Editing Oliver North (section)

== Early life ==
North was born in [[San Antonio]], Texas, on October 7, 1943, the son of Ann Theresa (née Clancy) and Oliver Clay North, a U.S. Army major.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t3nfAAAAMAAJ |title=Under fire: an American story – Oliver North, William Novak|access-date=October 16, 2012|isbn=978-0060183349|year=1991|last1=North|first1=Oliver|last2=Novak|first2=William|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/20/news/mn-24264/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715032528/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/20/news/mn-24264/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2012|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Obituaries|date=October 20, 1999}}</ref> He grew up in [[Philmont, New York]], and graduated from [[Taconic Hills Central School District|Ockawamick Central High School]] in 1961. He attended the [[State University of New York at Brockport]] for two years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olivernorth.com|title=Oliver North site|publisher=Oliver North|access-date=January 20, 2016}}</ref>

While at Brockport, North spent a summer at the [[United States Marine Corps]] [[Platoon Leaders Class]] at [[Marine Corps Base Quantico]] in [[Virginia]], and gained an appointment to the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1963. He received his commission as [[US Second Lieutenant|second lieutenant]] in 1968, having missed a year due to serious back and leg injuries from an [[auto accident]] in which a classmate was killed.<ref name="chicagotribune.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-03-08-8701190095-story.html|title=The Puzzle of Oliver North |date=March 8, 1987|website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> One of North's classmates at the academy was future [[United States Secretary of the Navy|secretary of the Navy]] and U.S. senator [[Jim Webb]], whom he beat in a middleweight championship [[Amateur boxing|boxing]] match at Annapolis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/top_10_most_athletic_democrats|title=Top 10 Most Athletic Democrats – #10 Jim Webb|website=RealClearSports.com|access-date=January 20, 2016|archive-date=July 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722115007/http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/top_10_most_athletic_democrats/|url-status=dead}}</ref> (North had shown films of this match to Marine Medical Corps officials to prove that he had fully recovered from his serious accident and could endure the rigors of midshipman training.<ref name="chicagotribune.com"/>) Their graduating class included [[Dennis C. Blair]], [[Michael Mullen]], [[Jay L. Johnson]], [[Charles Bolden]] and [[Michael Hagee]].