Private First Class Fairley was a member of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was seriously wounded while fighting the enemy in Korea and died of those wounds on 21 March 1953.

Fairley was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, 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.