Born in Victor Louisiana, William's family moved to Shreveport when he was a boy. He attended Louisiana State University for three years and one summer. He was drafted in August of 1942 while working on a survey crew for the State of Louisiana. Sent to intelligence school, he later shipped out to New Caledonia as a replacement in the Americal Division. In February of 1943 he was sent to Guadalcanal for five months, and then to Bougainville, where he remained for "nine or ten months." He moved on to Cebu Island in the Philippines, and then entered Yokohama for the occupation of Japan. William was discharged in San Antonio as a tech sergeant, and returned to Shreveport in October of 1945. He worked for J.B. Beard Company for forty-one years, finishing as Profit Center Manager in 1984.