Dotson, Dallas Morris
Army 2nd lieutenant

Dallas Morris Dotson, age 30, from West Virginia, Wood county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. First Lieutenant Dallas M. Dotson, who joined the U.S. Army from West Virginia, was a member of Company B of the 70th Tank Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and his platoon was attached to the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. On November 1, the CCF engaged in a sneak attack on U.S. forces in defensive positions near Unsan. Despite fierce resistance, the American battalions were forced to withdraw. Strong Chinese presence in the area cut off the 3rd Battalion from its exit routes so members formed two pockets of resistance, holding out against the CCF before being overrun two days later. A majority of the trapped men were killed, wounded, or captured, with the remainder escaping in small groups. Witness reports indicate 1LT Dotson was last seen November 2, after being badly wounded in an early morning CCF assault on the 3rd Battalion’s position. His body was not identified from the remains that the North Koreans returned to U.S. custody. Today, First Lieutenant Dotson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency