Lieutenant Colonel Hampton was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7th Infantry Division. On 21 September 1950, after landing at Inchon in support of the U.S. Marines, he was ambushed near Suwon, South Korea.

For his leadership and valor, Lieutenant Colonel Hampton was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the Legion of Merit, 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, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, the Order of the British Empire and the World War II Victory Medal.