Sergeant Clemmons was serving with Company B, 79th Engineer Construction Battalion. He contracted bulbar poliomyelitis and was evacuated to the hospital ship USNS Daniel I. Sultan. He died on 25 December 1950, as the ship was enroute from Hungnam to Pusan.

Clemmons was awarded 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.