Sources: findagrave Footnotes: 1 - Loss Information from book "VP Navy! USN, USMC, USCG and NATS Patrol Aircraft Lost or Damaged During World War II - Listed by Bureau Number. 2 - From US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, Louis B Dorny, Osprey Combat Aircraft 62, Osprey Publishing, Page 46

Name: Joseph Leo Preshong Rank: Radioman Third Class Service Number: 2019101 Service: Patrol Squadron 91 (VP-91), Patrol Wing 1, United States Navy Awards: Purple Heart Date of Birth: November 9, 1918 Place of Birth: Antigonish, Antigonish Co., Nova Scotia Date of Enlistment: March 7, 1941 Place of Enlistment: Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Address at Enlistment: 221 Lexington Street, East Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Age of Enlistment: 22 Height: 5 feet, 10 ½ inches Complexion Light Eye Color Blue Hair Color Brown Occupation: Thompson’s Spa restaurant (13 South St, Boston, Mass.) Marital Status: Single Date of Death: October 14, 1942 Age: 23 Memorial: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii Reference: Courts of the Missing, Honolulu Memorial Joseph Leo Preshong was the son of Louis Maurice Preshong (1864-1934) and Elizabeth ‘Zetha’ Jerusha (Burke) Preshong (1888-1980), and the brother of Horace Vincent Preshong (1908-1975) and Mary Anne (Preshong) McDonald (b. 1910), and Elizabeth Angeline Preshong (1915-1997). Joseph’s father was from l’Ardoise in Richmond County, Cape Breton. The family’s surname Preshong was also a phonetic variation of the French Acadian surname of Prejean. He was received at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Newport, Rhode Island, for training on March 7, 1941, from Boston. He transferred from NAS Seattle to NAS San Diego on November 8, 1941, and from San Diego to the “USS Pelias FFT [Fleet Flight Transfer] [to] Combat Wing One” on November 14, 1941. He arrived at Pearl November 25th. It appears the Squadron travelled to Pearl aboard USS Pelias (AS-14), a Griffin-class submarine tender, or Joseph was assigned to that vessel as a temporary administrative waypoint awaiting his next posting. He remained with Patrol Wing One throughout the end of 1941 and mustered with the unit for the period ending March 31, 1942. After arriving at NAS Pearl Harbor in early 1942, VP-91 was assigned to Patrol Wing 1. This wing coordinated long-range patrol operations across the Central and South Pacific. On May 25, 1942, he was assigned to Patrol Squadron 91 (VP-91), with the rank of Electrician’s Mate Third Class (EM3c). On September 13, 1942, VP-91 arrived at Luganville Seaplane Base in the Segond Channel between the islands of Espiritu Santo and Aore Island in the New Hebrides Islands (now Vanuatu), operating under FAW-1 and supported by the seaplane tender USS Mackinac (AVP-13). Under FAW-1’s command, VP-91 conducted high-risk patrols during the Solomon Islands campaign, including missions over Guadalcanal and surrounding waters. These operations were crucial for early warning, locating Japanese naval movements, and supporting Allied amphibious operations. Flying their PBY Catalina seaplanes, the crews were tasked with long-range reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, and search-and-rescue missions across the Pacific. Aside from looking for Japanese ships, the patrolling PBY crews of the patrol squadron also played their part as the Allies fought to wrest air superiority from the enemy over ever-increasing chunks of the Pacific theatre. Regularly flying into harm's way in the Solomons during September and October of 1942, VP units paid a high price during this period of sustained operations. ‘11-P-5' went down on September 6th after tangling with an aggressively flown Kawanishi H6K 'Mavis', and '11-P-10 ' was lost five days later and the crew captured after being set upon by several Mitsubishi F1Ms seaplanes. The F1M was nicknamed Pete by Allied forces. On September 14th, carrier Zero fighters shot down Lt Baxter Moore's '23-P-4' (Bureau No. 04433), while Lt JG Melvin K Butler and crew, in '91-P-7' (Bu. No. 04509), failed to return from a patrol later that same day. The Squadron lost '91-P-2' (Bu. No. 04507) and '91-P-11' (Bu. No. 2297) 48 hours later. Radioman Preshong was serving on PBY '91-P-7' (Bu. No. 04509). At 0409 hrs on October 14, 1942, Joseph’s aircraft was considered missing in action since encountering the enemy at Guadalcanal. Japanese records show that PBY Catalina 91-P-7 was shot down by Japanese A6M Zeros. 1 The crew lost in addition to Radioman Preshong were Lieutenant Junior Grade Melvin Laverne Butler, A-V(N) USNR; Lieutenant Junior Grade Edwin Emerson Tuma, A-V(N) USNR; Lieutenant Allan George Wussow, USN; Aviation Chief Radioman John Hovey Fitch, USN; Aviation Machinist's Mate Second Class Bernard Francis Ford, USN; Aviation Photographer's Mate Second Class Albert Morton Goebel, USN; Aviation Ordnanceman Third Class Daniel Eugene Pelham, USN, and Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Raymond Frederick Stange, USN. 2 Because Joseph was missing in action when he died October 14, 1942, his official declaration of death is recorded later, on December 4, 1945. He is remembered in the Courts of the Missing of the Honolulu Memorial, within the grounds of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.