Born on July 26, 1922 in Newcomb in Campbell County, Tennessee. His parents were Walter and Bertha Douglas; his brothers were Walter Garfield Douglas; and his sister was Regina Douglas Collins. He enlisted in Navy on December 17, 1941.
Douglas was a member of the crew of USS Helena (CL-50). Sunk during the Battle of Kula Gulf on July 6, 1943 by torpedoes. Although 700 were rescued, 150 went missing, including Douglas, who died two weeks before his 21st birthday.
A dog tag for "Seaman 1st Class, General Preston Douglas" and remains were discovered at Ranonga Island eroding out of the ground near a trail by his village. It is a mystery as to how he got there, died and who buried him.
In June 2006, a resident of Ranonga Island notified the US Consulate, who notified John Innes who researched the name and contacted JPAC.
In mid-September 2006, a team from JPAC traveled to the island and visited the burial site. His remains were positively identified by the lab. He was laid to rest at Gollihon Cemetery next to his sister on January 26, 2008.
References
Thanks to John Innes, Eric Golo, Sue Ericson, Tom McLeod for additional information
