Master Sergeant Sluder was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a member of Battery B, 63rd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. On 14 July 1950, his Battery was near Samgyo-ri along the Kum River, South Korea, when all communications with Headquarters Battery was lost. His Commanding Officer sent him to his Battery's outpost to have the men return, but the outpost had been overrun and he was listed as Missing in Action. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Master Sergeant Sluder was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.