Sergeant First Class Connor was a member of the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in North Korea on 11 April 1951 and returned to duty on 21 April 1951. He was seriously wounded again on 4 September 1951 and died of those wounds later that day.

Connor was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman 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.