First Lieutenant Adler was a crew member of "Shady Lady", a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 345th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Wing. On May 7, 1951, while on a bombing mission over Pyongyang, North Korea, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and lost a wing. Several parachutes were seen leaving the plane. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on January 31, 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.