Corporal Vinyard was a member of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 26 November 1951 and died while a prisoner on 21 March 1952. His remains were not recovered.

Vinyard was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Prisoner of War Medal, 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.