Maltesen, Donald Frederick
Army Private 1st Class

Donald Frederick Maltesen, age 20, from New York, Kings county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Saturday, July 11, 1953
Death details: On July 6, 1953, a large Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) unit attacked and overran the U.S. Army outposts on Pork Chop Hill in an attempt to seize whatever territory possible before the impending armistice agreement. After fighting for the position for four days, on July 10, the 7th Infantry Division Commander determined that the CCF disregard for casualties and desire to hold the outpost outweighed the position’s tactical value, and ordered a withdrawal that was eventually completed on July 11. The U.S. never again controlled Pork Chop Hill, preventing thorough recovery efforts for those who were killed or went missing during the fighting. Private First Class Donald Frederick Maltesen, who joined the U.S. Army from New York, served with the Medical Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was killed in action on July 11 when his bunker was hit by Chinese mortar fire during an attack on the 3rd Battalion’s positions on Pork Chop Hill. It was not possible to recover his body at the time, and the area where he was killed became part of the Demilitarized Zone after the ceasefire. Today, Private First Class Maltesen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency