Billy was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and moved to Lenoir City, Tennessee, at age eight. He graduated from Lenoir City High School in 2001. He loved the outdoors, especially hiking in the mountains. Quiet and kind, he was known for his sense of humor and playful pranks. After his final deployment, he planned to attend college and study landscaping.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and completed basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. His first deployment was to Djibouti, a key location between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In March 2005, he deployed to Iraq for eight months to help guard the Iraqi border with Syria along the Euphrates River. In July 2006, he began a second tour with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. On December 27, 2006, during a joint foot patrol with the Iraqi Army near Habbaniyah in Anbar Province, he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

His legacy lives on through his family, friends, and comrades.