Corporal McJunkins was a member of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regimental Combat Team. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 24 November 1950.

McJunkins was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist 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.