According to the stories Bill told me the reason he did not serve in any branch of the service was that he was a blue topper running a caterpillar building the Alaskan Highway. He later had a caterpillar roll over on him breaking his back. There was no burial of his remains, according to his wishes, his daughter had him cremated and spread his ashes where he requested.

His amended birth certficiate indicates that his birth certificate originally said Robert William Lee Thornton but was corrected to William Robert Lee Thornton.4130