Major Conklin was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a member of the 502nd Field Artillery Missile Battalion, U.S. Army. He contracted infective hepatitis with hematemesis and was taken to the 48th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) where he died on 20 June 1953.

Conklin was awarded 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.