According to the Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, David *Gregory Beatty was born 16 April 1918 in Elmwood Park, Cook County, Illinois to John Patrick Beatty (30) and Norma Andresen (24). *Clearly his middle name is "Gregory" on the birth record; it is also "David G. Beatty" in the 1930 census but most of the other records have his middle initial "J".

His family had moved to Miami, Dade County, Florida by sometime between 1920 and 1930 where he is found in the 1930 (David G. Beatty 12 Illinois) and 1940 (David Beatty 21 Illinois, Auto Mechanic) census.

David J. Beatty (1918 Illinois) of Dade County, Florida enlisted as a Private in the U.S. Army on 25 June 1941 in Camp Blanding, Florida. David was single and had completed Grammar School and had been working as a “Semiskilled mechanics and repairmen, motor vehicles”. He was described as being 68 inches tall (5’6½) and weighed 150 lbs.

David served in Company H, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment as a Private First Class during World War II. On 16 February 1945, the 503rd Regimental Combat Team jumped on Corregidor ("the Rock") to liberate that island from occupying Japanese forces. Three days later David Beatty was killed. According to the Bennett M. Guthrie 'Three Winds of Death' book, "as "H" Company pressed east towards the old power plant, the troopers were in a line of squad columns formation, two abreast, one platoon in reserve. A flushed Japanese from the lantana brush ran into a nearby cave opening. Lieutenant Bonnel Stone, leading the platoon, ran after the Japanese soldier and fired his carbine at the retreating enemy as he fled into the cavern recess. The entire hillside exploded at that instant. I was watching Lieutenant Stone as he fired and observed him vaporizing. A moment later the hillside rose considerably, felling all to their knees. The hillside then began crumbling and rolling down slope toward the nearby sea. In addition to Lieutenant Stone, four enlisted men were killed by the landslide. The bodies of Pfc. James Moore and Pvt. Albert Lovenguth were never found."

Diary Entry: Monday Feb. 19th 1945
"Lt. Bonnell Stone took a patrol to BATTERY POINT. Cave blew up as Bonnell chased a Nip into the entrance... Stone, Dave Beatty, James Moore, Levenguth and Shankles were caught in explosion and killed -- Seven more wounded."
Some bodies were recovered. I saw Dave Beatty's body and a body I thought was Shankles' but Stone was blown to bits...Oddly Dave Beatty's remains were not badly distorted.. I realized it was him without to much effort...
Capt. Jim Mullaney, "H" Co., Commanding

Source of information: www.findagrave.com