Lieutenant Commander Neel was the pilot of an AD-4 Skyraider dive bomber with Attack Squadron 65 aboard the USS Boxer (CVA-21). On 18 April 1952, while on a combat mission twenty miles northeast of Wonsan, North Korea, his aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire, its wing sheared off and it crashed. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Lieutenant Commander Neel was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, 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.