First Lieutenant Button was a member of the 8240th Army Unit, Korean Military Assistance Group (KMAG). He was listed as Missing in Action while advising the South Koreans fighting in North Korea on 13 May 1953. He was presumed dead on 14 May 1954. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, First Lieutenant Button was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.