Timberlake, David
Army Private 1st class

David Timberlake, age 28, from California, Los Angeles county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Monday, September 4, 1950
Death details: On September 3, 1950, the 8th Cavalry Regiment and the 2nd Engineer Battalion, both elements of the 1st Cavalry Division, were holding a defensive line between Tabu-dong and Taegu at the upper end of the Naktong Perimeter. Company F of the 8th Cavalry, defending Hill 448, was attacked by elements of North Korea’s 13th Infantry Division and forced to retreat to Hill 449, defended by Company G of the 8th Cavalry. The 8th Cavalry Regiment found itself cut off from its supply train and withdrew from the area to keep from being surrounded by the enemy. Upon reaching the village of Tabu-dong, members of Companies D and E of the 8th Cavalry became involved in hut-to-hut fighting before they could retreat. Meanwhile, elements of the 2nd Engineer Battalion, which had been ordered to take and hold Hill 755, were also forced to withdraw. United States forces did not re-take this territory until September 21, 1950. Corporal David Timberlake, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with D Company, 8th Engineering Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. His unit was supporting the 2nd Engineer Battalion, which was charged with taking and holding Hill 775. The troops fought their way through enemy machine gun and sniper fire to reach the hill and attempted to dig in, suffering many casualties before being called back. At some point in the midst of this battle CPL Timberlake went missing. His fellow soldiers did not witness his death, and he was not listed as a prisoner of war. When U.S. forces finally gained control of the area on September 21, they searched for CPL Timberlake, but were unable to locate his remains. Today, Corporal Timberlake is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency