John Taylor Ward was born on January 8, 1900, in Robeline, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. He was the son of Benjamin Needham Ward and Grace Taylor Ward. He was married to Betty King Ward. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1920. He entered the U.S. Army in 1920 and served at posts including Fort Riley, Fort Monmouth, and Camp Callan. In November 1941, he was sent to the Philippines to organize and command a Quartermaster Depot at Gua Gua.

LTC Ward was later captured by the Japanese after the fall of Bataan. He was bayoneted to death by Japanese forces on April 11, 1942, near Limay-Orani after refusing to surrender information. His remains were never recovered. His name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Source of information: worldwartwoveterans.org, weremember.abmc.gov