Willard Ashford was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in May 1928. His family was mostly poverty-ridden due to the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. His father worked for a lumber yard. He does not recall where he was when he found out about Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. His two uncles joined the military when the war broke out, which inspired Ashford to want to join the service. He remembered having to ration various supplies, food, and gas. Ashford quit school at age 16 and worked in a rubber factory before forging his birth certificate and enlisting in the Navy in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He knew he was going to get drafted, so he decided to join the Navy instead. He completed three months of basic training in San Diego, California. He completed a 20-mile march on the beach, but it was not tough for him because he was used to walking everywhere in Baton Rouge. He was also a good marksman on the rifle range. He joined the Navy as “a matter of convenience,” and he thought he would have the opportunity to travel the world. He asked to join the Seabees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions] because he wanted to learn a trade that could help him in his future career. He boarded a transport ship bound for Guam [Annotator’s Note: Guam, Mariana Islands]. The ship was very crowded with a limited amount of space. The crew fired at a mine in the water. He was given kitchen duty while on the voyage. When his ship docked in Guam, Ashford was assigned to 72nd Naval Construction Battalion. Guam was secured by this point. Ashford was then transferred to the 134th Naval Construction Battalion, a trucking battalion, where he spent the rest of the war driving trucks of supplies across the island.

Willard Ashford [Annotator’s Note: assigned to the 134th Naval Construction Battalion in Guam] was preparing to invade the Japanese mainland until the United States dropped the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. He was thrilled when the war was over. At war’s end, Ashford signed up for two more years of service in hopes of being able to go to Japan. He was assigned to duty in the engine room of the USS Hooper Island (ARG-17) docked in Sasebo Harbor [Annotator’s Note: Sasebo, Japan]. Ashford got sick and after hospital stays across the Pacific and in the United States, was discharged in April 1946 with the rank of seaman second class at Coronado Island [Annotator’s Note: Coronado Island, California]. He was married shortly after his discharge. His uncle offered him a job as a police officer in Baton Rouge [Annotator’s Note: Baton Rouge, Louisiana]. During his application process, he was asked if he was a Republican or Democrat, to which he responded he did not know. He was then told if he registered as a Democrat, he would get the job. Ashford took advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] when he bought his first house in Baton Rouge.

Willard Ashford’s most memorable experience of the was was driving an 18-wheeler to Admiral Nimitz’s [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Sr., Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet] house on Guam [Annotator’s Note: Guam, Mariana Islands]. He served in World War 2 to defend his country. Ashford believes that being part of the Navy helped him mature and become more responsible. He thinks that Americans look at World War 2 as a lesson in personal and international relationships. Ashford believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations.