In a long and distinguished carrier of almost 30 years in the Marine Corps, Colonel Sabow had many duty assignments. His last was as Assistant Chief of Staff at El Toro, MCAS, California and Acting Chief of Operations for the Western Area, Marine Corps. The dedication and commitment he displayed led to him receiving the Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star with Combat "V", Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and Meritorious Unit commendation and other honors.

 He was found dead in the backyard of the Sabow home on MCAS El Toro on January 22, 1991. The cause of death was officially listed as suicide but his brother and family believe that he was murdered for planning to reveal USMC complicity in trading guns for drugs in Central America. The case continued to generate conflicting accounts for a number of years, and a further review and a new investigation of the cause of death was included in the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act. In spite of significant efforts by his family to prove otherwise, the official conclusion as to cause of death continues to remain the same.