Private First Class Williams was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. His unit was attached to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry. On 28 November 1950 near Hagaru, North Korea, while carrying a wounded comrade to safety and exposing himself to enemy fire, his unit was overrun by Chinese forces. He was listed as Missing in Action on 6 December 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Private First Class Williams was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, 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.