Captain Russell was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was the pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 729th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Wing. On February 26, 1951, while on a night intruder mission, the aircraft was last seen five miles north of Pyongyang, North Korea after completing a bomb run. 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.