WW2 Harvard/Yale Fallen - Silver Star hero Morgan Preston, 3rd Infantry Division

Lt. Morgan Preston served with these men from the 3rd Infantry Division in Italy.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117817223/morgan-o'brien-preston
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/onesixthnet/3rd-infantry-division-breakout-from-anzio-t18045.html 

Morgan O'Brien Preston never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

He was born on May 7, 1918 in New York. His parents Stuart and Madeline were also both born in New York. His father worked as a banker and real estate operator. Morgan had an older brother and a younger brother. Both brothers served in WW2. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Economics in 1939. While at Harvard he was an editor of The Crimson. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1942. He then worked as a law clerk.

Morgan's near-sightedness could have kept him home. He was refused by the Navy and Marines but the Army accepted him on April 26, 1942 and sent him to infantry officers school.

He became a second lieutenant in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He arrived in the Mediterranean Theater in January 1944 and took part in the landing at Anzio where he was wounded but returned to the front and was award the Silver Star.

For gallantry in action. On the night of 17 March 1944, north of Isola Bella, Italy, Second Lieutenant Preston, after putting the men of his combat patrol into a position as a base of fire to support him, crept more than 100 yards in the face of intense machine gun, machine pistol and rifle fire, to destroy three occupants with his Tommy gun. With complete disregard for the bullets hitting within a foot of him, Second Lieutenant Preston threw a hand grenade through the window of the house from which more of the enemy were firing, silencing the fire and capturing a German who ran out of the house after single-handedly overpowering him in hand to hand struggle.

Lt. Preston would continue to lead his platoon for another 10 weeks. His findagrave.com memorial provides details on his death:

On June 1, at 11 P.M., Morgan Preston left his command post near Valmontone in charge of a battle patrol of thirteen men whose objective was a crossroads in enemy territory east of Palestrina. At 3:30 on the morning of June 2, the greater part of its mission accomplished, the patrol emerged from a lightly wooded area it had been traversing into a large clearing, planted with wheat, then already high.

It was awful dark that night, one of the enlisted men wrote later, "We were out on a patrol into Jerries' territory. We walked into an ambush that took us by surprise more or less. The Lt. was a very brave and calm man. He was leading the column ahead of his scouts. The Lt. was well liked in the patrol. He was just another one of the fellows."

The ambush in the wheat field consisted of about sixty German riflemen supported by three tanks and three machine-guns. The patrol attempted to get by unnoticed, but the Germans began to fire. Preston was heard to give the order "Open up" and immediately afterwards a burst of machine-gun fire was seen to strike near where he had been heard. There is no question now but that he was killed then, instantly.

In this apparently hopeless situation, the field lit up with flares, the patrol outnumbered five to one by the Germans firing from in front, from both flanks and from slightly to the rear, two of its men, according to sworn statements recommending them for the Medal of Honor, got up and charged the German detachment, of which they killed or wounded a third, and so in the confusion gave the rest of their patrol a chance to withdraw, at the sacrifice of their own lives.

Lt. Preston remained missing in action for three weeks at which point his body was found.

His grave is at Sacred Heart Cemetery in South Hampton, New York.

Thank you Morgan for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Morgan.

Last year on this date I profiled Hoke Turner, 34th Infantry Division. You can read about Hoke here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

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