Corporal Wurtz was a medic with the Medical Company, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while tending his wounded comrades in North Korea on 25 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Wurtz was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Medical 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.