Adamson was commissioned into the infantry and saw active service in World War II as a platoon leader and in Vietnam as a brigade commander.[4]
After leaving the Second Brigade, Fourth Infantry Division in 1967, he was appointed professorial chair of military science at The Citadel Military College.[5]
Adamson married Marjorie Ann McCabe with whom he had four sons. Their son Patrick died in 1996. This marriage ended in divorce. He later married Shirley Miller.
^"Commanding General, Military District of Washington". 19th National Conference of Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Army. May 6–8, 1973. p. 9. Retrieved September 4, 2021.