A girl nicknamed "Rocky"? You bet. Well-earned, and for all the right reasons ...
When this story was submitted to my website in the spring of 2009, Rocky was serving as a medic with the U.S. Army in South Korea. In this story, it took wearing an army-issued Kevlar helmet to bring her "Rocky" nickname back to life.
"I was always the tough chick. I broke my mother's rib before I was born, by squeezing my foot in just the right spot and kicking. I was a fighter from the moment of conception, and some things just never change. As an infant, I had a favorite toy – a red, plastic raccoon that, to this day, I swear was a dog toy that my parents thought it amusing to see me play with. The white lettering across the raccoon's belly read 'Rocky'. As with any young child, it was hard to miss which was my favorite toy.
"At age 2, being independent as I was, I went inside to get water while everyone was outside by a campfire on the little farm. On my way back out to join the family, I tripped at the top of the stairs, face-planting into the dirt and gravel at the bottom. My Uncle Zoro (to this day, I can't remember his real name) came and picked me up, dusted me off and took me back to the family.
"Two days later, Mom noticed that there was a rock set into my forehead at my hairline. When she consulted the doctor on it, he assured her it would work itself out. My dad was the first one to respond with 'LOOK! Now SHE'S Rocky, too!'
"Nearly getting suspended from school in kindergarten for beating up a boy who hit me didn't discourage the name any. The nickname stuck and, 20 years later, I finally had the rock removed. I had since joined the army, and it began bothering me for the first time when I had to wear a Kevlar helmet during the final weeks of my training.
"My dad still finds a great deal of pleasure in explaining all the crazy tomboy stories to his co-workers, and enjoys the looks on their face even more when they realize that, despite being the tough chick, he managed to raise quite a lady, too."
So often our nicknames, and the stories that go with them, are specific to gender. But not for this rib breakin', foot squeezin', raccoon lovin' young lady. No real surprise she ended up in the U.S Army. And she was proudly born and raised in Wisconsin, too.
For this story and others like it, visit my website, and submit your story too.
John Leaf was born in western Illinois, a mile east of the Mississippi. College in Chicago. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. Leaf was goalie on the soccer team and captain of the golf team in college. He cut class to ride the "L" to see Cubs games, hung out for hours at the Art Institute and bent the brain doing graduate school in Theology.
He spent three mind-blowing summers in coastal British Columbia, as a resort photographer. He worked and lived in Minneapolis. He did hard time at a bank on LaSalle Street in Chicago and learned about PR, working at big firm a block off Michigan Avenue, while living in Evanston.
Now Leaf is just living the dream, under the radar, in Cedarburg. He's passionate about nicknames and launched his website three years ago.
He dabbles in yoga and cycling. Fishtailing as always, and taking a whack at life, like everyone else.
