Preston Leroy Ridenour (1901 – 1919)

Preston Leroy was born on 16 July 1901, as a fraternal twin to sister Nellie, who died at age 8-months old. He was the seventh child, and fifth son born to William C. Ridenour, and Amanda May Gossert, in Fiddlersburg, Washington County, Maryland, just outside of Hagerstown, MD (present-day Security, MD, postal zone). His mother died when he was 10.

On 28 November 1916, 15-year old Preston enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, followed the lead of his older brother Charles – who earlier that year had enlisted in the National Guard; Pres gave his birth year as "1898," which would make him 18; presumably doing so without his father's permission. On 31 January 1917, four privates in Preston's barracks (Co. G) were called out and "Discharged as undesirable having fraudulently enlisted by concealing fact of his minority, with Character 'Fair'"… Preston must have carried himself well-enough, as he was not one of them.

He was with 21st Company, 10th Regiment, USMC, stationed at Port Royal, Beaufort, SC, and attained the rank of PFC by 1 September 1918. Pvt. Ridenour did a couple tours-of-duty to the US Virgin Islands, one in 1917, and a second that embarked on the USS Kittery, departing 4 June 1918, from the Naval base at Norfolk, Virginia; he was stationed at Marine Barracks, Cristiansted, St. Croix, during that deployment.

By mid-February 1919, he was back on the US mainland, stationed at Quantico, Virginia, perhaps due to the death of his father, William, at home on January 13th. Less than two months later, Preston was transferred to the US Naval Detention Camp hospital for quarantine, at Deer Island, Massachussetts, to recover from a repiratory ailment, diagnosed as "lobar pneumonia;" this illness would sadly prove fatal for the young man, on 23 April of that year. PFC Ridenour "died in World War service under honorable conditions," just over three months after his father had passed.

Preston was held in high regard by his siblings, and his sacrifice was honored by them, with at least four sons of the Willam Clinton Ridenour line being his namesake, given "Leroy" as their middle name.

(Submitted by GF Ridenour; January 2015)