The first known assignment of then-Lt. Colonel Abernathy was in the administration of a refugee camp in Borovia, an eastern European nation that was in the grip of a campaign of 'ethnic cleansing'. He became notorious during this assignment when, after a terrorist attempted to bomb thousands of women and children refugees within, he took responsibility for one of his subordinates getting VERY rough with the captured bomber.

When on trial in his court martial, Clayton was asked why he didn't simply allow the subordinate, a Sgt. Lonzo Wilkinson, to hang for torturing that terrorist for the information he needed to find the bombs that were set. Clayton simply stated that he couldn't let Wilkinson take responsibility for an act that, were their positions reversed, Clayton would himself had done in order to save the lives of those innocents. Then using the same logic on his own superiors, Clayton challenged the court to decide just where the 'buck' stops, in order to prove that they were either the same as he - or simply willing to sell their own subordinates down the river to cover their own hides. Before a verdict could be reached in his court martial, however, the proceedings were interrupted by one General Flagg and his aide, 'Sparks' Verdi.

The result of their actions are classified, but in the end Clayton was freed, and not only returned to active duty, but promoted and given the task of forming Special Counter-Terrorist Group Delta, otherwise known as Gi Joe - an homage to the original group of Joes formed back in the sixties. Clayton was chosen to form and field-command this group due to what General Flagg considered inscrutable character.