Sergeant Sanborn was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in North Korea on 16 May 1953 and returned to duty on 20 May 1953. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 8 July 1953. He was presumed dead on 9 July 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Sanborn was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, 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.