On June 22, 1903, John Herbert Dillinger was born to John and Mollie Dillinger. His parents managed and owned a grocery store in Indianapolis, Indiana, and his mother died when he was three. John Dillinger's father described his son as an "agitated and aggressive" child. From a young age, Dillinger's dark side became evident when he created and led a gang called "The Dirty Dozen." The worst criminal act the “Dirty Dozen” participated in involved stealing coal from the nearby railroad tracks. As Dillinger grew, so did the intensity of his crimes. As a teenager, Dillinger stole a car to impress a girl and, once arrested, fled to the Navy. According to John, he was "discharged" from the Navy, but records indicate he escaped. Dillinger committed his first major criminal act in September 1924 with Ed Singleton. The two men robbed a local grocery store and assaulted the grocer in the process. The court later found Dillinger guilty of assault and robbery, giving him ten to twenty years in prison. Singleton was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, although he had a criminal history and a previous prison sentence. Dillinger believed this unjust conviction caused his resentment and led to future thefts. In a letter to his father, Dillinger said, "I went in like a carefree boy, [and] came out bitter towards everything in general...if I had been more lenient when I committed my first mistake, this would never have happened. » .As the prison bars opened, John Dillinger took his few steps to freedom. With each step filled with resentment and anger after eight and a half years in prison, he fights his way toward a crime-filled future, leading to a legacy he will leave for future generations. Dillinger did not... middle of paper ......John Dillinger Historical Crime Museum. Accessed March 2, 2011. http://www.johndillingerhistoricalmuseum.4t.com/."John Herbert Dillinger." The John Dillinger Museum. Accessed March 3, 2011. http://www.dillingermuseum.com/dillinger.html.MacNee, Marie J. Outlaws, Gangsters and Crooks. Edited by Jane Hoehner. Detroit: UXL, 1998. The New York Times. "DILLINGER'S GANG CALLED 'KILL-CRAZY'." December 24, 1933. Accessed March 4, 2011. http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=searchera&start=1&rendition=x-abstract&inmylist=false&urn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP; PQD;HNP;PROD;x-abstract; 105836401&mylisturn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-article-image;105836401&returnpage=."Chronology: John Dillinger 1903-1935." PBS. Accessed March 3, 2011. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dillinger/timeline/index.html.