Private First Class Canterberry was a Browning Automatic rifleman with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was seriously wounded while fighting the enemy at "Bunker Hill", South Korea on 20 August 1952 and died of those wounds on 13 September 1952.

Canterberry was awarded the Purple Heart, 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.