Dean Newman was born in Wilmington, Delaware on the 22nd of March, 1968 and was first enlisted into the military at the Delaware Military Academy at the age of eighteen. While there, he entered into the United States Marine Corps and was trained in the use of the H&K-PSG1 semi-automatic rifle as well as the Barrett M82A1 .50 caliber sniper rifle which, when fitted with a high-efficiency muzzle, could be used to target enemy vehicles and aircraft. In addition to these weapons, Newman was trained in the use of the handheld laser target designator.