Sergeant Drake worked in the motor pool of Service Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action when his truck carrying ammunition was overrun by North Korean troops at the Kum River line north of Taejon, South Korea, on 16 July 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Drake 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.