Staff Sergeant William Ruby:

Staff Sergeant William Ruby enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944 at the age of 20, joining his brothers in the fight to protect the freedoms their family cherished. William was deployed to the Pacific Theater, where he saw intense combat on Mindanao in the Philippines, one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the war. He witnessed some of the heaviest fighting, as the United States sustained over 4,000 casualties while Japanese forces suffered more than 21,000 casualties and prisoners.

With the end of the war, William was reassigned to Japan as part of the post-war occupation forces, playing a role in the transition to peace. The Ruby family’s commitment to service was profound; all seven sons of Johannes Ruby enlisted across various branches, including the California Army National Guard, the U.S. Army, and the Military Police. By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, four brothers were already serving, and ultimately, six of them would be deployed overseas simultaneously. Together, they faced the demands of war, embodying a family legacy of courage, resilience, and dedication to their country.