Bill was a white collar guy not a blue collar guy. Those that were loyal to Joe Bonanno liked him and loved him. He was no street guy, but what he had on the west coast, and Connecticut was bringing in money, most of which was legit, while in Connecticut it was check forgery with Benny Flats an old Giovanni Bonventre associate, a small group of Bonannos operated in Connecticut, only a few made members and a dozen or so associates that were with Giovanni Bonventre crew, as far I know they didn't make in anyone up there since the books reopened in the 1970s, pretty sure it died out, with guys from New York having small pieces of action here and there.
As a soldier, no not really, he was only a soldier for a year before bumped up to capo and his father, Frank Labruzzo and Bonventre schooled him, but Joe made sure Bill knew the white Collar and legit business aspects, and even then Joe really was not teaching Bill and letting other guys teach him. Different atmosphere between New York and Arizona, if Bill did not have a silver spoon in his mouth and grew up in New York City more and was on the streets a lot more, I think things would have turned out different and he would not have needed all of his fathers guys advise all the time. Bill was really lost when his father was not around, and that really was Joe's doing.