Bill was raised on the family farm, and attended a one room schoolhouse, doing his homework by kerosene lighting. After graduating from Meade County High School in 1937, Bill served out his father's term of deputy sheriff at age 17, his father having died in the 1937 flood. He attended the University of Kentucky for a year, then he got an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in June 1943, the first class with wings.

A veteran of World War II, he was a B-17 pilot, flying from bases in England. He flew 29 missions by the end of that war. He served 30 years in the US Air Force, with tours in England and the Soviet Union, before retiring as a colonel. Upon retirement, he earned a doctor's degree in international relations and spent many years writing books and teaching students.

He was born in Stith Valley, Kentucky to the late Walter Lee and Ruth Fontaine Scott. He attended the University of Kentucky for a year, before getting an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in June 1943, the first class with wings. A veteran of World War II, he was a B-17 pilot in the 398th Bomb Group. He flew 29 missions from their base in England by the end of that war. He served 30 years in the US Air Force: two years on staff at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, England; two two-year tours as Defense Attache at the U.S. Embassy, Moscow, USSR, retiring as a colonel in 1972.

He earned an MA from Georgetown University and upon retirement he received a PhD in international relations from George Washington University. He worked in the Washington area as a consultant to defense research organizations, as a professor at Georgetown University and the Defense Intelligence School and authored many articles and books.