Major William B. Moody, USA (ret.) was born April 16, 1924 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, just 17 years after the "Indian Territory" was given the Choctaw name "Land of the Red Man." Bill was descended from a Scotch/Irish father and a Cherokee/Irish mother born in Earlsborough, Oklahoma (where Clark Cable worked as a Tool Dresser in the oil fields before he migrated to Hollywood and became America’s Heartthrob). His grandmother on his mother’s side made the march of the "Trail of Tears" of the five civilized tribes from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana where literally hundreds of the Indians died from starvation, dehydration and exhaustion.

Bill got an early start in the military service of his country. At the ripe old age of 15 years, his gather unceremoniously dumped him in 1939 in a full time military academy at Will Roger’s hometown of Claremore, Oklahoma. His father had a belly-full of Bill’s shenanigans involving indebtedness for beer, being expelled form Shawnee High School for coming to school in his pajamas. And last but not least, impregnating a way-too-young lady whose mother was a well-liked school nurse in town. The military school was an old-times horse cavalry school named The Oklahoma Military Academy. Bill’s tenure lasted three years even though in his first or rabbit year he was beaten bloody in the butt by upperclassmen’s long, heavy paddles and walked the "Bull Ring" in full field pack and nine-pound rifle every weekend for nine months. He lost 54 pounds, and by springtime he was stronger and more agile than ever before.

Bill made up his min when he had the option to go or not to go back to the Oklahoma Military Academy that he was going to change his ways and try hard to become an officer in the United States Army. He studied hard and was appointed to the Honor Roll all through his second year. He was promoted to Cadet Corporal and was assigned to Markham Barracks to room with Dale Robertson, a handsome, all-round Athlete of the year for three years in a row. Later, Dale became the popular star of the Well’s Fargo Television Series in the mid to late fifties.

Education wise, Bill returned from WWII and enrolled in the University of Oklahoma at Norman, Oklahoma. He was awarded the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1949; a permanent Oklahoma Teaching Certificate in 1953 and in 1954 the Ford Foundation chose him as one of the outstanding young teachers of America in three state competitions. He is a permanent Fellow of the Ford Foundation.

In his desires to become an army officer, his career was going the opposite direction. In 1947, he nearly re-enlisted but the army insisted that he sign an irrevocable pledge to serve six years if he didn’t take it through Officers Candidate School. This was a lose/lose situation in his way of thinking and he decided that there must be a better way. So, in 1949, he took a long shot after he got back from school in Mexico and joined the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Division as a recruit (below the level of a private). In a month he was promoted to corporal, six months to Sergeant First Class and within a year to 2nd Lieutenant of medical ambulances in the 120th Medical Battalion, 45th Infantry Division.

His dreams and ambition had finally been realized. Only one thing was lacking and along came the Korean War. He became a 2nd Lieutenant on Active Duty and headed to Korea and was involved in combat again.

Almost three years later, after serving to the end of the fighting, he again left Active Duty and joined the Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division as a 1st Lieutenant of twin 40mm Antiaircraft M42 Tank for the Radio Corporation of America. As a new Captain of Artillery, he was recalled to Active Duty as a Critical Specialist in Anti-aircraft Artillery in 1956 with assignment to the 5th AAA Group, Camp Hanford, Washington.

Bill was transferred to Munich, Germany in 1960 as Deputy Chief, Non-Appropriated Funds and Custodian of the Central Welfare Funds, Southern Area Command, Germany. From there he was promoted to Major, attended the Vietnamese Language School at El Paso, Texas in 1968. In 1969 he was assigned as Vietnamese Interpreter to the Governor of Kien Giang Province in Four Corps, South Vietnam. He was retired honorably from the United States Army on January 1st, 1972.

Major William B. Moody, USA (ret.) “has served his country in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.  During his 29 years of service, Major William B. Moody has received the Combat Infantry Badge, The Combat Medical Badge, the Bronze Start, the Army Commendation Medal (1 OLC), the Good Conduct Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the ETO Medal w/4 stars, the National Defense Service Medal (1 OLC), Armed Forces Services Medal w/ten year device, the Korean Service Medal w/2 Battle Stars, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Commendation Medal, the American Theatre Ribbon, and the WWII Presidential Service Medal.”  Major William B. Moody, USA (ret.) is the author of Hell’s Folly: WWII Memoirs.

The MOAA said of Hell’s Folly: WWII Memoirs, “Moody shares his World War II experiences from 1941-1945. His encounters range from rollicking humor to encyclopedic horror in this very personal memoir.”