Staff Sergeant Hughes was a crew member of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 325th Bomber Squadron, 92nd Bomber Group. On 13 July 1950, while making a bombing run at Oki-Gunto, bombs prematurely exploded and the aircraft crashed near Dogo, Island, Japan. His remains were recovered.

Hughes 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.