, he was remarried to Anna L. Justice, who died on January 29, 2007. Clopton had two sisters, Carol Clopton Coker and Mabel Clopton Cunningham, who were both inspired by his service and sacrifice and joined the Air Force and became nurses. Carol was a flight nurse and volunteered to stay in Nashville, Tennessee, while Mabel was a VA nurse and volunteered to go to Thailand. Clopton never married.