Sergeant First Class Day was a member of Company C, 8th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. He was Killed in Action while clearing mines on the road to Chunchon, South Korea by an anti-personnel mine on 30 March 1951.

Day was awarded 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.