Private First Class Savage was a member of the 2nd Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On 26 November 1950, his unit successfully held off superior enemy forces on Hill 222 in Kujang, North Korea. His platoon was overrun on 27 November 1950 and he was killed after his Browning Automatic Rifle ceased functioning. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Savage was awarded the Purple Heart, 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.