Matthew, Donald Ferdinand
Army Corporal

Donald Ferdinand Matthew, age 27, from King County Miami, Florida .

Service era: Korea
Military history: 35th Infantry Regiment

Date of death: Tuesday, November 28, 1950
Death details: On November 25, 1950, the U.S. Army 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions were holding defensive positions south of the town of Unsan, North Korea, below the Yalu River. On November 26 and 27, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) attacked the U.S. troops, pushing them through the towns of Ung-dong and Yongsan-dong, and on to Yongbyon, where they were given orders to establish new defensive lines. Sergeant Donald Ferdinand Matthew entered the U.S. Army from Washington and served with H Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on November 28, during this withdrawal to Yongbyon. No one saw him fall in battle and he was never reported to be a prisoner of war. He was not identified among remains returned to U.S. custody after the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Matthew is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, 35th Infantry Regiment Association, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency