First Lieutenant Heath was the Company Commander of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 15 February 1951 and returned to duty on 3 May 1951. He was Killed in Action while assaulting the enemy at "Heartbreak Ridge" in North Korea on 21 September 1951.

Heath was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, 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.