US Army Private Billy D. McDonald was born in Holmes County, Florida on March 20, 1933, the son of Miles Jay McDonald (1889-1966) and Julia Luella "Ludie" McDuffie (1896-1981). His father was born in Holmes County, Florida where he became a farmer in the Ward's Mill area. By 1918, the family was living in the community of White Water until they moved to Jay, Santa Rosa County, Florida in 1939. By 1940, they were living in Coonhill where he was still farming for a salary of $300 per year.
Billy was also the maternal grandson of Private William H. McDuffie (1849-1936) who was an old Confederate veteran of the Civil War. During the war he had served the Confederacy as a member of the local "home guard" unit in Holmes County.
As for Billy, he found himself in Japan in 1950 with the US Army and attached to Company "B" of the 32nd Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division. Then came the invasion by the North Koreans on June 25, 1950 that pushed the South Korean and American forces onto the Pusan Peninsular with their backs to the sea. To break the enemy's stranglehold to the south, General Douglas McArthur launched an amphibious landing behind enemy lines at Inchon on September 15. The 7th Division together with their South Korean counterparts and Marines landed there and drove toward the capital city of Seoul cutting off the enemy's supply lines. At the same time, the Army's 1st Calvary Division broke out of the Naktong perimeter to the south and raced north for 102 miles to join with the 7th Division. This move decimated the North Koreans who were then forced to fall back.
The 32nd Regiment then advanced toward the Hans River, which was the last natural barrier separating them from Seoul. It was in this intense fighting that Billy McDonald was killed in action. Two days later, his regiment would cross the river without him. Seoul was recaptured by September 28 at which time the UN forces began driving the North Koreans north to the Chosin Reservoir. His remains were returned home and buried in the Calvary Baptist Cemetery in Allentown.
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