Press Releases

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aaron L. Preston: For soldier, service was a family tradition

By JON NIELSEN / The Dallas Morning News

 

Aaron L. Preston sustained a family tradition that saw his relatives on battlefields on Iwo Jima and in Europe, Vietnam and Korea.

Three years ago, at age 26, it was his turn to serve. He enlisted in the Army.

"Aaron felt an inherent sense of pride," said his younger brother, Richard Preston. "Deep down he wanted to do his duty to the country, and at the same time he felt a sense of obligation."

Before enlisting, Mr. Preston, a 1995 graduate of W.T. White High School in Dallas, attended Texas State University part time and found activities around San Marcos that connected him to the outdoors. He worked part time on ranches and spent days fishing in the Hill Country's waterways.

Mr. Preston was deployed to Iraq this year, following a path to combat blazed by his uncle and grandfather. The soldier achieved the rank of specialist and hoped to earn enough experience to start a career in the oilfields or mines as a demolitions expert.

"He wanted to help out and get ahead, and the only place he could learn about demolitions was in the military," said his brother-in-law Noel Coward. "He was really waiting to come home and start doing these things."

He was to be released from duty in eight months, his family said. But on Christmas Day, Spc. Preston died from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. He died just before midnight.

"They must've caught him by surprise because that boy was smart," Mr. Coward said.

Spc. Preston, a combat engineer, was precise when it came to the minutiae of his job. He knew his life depended on it, as did those of his military brothers, most of them five to 10 years younger than he was.

Stationed in Germany for much of his military career, Spc. Preston missed the burnt-orange sunsets that settle over the Texas horizon. He remained in touch with his family via telephone or e-mail. But in Germany, he found a new family.

They called Spc. Preston "Pops" or "Gramps," terms they used frequently as a joke but also as a sign of respect for the 29-year-old serviceman. He often said that he had to help his colleagues because they were so young and didn't always follow protocol. But Spc. Preston, a details guy, did.

"He watched over those young men," said Mr. Coward, "and he enjoyed that, and they enjoyed that. They depended on him."

As the holidays neared, Mr. Coward said, Spc. Preston was working two missions each night, mostly on just a few hours of sleep. His unit was short-handed because of holiday leaves. According to Spc. Preston, everyone in his unit was fatigued.

He shared his concerns with a commanding officer, saying, "We're going to slip up if we don't get sleep."

According to family members, Spc. Preston had worked three weeks without a day off before his death.

"He was right; he was absolutely correct," said his brother-in-law. "What a waste, what an absolute utter waste of all these boys."

Two other members of Spc. Preston's company were also killed in Monday's blast: Sgt. John T. Bubeck, 25, of Collegeville, Pa., and Pfc. Andrew H. Nelson, 19, of St. Johns, Mich. They were assigned to the 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Services for Spc. Preston are pending until his body is home.

In addition to his brother and brother-in-law, he is survived by his sister, Mariah Coward of Maypearl.

E-mail jnielsen@dallasnews.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waxahachie Daily Light 12/30 2006
MIDLOTHIAN — A North Texas soldier with family in Midlothian died late Christmas Day while serving in Iraq.

Spec. Aaron Lee Preston, 29, of Preston Hollow died about 11:45 p.m. Dec. 25 on a street in Baghdad. Preston was the brother of Mariah Coward of Midlothian.

Funeral plans are incomplete, but the family has made tentative plans to have Preston’s funeral in Midlothian sometime next week.

“He had eight more months and then he would have been out,” said Noel Coward, of Midlothian, Preston’s brother-in-law. “He was with the Army Corps of Engineers who were conducting Search and Destroy Missions on Improvised Explosive devices and when they found a bomb, they were the one they called on to go out and defuse or destroy it. He had been in the service for three years and in Iraq for less than six months.”

The Department of Defense said Wednesday an explosive detonated near Preston’s vehicle. The bomb also killed Sgt. John T. Bubeck of Collegeville, Penn., and Pfc. Andrew H. Nelson of St. John, Mich.
The trio’s death was part of a resurgence of violence that saw three major bombings on the same day.

Preston was assigned to the 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Coward said Preston had spent much of his time in Germany training for work in Iraq. He had also been stationed for a time in Kuwait.
“He had gone to college at San Marcos (Texas State University) and had studied engineering,” Coward said. “He got into the Army because he wanted to work in the oil field or mining business with explosives and the military is the only place you can get that kind of training.

“He was older than most of the guys over there who are in their early 20s” said Coward. “He told us the guys in his unit called him Pop.”

Coward said he got an e-mail from Preston on Dec. 23 and he seemed in good spirits but complained of being overworked and understaffed.

“I’ve got a stack of e-mails where he said they needed to triple the number of troops, crack down on the violence and end this thing,” said Coward. “I knew no finer man than Aaron and his family was very proud of him — I’m very proud of him. We’re just shocked that this happened over the holidays and we’re grieving.”

Coward said Preston’s grandfather was a Marine in World War II and was on Iwo Jima’s Mt. Suribachi and saw the raising of the American Flag that was photographed and became one of the most famous pictures of World War II..

Preston was not married.
Coward said details of Preston’s funeral have not been finalized.

“He did tell us that he wanted to be buried in the National Cemetery in Dallas if anything happened,” said Coward. “We are planning for services to be in Midlothian. They told us it will take five to seven days to get his personal items in order and processed out of Dover (Del.). Then he will come home to us.”

Coward said the community and military are already reaching out to his wife and Preston’s family.
“We urge people to continue to support the troops no matter how you feel about the war or the politics,” said Coward. “Those guys are working their butts off over there and we don’t need to make them feel like they have been forgotten.”

According to the Pentagon, 22,565 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq, with 2,978 deaths reported as of Dec. 27.

Pentagon numbers indicate 280 of those deaths are soldiers from Texas, which is second only to California (333). Ellis County has experienced the loss of five of its sons since the war in Iraq started on March 20, 2003.

Preston was the second soldier to die with connections to Midlothian.

Marine Capt. Lyle Gordon was killed Jan. 26, 2005, while piloting a CH-53 helicopter about 220 miles west of Baghdad. Gordon and his family have been longtime residents of Midlothian and Lyle graduated from Midlothian High School in 1993.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obiturary (Printed in Dallas Morning News, Austin American Statesman, San Marcos News,

Aaron Lee Preston

 PRESTON,, SPC. AARON LEE Age 29, died with two other soldiers in a targeted attack while on patrol during a search and destroy mission for IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) in southwest Baghdad, Iraq on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2006, at 11:47 PM. when four Iranian made EFP device's detonated near their RG31 vehicle. "His Squad had secured and destroyed many IED's during their late night patrols over the past few months to make the roads safe for all travelers." Aaron was born on February 11, 1977, in Dallas, Texas, to Suzie and Dale Strahan. After his mother re-married, Aaron and his sister were adopted by Denton County Judge and prominent Dallas lawyer, George Allen Preston Jr. He was preceded in death by his mother Suzie Stowers Preston, his paternal father, Leslie Dale Strahan, his adopted father, George Allen Preston Jr., his maternal grandparents, C. K. and Mary Stowers of Preston Hollow, and paternal grandmother Frankie S. Strahan. Aaron was a graduate of W. T. White High School in Dallas. He later went to Texas State University in San Marcus to study business and history where he eventually settled as a town resident. At age 26, Aaron joined the U. S. Army as a combat engineer to become an explosives and demolitions expert and planned for future employment in the oil and mining industry upon completion of his military service. Aaron belonged to the 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, following a longstanding family tradition of military service and an inherent sense of duty. He achieved the rank of specialist and was additionally cross trained as a sniper and paramedic. He loved Texas and fishing and hunting in the Texas Hill Country and while away in foreign lands he missed the beautiful Texas Sunsets. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Mariah and Noel H. Coward, Jr. of Maypearl,Tx, his brother Richard A. Preston of Dallas, Tx. his niece, Amanda Preston and nephew, Thomas Coward, also Noel H. Coward, III and Julia Coward, all of Maypearl, Tx. and his paternal grandfather Howard Lawson Strahan of Baton Rouge, La. Family visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday evening, January 5th, at the Midlothian Funeral Home, 200 E. Avenue E, Midlothian, Tx. Funeral Services will be held at ll: 00 am Saturday, January 6th, First Baptist Church-Midlothian, 1651 S. Midlothian Parkway, with Dr. Rick Davis officiating. Burial will follow the service at the DFW National Cemetery with full military honors. The family request that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 600, Rockville, MD, 20852 and also requests that all of our soldiers who are in harms way be kept in your prayers. Arrangements by: Midlothian Funeral Home W. Randy Hampton 200 E. Avenue E, P. O. Box 1210 Midlothian, TX 76065 972-723-9884
 

This Page is in Honor of Spc. Aaron L. Preston,

His Job and those of his brothers in Arms was to search and destroy IED,s to make the Roads safe for all traveling over them.

He and 2 others were Killed by an Iranian made EFP Device (Explosively Formed Projectile)  penetrated their RG31 Vehicle specifically placed to penetrate Armored vehicles.

We also wish to express our heart felt sadness and sorrow to the families of  Sgt. John T. Bubeck and Pfc. Andrew H. Nelson. who also perished in this act of terrorism with our loved one, their families may contact us at anytime at aaronletters@www.cowardwebworks.net 

One of their Comrades in arms who was with them Survived the attack, (we withhold his name for his privacy, but we have communicated with him) and We Send our Prayers for his healing and we offer our full support at any time.