First Lieutenant Held was the pilot of a F-84G Thunderjet fighter with the 310th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 58th Fighter-Bomber Group. On 10 June 1953, while on a night armed reconnaissance, contact with his plane was lost. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 11 June 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, First Lieutenant Held was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, 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.