William Barney Garner was born on November 18, 1907, in Montgomery County, Mississippi. He was the son of William Allen Garner and Lune Leonora McClure. He entered service on February 12, 1942, completed basic training at Camp Robinson, Arkansas, sailed for Hawaii, returned to California in February 1943, then went to Camp Maxie in Texas and Camp Gruber in Oklahoma, joining a newly organized Rainbow Division. He left for England in March 1944 and went into Normandy with the invading troops. He served in the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, as a Staff Sergeant during World War II.

SSgt Garner was Killed in Action on August 25, 1944, during the Battle of Brest, France. He is now buried in the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-James, Département de la Manche, Basse-Normandie, France. He also has a cenotaph in the Pine Bluff Cemetery, Poplar Creek, Montgomery County, Mississippi, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, weremember.abmc.gov