Private First Class Taylor was a member of the 2nd Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in South Korea on 14 February 1951 and died while a prisoner on 6 April 1953.

Taylor was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, 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.