Corporal Tria was a squad leader in the Heavy Mortar Company, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was wounded in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 28 May 1953 and died in a field hospital on 1 June 1953. His last letter home arrived just before the telegram announcing his death.

Tria was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.