Private First Class Terrell was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy along the Nammyon River near Unsan, North Korea, on 2 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were recovered on 16 July 1993 and identified on 6 March 2011. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Terrell 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.