Before joining racist groups, Kreis dropped out of a Newark, New Jersey high school.[1] It was during his high school days that he became interested and active in the white supremacist movement. He served in the U.S. Navy for nine months, but was discharged early "based on a determination that he was not suited for military service."[1] He then spent 13 years as a member of the KKK and eventually became a Klan leader. He joined the Posse Comitatus in the late 1980s.