What keeps you from overcoming obstacles in your life and walking in peace and joy in the Lord? Can you free yourself from the bondage of your past mistakes and learn to develop an identity in Christ? After a lifetime of regret, Robert "Stonewall" Jackson asked himself these hard questions, and the answers he found radically altered his world. With writing that is honest and self-disclosing, The Life and Legend of Robert "Stonewall" Jackson reveals how Jackson overcame drugs, addiction, and mental and physical war trauma to emerge a survivor. What's more, it shares the awesome power of how developing a relationship with Christ held the key to his success. From his stint playing with the Oakland Raiders to his time in prison for drug dealing, Jackson uses personal anecdotes to illustrate how God has worked in his life. He explores the doubts, fears, and perplexities he experienced and demonstrates how he found comfort and guidance in his faith. Today an award-winning bodybuilder and caregiver to his grandchildren, Jackson is committed to a close relationship with Christ and a strong dedication to total body fitness. No matter what age or life journey you are currently experiencing, God's grace and the value of believing in yourself can turn things around. Let Jackson's story inspire and motivate you to change your life! THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF Robert "Stonewall" Jackson: BODY BUILDER, WRESTLER, AND SURVIVOR My Battle with the Vietnam War, Drugs, and Prison By ROBERT JACKSON, NOREEN ANTAO iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2013 Robert Jackson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4759-9043-0 Contents From the Editor............................................................ixAcknowledgments............................................................xiIntroduction...............................................................xiiiChapter 1 The Early Years (1944–63)........................................1Chapter 2 Football (1963–67)...............................................7Chapter 3 The Army (1967–70)...............................................11Chapter 4 War Wounds (1970–71).............................................17Chapter 5 Matchbox of Marijuana (1973–82)..................................21Chapter 6 The NWA (1982–87)................................................23Chapter 7 Dealing and Danger (1989–90).....................................27Chapter 8 Robbed in Baker Village (1990–92)................................31Chapter 9 The Stalker (1993–95)............................................33Chapter 10 Victory (1995–99)...............................................59Chapter 11 Cleaning Up Dirty Money (2000)..................................63Chapter 12 Federal Prison, Jessop, Georgia (2000–2007).....................65Chapter 13 Juneteenth......................................................71Chapter 14 What Next?......................................................75Chapter 15 Raising My Grandchildren (2008–10)..............................77Chapter 16 Bodybuilding Championship.......................................81Chapter 17 Mother (2013)...................................................87Chapter 18 Renewing My Relationship with God (2013–Present)................89 CHAPTER 1 THE EARLY YEARS (1944–63) I was born on April 8, 1944, in the small East Texas townof Gilmer. My father, R. T. Jackson, was a humble man anda hard worker—he never missed a day at his job at the LoneStar Steel Company in Daingerfield, Texas. Compared to mymother, he was loving and kind to my brother, my two sisters,and me. It was common in those days for women to managethe home finances, and it was no different in our family. Mymother kept most of my father's wages, leaving him with asmall fraction of the money he had earned. At the age of three, I was hit by a car, which knocked meapproximately twenty-five feet off the ground. My injurieslanded me in the hospital, and it was only by the grace of Godthat I survived the accident. Afterward my father nicknamedme "little Stonewall." The nickname stuck, living on evenafter my father passed away from lung disease in 1994. My sister Emma was a tattletale who never missed anopportunity to squeal on the rest of us to our mother; wealways ended up being severely punished. From about agefour I lived in fear of being punished by my mother when shecame home. One way she used to punish us boys was to makeus wear girls' dresses and walk up and down the street, whichembarrassed and confused us. Sometimes my brother wouldwet his bed at night, and since we slept in the same bed, Iwould get wet too. My mother, being aware of this, wouldask, "Which one of you boys wet the bed?" Since we refusedto tell on each other, we were both punished and forced tosleep in very short T-shirts without underpants. My mother raised us in the church; we attended service everySunday, which is probably why I hated going to church as anadult. At church she acted like she was a great, god