Sergeant First Class Alva was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded in South Korea on 27 August 1950 and returned to duty on 26 October 1950. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 27 November 1950 and was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Sergeant First Class Alva was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, 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.