Private First Class Alba was a machine gunner with the 4th Squad, 1st Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy as a member of Task Force Smith near Osan, South Korea, on 5 July 1950.

Alba 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.