Corporal Ward was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 7 September 1950 and returned to duty on 27 October 1950. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy during the Battle of Chongchon River, North Korea on 27 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953.

His remains were recovered on 1 September 1954 and identified on 29 November 2005. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Ward was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, 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.