Private First Class Graham was a member of Service Company, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On 20 July 1950, he was a member of a four man rocket launcher (Bazooka) team near Taejon, South Korea trying to stop enemy T-34 tanks. He was killed by enemy fire.

Graham was awarded the Purple Heart, 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.