First Lieutenant Stauffer was a member of the 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 17 April 1951 and died of those wounds the following day.

Stauffer 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.