After graduating from West Philadelphia High School in 1966, Foster briefly attended Community College of Philadelphia. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1967 and was thinking of going back to college to become a history teacher. After learning that it would cost more than $1,000 to fix his car, Foster volunteered for a second tour in Vietnam and planned to use the extra combat pay he would receive to buy a new car. The 21-year-old airman first class, a security police man with the 37th Combat Security Police Squadron, died in Binh Dinh province on December 5, 1969. He was survived by his parents and two sisters.