Major General Bill B. Lefler was born in Rawlins, Wyoming on October 20, 1933, and grew up in Clinton, Arkansas, where he participated in sports, church activities, and community events. He attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas from 1951 to 1953. He graduated from the University of Tennessee School of Dentistry, Memphis, Tennessee in December 1956 and received his commission as a dental officer in March 1956. He completed graduate school in Prosthodontics at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1968.

During his military career spanning over 34 years, General Lefler served as a clinician, teacher, administrator, and leader. He held various command and staff positions and was appointed Assistant Surgeon General for Dental Services in 1986, becoming the twentieth Chief of the Army Dental Corps and promoted to Major General. His other key assignments included Chief of the Fixed Prosthodontics, Director of Prosthodontic Residency Program, and later Chief of the Department of Dentistry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also commanded the Dental Activity at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and served as the Senior Dental Corps Staff Officer in the Office of the Surgeon General at the Pentagon. Promoted to Brigadier General in 1979, he served as Deputy Commander and Director of Dental Services, United States Army Health Services Command until July 1984. In this role, he assisted the Commanding General in managing all healthcare services and participated in research activities across the United States, Panama, Hawaii, and Alaska. Subsequently, he was appointed Deputy Commander, 7th Medical Command, and Chief Dental Surgeon for the U.S. Army in Europe, stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, where he managed healthcare in Europe and contributed to wartime planning. General Lefler uniquely served as Mentor, Dental Activity Commander, Senior Dental Corps Staff Officer, and in all three Dental Corps General Officer positions.

General Lefler received the Army Surgeon General's "A" Proficiency Designator, recognizing his professional achievement. His credentials include Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, Charter Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontics, Fellow of the American and International Colleges of Dentists, Member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, Arkansas State Dental Association, American Dental Association, and the Association of the United States Army.

He was recognized as Outstanding Alumnus by his three alumni associations: Clinton High School in 1987, University of Tennessee School of Dentistry in 1988, and Hendrix College in 1989. General Lefler received the Arkansas State Dental Association's first International Distinguished Service Award, a Distinguished Service Citation from the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and was named Honorary Fellow in both the Academy of Dentistry International and the Academy of General Dentistry. He was appointed as a Military Commissioner to the Fédération Dentaire Internationale.

General Lefler's military awards include two Distinguished Service Medals, the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Expert Field Medical Badge, the Chief of Staff's Badge, and the Order of Military Medical Merit. He also received a Distinguished Service Medal and Commendation Medal from the State of Arkansas.