Born May 8, 1922, in Shreveport and nicknamed Bud, he enlisted in the Navy. Earning his wings in August of 1943 as a second lieutenant, he chose service in the U.S. Marine Corps, "thinking that I would get into combat quicker." His squadron, VMF 324, was to be the first Marine unit sent to England. "Part of our equipment was already up in Norfolk, and then all of a sudden, it was cancelled," he recalls. Instead, Bud shipped out to the Pacific and was based on Midway Island for about fourteen months. Transferred to Okinawa in June of 1945, he flew in a Corsair, attacking enemy positions and scouting for incoming kamikaze planes. He recalls Christmas of 1944, when he picked up KWKH from Shreveport on Midway Island, and hearing Bing Crosby sing "White Christmas." He was discharged on December 19, 1945. He worked in sawmills after the war, serving as president of his father's company, and then running his own operations. Later in Shreveport, he owned a cheese shop and restaurant. "I was proud to be a Marine. I'm still a Marine," he claims.