Captain Porter was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with Marine Fighter Squadron 212, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On 18 May 1951, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire and its engine caught fire. He bailed out successfully. He was taken Prisoner of War and declared dead on 7 January 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Porter was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Prisoner of War Medal, 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.