First Lieutenant Combs was the co-pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 729th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Wing. On 26 February 1951, while on a night intruder mission, the aircraft was last seen five miles north of Pyongyang, North Korea, after completing a bomb run. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 31 January 1954. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, First Lieutenant Combs was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, 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.