Roy witnessed World War II as a boy on the home front. He was born in Hamilton, Ohio, to a father who was a butcher, and who was drafted at age thirty-five in World War II. He was sent into the service, Roy says, for non-support of the family. Roy recalls rationing and shortages. "Bananas were non-existent. We might get an orange at Christmas," he recalls of shortages of exotic fruit. Local apples, pears, and cherries, however, were plentiful. Roy recalls posters and pamphlets urging and instructing Americans in how to plant victory gardens. A Boy Scout, he helped in Civil Defense taking messenger training and learned semaphore. He also participated in scrap iron and paper drives. Roy joined the U.S. Air Force after the war and worked as a scout liaison at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida. He spent many years in scouting, coming to Shreveport as a scout executive in 1975. He also taught school as a substitute, then a full-time teacher. He retired in 1990.