Samuel Owen Preston, Jr.
Corporal Samuel O. Preston, Jr., served with the First Marine Raider Battalion and VMSB-141 during the Guadalcanal campaign.
He failed to return from a routine search over Santa Isabel Island on 8 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 364042
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 22, 1913
at Millwood, KY
Parents
Samuel Owen Preston (d. 1945)
Dora Alice (Willis) Preston
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Deck and room steward
American President Lines
Service Life
Entered Service
January 24, 1942
at Louisville, KY
Home Of Record
Louisville, KY
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Violet Preston
Military Specialty
Aviation radioman / gunner
Raider
Primary Unit
VMSB-141
E/1st Marine Raider Bn.
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Preston served four years in the US Navy before enlisting in the Marine Corps.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Sam O. Preston, a professional sailor and former Navy man, enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after Pearl Harbor. Clearly intending to be among the first to fight, he volunteered for duty with the First Marine Raider Battalion and landed in the Solomon Islands as a member of Company E. PFC Preston participated in the fighting for Tulagi, Edson’s Ridge, and the Matanikau River before securing an extremely unusual transfer. On 12 October 1942, Preston left the Raiders and joined Marine Air Group 23 at Henderson Field. He was assigned to a scout-bombing squadron, VMSB-141, as a rear-seat gunner and radioman.
After what must have been a hectic crash course in his new role, Preston began flying combat missions. On 1 November 1942, he flew four sorties against enemy troops. A week later, he was assigned to a routine patrol over Santa Isabel Island. The pilot, 1Lt. Wortham S. Ashcroft, had his arm in a sling from a recent wound but insisted on leading the mission. Ashcroft was an experienced flyer, and at the time was acting as squadron commander.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered. Ashcroft and Preston were officially declared dead on 19 February 1945.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Violet Mary (Geronimo) Preston.
Preston listed his brother Douglas (2614 West Chestnut Street, Louisville, KY) as an alternate beneficiary.
Location Of Loss
SBD-3 #06678 was lost in a storm in the vicinity of Santa Isabel Island
