ˈæftɚɹ ɐ wˈeɪwɚd jˈuːθ ɡɹˈoʊɪŋ ˌʌp ɪnðə mˈɪdəl ˈiːst, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌz pˈɑːɹt əvə ɡˈæŋ ɪnvˈɑːlvd ɪn pˈɛɾi kɹˈaɪm, kˈoʊplənd ɛnlˈɪstᵻd ɪnðə jˈuː.ˈɛs. ˈɑːɹmi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti sˈɛvən æt ðə hˈaɪt ʌvðə vˌiːətnˈɑːm wˈɔːɹ.
After a wayward youth growing up in the Middle East, where he was part of a gang involved in petty crime, Copeland enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War.