Second Lieutenant Dolph was the pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 730th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Wing stationed at Mihe Air Force Base, Japan. On 15 December 1950, while he was on a combat mission, his aircraft crashed on the east slope of Mt. Korie-zan 12 miles east of Honshu, Japan.

Dolph was awarded 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.