Private First Class Gatewood was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was Wounded in Action while fighting the enemy at the Western Outposts in Korea and died of those wounds on 21 December 1952.

Gatewood was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.