Roger “Sonny” Pryor was born July 14, 1926. He graduated from West Point High School. He left on November 10, 1944, to be inducted into the US Army. Upon completing basic and other training, Sonny was waiting to be transported overseas at the port of embarkation at Fort Mead, Maryland, when he suffered a ruptured appendix and was sent to surgery at the Army General Hospital at Fort Mead. It was reported that several other appendectomies were performed at the hospital that day in May, 1945. Since Sonny’s appendix had ruptured, he had to be medicated for the serious infection associated with his case. By error, the infection medication was given to another soldier that had an appendectomy operation.

Roger Pryor became gravely ill from the infection and remained in the hospital three weeks before he died of complications from the treatment. His parents were with him when he died on June 3, 1945. They accompanied his body back home and his funeral services were held on June 6, 1945, at the First Baptist Church in West Point. He was survived by his parents, a brother and sister. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in West Point.