William “Bill” Swanson was born in August 1924 in Taft, California. His parents, William E. and Helen Sall, were first generation children of Swedish immigrant farmers. His mother died tragically a couple of weeks after the birth of Bill’s younger brother, Glen, in 1926. After being raised by his grandmother, fighting in WWII, and returning home to meet and marry his wife, Rita, Bill lived with his family in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He retired from the City of Los Angeles Water & Power Dept. in 1986. William Swanson is the author of The View from My Foxhole: A Marine Private's Firsthand World War II Combat Experience from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. 

According to the book description of The View from My Foxhole: A Marine Private's Firsthand World War II Combat Experience from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima, “After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, millions of young American men were eager to join up and defend their country. William Swanson was among them. The View from My Foxhole tells William Swanson’s story of fighting in the jungles of Bougainville and Guam and the ash heap of Iwo Jima. Through it he maintains his sense of humor and thanks his lucky stars for every day he survives.”