William L. Blake, who was born in Jacksonville and joined the army for active duty in World War II at Camp Pike, Arkansas, in 1941. He was assigned to the 78th Field Artillery Battalion of the Second Armored Division and deployed to North Africa in 1942. In this capacity, he fought in Casablanca, Morocco, then moved on to Sicily and Italy in 1943, and landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day plus 3 in July of 1944. His half-track vehicle was destroyed, and he was wounded by shrapnel, for which he received the Purple Heart. Following treatment for his wounds, he returned to combat and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in eastern Belgium and the Ardennes, eventually advancing into the heartland of Germany.

Mr. Blake was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with seven bronze stars, representing each of his combat campaigns during 238 battle days of World War II. The Second Armored Division suffered 7,348 casualties, including 1,600 soldiers killed in action. Mr. Blake received additional decorations before his release from active duty in November of 1945. Today, at the age of 92, he resides in Conway and remains actively involved in the Conway Senior Citizen Center.