William G. Moody was born on December 17, 1923 in the small village (population 304) of Gainesville, Wyoming County, New York. His parents were Raymond F. Moody (1898-1946) and Katherine Lillian Gage (1903-1977). They were married on July 7, 1921 at North Bush, an unincorporated hamlet on Carog Lake in Fulton County, New York. William was their only child. According to the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Censuses he was raised around Caroga Lake, a very rural-forested area. He was an only child. William attended school in Canada Lake, NY and graduated from Canada Lake High School (aka the Wheelerville Union Free School). He earned a scholarship to Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. He attended Hartwick College for a year where he was a member of Alpha Kappa Phi. From there he went to work for Scintilla, a large defense contractor in Sidney, NY. While living in Oneonta he met and married Nancy MacEwan (1923- 2019) in December 1942. She was a graduate of Oneonta High School in 1941 where she was known as "Nan".  

William entered the Marine Corp on February 22, 1943 in Syracuse, NY.  He was 5'-7" tall and weighed 142 pounds.  He trained at Parris Island, S.C., Camp Lejeune, N.C. and Camp Pendleton, California. He went overseas to join the 3rd Corp in October 1943. Pfc Moody doesn't get into action with the 3rd on Bougainville but did join them in time to take part in their landing on Guam in late July 1944. On Guam the 3rd Marine Division suffer 171 dead and 761 wounded in capturing the island on August 10,1944. From Guam, the 3rd Division landed on Iwo Jima in late February 1945. Within days, some 70,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima. Many Americans were wounded or killed over the five weeks of fighting, with some estimates suggesting more than 25,000 casualties, including nearly 7,000 deaths.