First Lieutenant Buckley was the pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 8th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group. On 9 January 1951, while on a night intruder mission, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and contact was lost. His remains were recovered.

Buckley was awarded the Purple Heart, 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.