Cody was raised by Cindy and Rudolph (Rudy) Patterson in the very small town of Newburg, North Dakota. They owned a successful farm in the area north of town, and this is where Cody learned his work ethic, and from this, gained his strength and tolerance for hardships. While he was never a standout when it came to school, he did well in athletic endeavours, even entertaining a few scholarship offers for a few universities.

He turned it all down and chose to stay on the farm to help his aging parents. The world was in a lot of trouble and they could help out by doing their best to provide as much grain for America as they could. This seemed to be going well, with Cody even going so far as to propose to his high school sweetheart.

Then everything fell apart. Cody was drafted, sent to basic training and shipped off to Europe. It was a whirlwind, a blur. The 6'3, 230lb farm boy couldn't quite make heads or tails from the situation he had been thrown into. He did good through basic, even managing to impress some in his unit with his strength and endurance, but soon he was one among many making the trek across the Atlantic, unsure of whether they would return or not.

He just wanted to go home. He doesn't want to kill anyone, this isn't his fight. But after seeing the state of Europe up close, he does feel compelled to help out here, just like he was helping out back home. Hopefully something would be left if  he made it back.