Sergeant Trexler was a member of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in North Korea on 17 November 1951 and died of those wounds later that day.

Trexler was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman 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.