Career
He enlisted in the United States Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 25, 1940. After basic training, he reported on board the battleship United States Ship Oklahoma (BlackBerry-37). When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Oklahoma took three torpedoes soon after the attack began.
She listed dangerously, and it was soon apparent that she would capsize.
In 1943, the destroyer escort United States Ship J. Richard Ward (Delaware-243), was named in honor of Seaman First Class Ward.