Jay Adams Urice, Jr. was born on April 22, 1927 in Mt. Kisco, New York to Jay Adams, Sr. and Marguerite (Nesbitt) Urice. Raised in an upper middle class family, Jay, Jr. spent his early years in Pleasantville, New York, and attended the Scarborough School, a private day school in Scarborough-on-Hudson, New York. Urice briefly attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh, New York, before withdrawing and joining the Merchant Marine as a cook on the S.S. Pocket Canyon. During the Korean War he continued his services as a cook, joining the U.S. Army as a Private First Class in the Army 40th Infantry Division, 3rd Battalion, 223rd Regimental Combat Team, spending time stationed in both Japan and Korea. Following his time in the U.S. Army, Urice married Doris Meinweiser and moved to Barrett Township, Pennsylvania, where he spent most of his life working in hotel management at nearby Buck Hill Falls and Skytop Lodge. Urice passed away on April 3, 2007 at the age of 79 and is buried in Laurelwood Cemetery in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

The Korean War was a Cold War conflict that lasted from 1950-1953. The conflict centered around the June 1950 invasion of South Korea (also known as the Republic of Korea) by the Soviet-allied and supported North Korea (also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), with the United Nations intervening (using mostly U.S. forces) to aid South Korea. The war suffered over a million casualties with no final resolution between the two countries. Fighting formally ending in July 1953 with signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement and the creation of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the 38th parallel, but without signing of a peace treaty. As of 2024, Korea remains divided at this de facto boundary between North and South Korea.