Bill served in the US Army, 70th Division Infantry, 276th Regiment, during World War II. In January 1945, he and 180 platoon mates were captured by German troops during the battle of Wingen-sur-Moder and were held in a church in Wingen, France where Bill was hit with a piece of shrapnel from a shell that came through a stained glass window and exploded near the alter of the church. After four days in captivity, his platoon was liberated by American forces as they re-took the town. His decorations are a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. His army unit received a Presidential Unit Citation for its collective valor. Bill received undergraduate and law degrees from USC and practiced law in Southern California for over thirty years. Bill is 94 and lives on Balboa Island.