Howard was born in New York City on the 1st of August, 1933, and he went to school in the Bronx, graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1951. He went on to Pace College in Westchester County, where he graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in 1955, after joining the Platoon Leaders Class in the US Marine Corps Reserve. Following college, Howard took part in the 14th Officer Candidates' Course at the Marine Corps School in Quantico, Virginia, which he finished in December of 1956 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve. He went on to the Basic School and then the Marine Corps Supply School, before transferring to Philadelphia for duty as a Field Inspection Officer at the Marine Corps Supply Activity.

By January of 1958, Howard had been promoted to First Lieutenant and had been moved in to the regular Marine Corps. He held various assignments from Troop Handler, to Platoon Commander, to Battalion S-4 Officer, before being promoted to Captain on the 1st of July, 1961, and becoming an instructor at the Basic School until June of 1964. Howard was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and was the Commanding Officer of Company A, 1st Battalion before serving as the Battalion S-3 Officer and serving on board the USS La Salle. Howard went on to serve two tours of duty in the Republic of Vietnam, his first being in April of 1966 as the Commanding Officer of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He displayed actions on the 26th and 27th of June, 1966 that would earn him the Bronze Star with V device, but it was his actions on the 8th and 9th of August that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer, Company E, Fourth Marines, Third Marine Division near Cam Lộ, Republic of Vietnam, on 8 and 9 August 1966. A platoon of Major (then Captain) Lee's company, while on an operation deep in enemy territory, was attacked and surrounded by a large Vietnamese force. Realizing that the unit had suffered numerous casualties, depriving it of effective leadership, and fully aware that the platoon was even then under heavy attack by the enemy, Major Lee took seven men and proceeded by helicopter to reinforce the beleaguered platoon. Major Lee disembarked from the helicopter with two of his men and, braving withering enemy fire, led them into the perimeter, where he fearlessly moved from position to position, directing and encouraging the overtaxed troops. The enemy then launched a massive attack with the full might of their forces. Although painfully wounded by fragments from an enemy grenade in several areas of his body, including his eye, Major Lee continued undauntedly throughout the night to direct the valiant defense, coordinate supporting fires, and apprise higher headquarters of the plight of the platoon. The next morning he collapsed from his wounds and was forced to relinquish command. However, the small band of Marines had held their position and repeatedly fought off many vicious enemy attacks for a grueling six hours until their evacuation was effected the following morning. Major Lee's actions saved his men from capture, minimized the loss of lives, and dealt the enemy a severe defeat. His indomitable fighting spirit, superb leadership, and great personal valor in the face of tremendous odds, reflect great credit upon himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Howard was evacuated to Bethesda, Maryland due to his injuries sustained during those actions and he would return to duty, not in Vietnam, but at Headquarters Marine Corps and was later was the Assistant Fleet Marine Force Readiness Officer and promoted to Major in July of 1966. A little over a year later, Howard received the Medal of Honor from President Johnson in a ceremony at the White House on the 25th of October, 1967.

Howard's second tour of duty in the Republic of Vietnam took place after he completed the Command and Staff College in Quantico in June of 1970. His actions as the Executive Officer of the Provisional Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Combined Action Group, III Marine Amphibious Force, earned him another Bronze Star with V device. Howard returned home and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, a rank which he held until his retirement in 1975 after twenty years of service.

After the Marine Corps, Howard worked a variety of different jobs, from car sales to manufacturing, to landscape. Landscaping was the one area that seemed to stick and he even went to Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, where he received an Associate's Degree in Horticulture. Howard volunteered for the city mowing median strips and according to his son, he was the happiest he had been in a long time, working outside. After twenty years of working outdoors, he retired in 1995 and still had a piece of shrapnel lodged near his right lung. Howard's wife of fifty years, Jean, died in 2006 and they had four children. One of his sons, Michael, joined the Marine Corps after college and recently retired as a Colonel. Howard Vincent Lee died on the 23rd of March, 2019, at the age of 85 and is buried with his wife in the Colonial Grove Memorial Park in Virginia Beach: Garden of Liberty, Lot 216, Site 1.