Private Butynsky was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 2 September 1950 and returned to duty on 6 September 1950. He was Killed in Action while fighting the Chinese near Maengsan north of Pyongyang deep into North Korea on 8 November 1950.

Butynsky was awarded 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.