Hospital Corpsman First Class Terrell was a Navy medic assigned to the 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Division. He tended his wounded comrades at Pusan, South Korea and at "Heartbreak Ridge", North Korea. After completing his tour in Korea, he returned to the United States where he was unsuccessfully treated for traumatic shock and died on 23 January 1959.

Terrell was awarded the Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Star, the Combat Action Ribbon, 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.