Awarded the Silver Star posthumously:
On 25 April 1945, near Thonbrunn, Czechoslovakia, Corporal Conklin volunteered to guide a patrol being sent to rescue a wounded man from an area known to be under heavy enemy small arms and rocket fire from concealed positions. As the patrol approached the point where the casualty lay, Corporal Conklin observed an enemy soldier approaching but soon lost contact because of the heavily wooded terrain. In order to locate the enemy position, Corporal Conklin fearlessly and courageously exposed himself to enemy fire and was fired upon and killed after he located the enemy position and endeavored to point it out to his patrol leader.