Master Sergeant Adams was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in South Korea on 18 September 1950 and returned to duty on 17 October 1950. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy along the Chongchon River near Nan Myon, North Korea on 28 November 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.

Adams 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.