Private Adams was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. On 10 August 1953, he drowned while trying to swim across the Yong Pyong River near Sarang-ni, North Korea.

Adams was awarded 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.