In McKinney, Kentucky, William was born on the 7th of July, 1930. He was one of eight children and he went to school in Butler County, Ohio, before enlisting in the US Marine Corps on the 23rd of January, 1948. William was stationed at Camp Lejeune after recruit training at Parris Island and when he deployed to Korea, he participated in the Inchon Landing, the capture of Seoul, the Wonsan campaign, and the Chosin Reservoir campaign. It was his actions at the Chosin Reservoir that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of an Anti-Tank Assault Squad attached to Company G, Third Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), during a nighttime enemy attack against a motorized column en route from Koto-Ri to Hagaru-ri, Korea, on November 29, 1950. Acting instantly when a hostile grenade landed in his truck as he and his squad prepared to alight and assist in the repulse of an enemy force delivering intense automatic-weapons and grenade fire from deeply entrenched and well-concealed roadside positions, Private First Class Baugh quickly shouted a warning to the other men in the vehicle and, unmindful of his own personal safety, hurled himself upon the deadly missile, thereby saving his comrades from serious injury or possible death. Sustaining severe wounds from which he died a short time afterward, Private First Class Baugh, by his superb courage and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

William Bernard Baugh was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, as well as the Purple Heart, and he is buried in the Glen Haven Cemetery in Harrison, Ohio.