Priestley William J.

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William J. Priestley is honored on the following 1 monument(s) in our database:

West Point Philippines Defense Memorial

Name:

William J. Priestley

Rank:

Major

Serial Number:

O-20301

Unit:

57th Infantry Regiment

Date of Death:

1944-12-15

State:

Washington

Cemetery:

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines

Plot:

Tablets of the Missing

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, POW Medal

Comments:

William J. Priestley was born on November 8, 1911, in Utah. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1936. He served in the 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, as a Major during World War II.

Captured after the fall of the Philippines, he was taken as a prisoner of war at PW Camp #1 in Cabanatuan until December 1944, when he was placed aboard the Oryoku Maru en route to Japan. The ship was bombed and sunk by American aircraft at Subic Bay on December 15, 1944, and he lost his life in that attack.

Maj Priestley's name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org