Eighty years later, 'France has not forgotten' Pekin veteran's World War II service

Mike Kramer, Pekin Daily Times
·2 min read

While he agreed that it would be a great segue to stories about his World War II service in the European theater, Dean Preston said he will probably not wear his new French Legion of Honor medal when he greets visitors at the Preston Hanley Funeral Home in Pekin.

“I don’t want anybody to take it,” the 98-year-old Pekin man joked.

Preston was a radio communications specialist in the 927th Signal Battalion and was part of Operation Dragoon, a 1944 combined allied offensive against German occupation forces in France.

For his role in helping restore liberty to French civilians in 1944 and 1945, he was declared a Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Legion d’honneur during a formal presentation at Preston Hanley Funeral Home last week.

More: Pekin World War II veteran to receive French Legion of Honor medal

Yannick Tagand, Consul General of France to the Midwest, right, presents a Legion of Honor certificate to World War II veteran and newly knighted Chevalier Dean Preston, 98, of Pekin.
Yannick Tagand, Consul General of France to the Midwest, right, presents a Legion of Honor certificate to World War II veteran and newly knighted Chevalier Dean Preston, 98, of Pekin.

“When I think of Dean, I think of a person with a high sense of honor and a deep sense of personal responsibility,” said Preston Hanley Funeral Home general manager Buster Hanley. “His character and integrity are remarkable, unquestioned, and definitely worth celebrating this day.”

Napolean Bonaparte devised the Ordre national de la Legion d’honneur more than two centuries ago to reward meritorious conduct in the service of France. It is the highest French order of merit and one of the most famous decorations in the world.

“I’m very proud to get it,” Preston said. “I never expected anything like it.”

Consul General of France to the Midwest Yannick Tagand was on hand to pin the medal on Preston’s lapel.

“Many years have passed since you left your family and this community for your military training and service,” Tagand told Preston. “But France has not forgotten.”

The ceremony also included the presentation of federal tributes to Preston from U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Representative Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, and letters of commendation and appreciation from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pekin Mayor Mary Burress.

The Dragon Battalion Color Guard from Pekin Community High School Junior Reserve Officers Training Program presented and retired the colors of the United States of America and the Republic of France; and acclaimed international tenor Thomas Booth sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “La Marseillaise.”

This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Pekin WWII vet honored by France 80 years after Operation Dragoon