David, 28, died August 5, 1949 along with 11 other Missoula smokejumpers in the Mann Gulch Fire. He was born December 10, 1920, in Bahia Blanca, Argentina while his father (a US citizen) was selling farm machinery for International Harvester.He was a 2nd lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division and jumped into Holland in the fall of 1944. Wounds in that battle took him back to England for recovery. He was discharged in 1946, after five years of service, as a 1st lieutenant.

David enrolled in the forestry program at the University of California Berkeley graduating with his degree in June 1949. The 1949 season was to be his last jumping as he was going to pursue a career in forestry and get advanced degrees in the field.