Colonel William Martin Pond was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School Class 3-41, 12 December 1941. His first duty assignment was as Special Assistant to the Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, Fort McClellan, Alabama. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Platoon Leader, Camp Claiborne, Louisiana; Platoon Leader, Anti-Tank Platoon, and Regimental S-2, 326th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Multi-engine Aircraft Pilot, European Theater World War II, England, France, and India; Aircraft Commander, Tezgoan, India; Instructor Pilot, USAir Force Reserve (USAFR), Hamilton Field, California; recalled to active duty as Aircraft Commander, 4th Air Rescue Squadron, Hamilton Field, California; Air Craft Commander and Chief Pilot, Adak, Alaska, Kelly Field, Texas and Eilson Air Force Base Alaska; Special Services, Personal Services and Chief of Administration, Headquarters Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina; Command Detachment #3, 11608th Air Transport Wing, Recife, Brazil; he arranged for the funding, building and staffing of the American School of Recife; as President of the School Board and later, First President of the School, the Senate of Brazil consented for the library of this institution to be named the William M. Pond Library in recognition of his contributions to the institution; Commander, Headquarters Squadron and Wing Executive Officer, 60th Air Transportation Wing, Military Air Transportation Service, Pacific Theater. | As a civilian Colonel Pond served as Honorary Brigadier General, California State Militia; Member of the Company of Military Historians; Member of the Custer Battlefield Preservation Committee amd active volunteer for the California Military Museum.