Private First Class Heard was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 31 July 1950 and returned to duty on 17 August 1950. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 28 November 1950 and died while a prisoner on 4 June 1951. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Heard was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Prisoner of War Medal, 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.