Rodney Quin Nelson Jr. was born in Covington County, Mississippi on 4 April 1916. He earned his BA degree from the University of Mississippi and went on to work in airlines operations for American Airlines in Nashville and later New Orleans. He volunteered for the Navy in 1941 and was called up for service in February.

Nelson's amphibious training program took place in Norfolk, Virginia, on the USS Leonard Wood. During the war he served on the USS Dorothy L. Dix, which transported Army troops and supply scout boats at Safi, Morocco on 8 to 12 November during the Allied invasion of French North Africa (Operation Torch). He also saw action in such diverse locations as Morocco, North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, and Southern France. Nelson died on May 2, 1997 and is buried in Knoxville, Tennessee.