A B-24 bomber pilot in Europe, William was shot down twice, each time bailing out to safety, and then returning to fly more missions. Born in Prague, Oklahoma, he enlisted on October 30, 1942, and was called to active duty on January 29, 1943. Flying from an air base in Italy, he was shot down over Romania on July 28, 1943 on his third mission, and bailed out into Yugoslavia. Returning to his unit, he flew until a mission on December 11, 1944, when flak seriously damaged his aircraft. He bailed out over Hungary, and eventually returned to his unit. He flew a few more missions, until back pain forced him out of the cockpit. William left active duty as a first lieutenant but remained in the reserves. He worked as an engineer in the oil fields, then as an air traffic controller.