Preston Hyness

Hyness in 2023.

**Preston Johannes Hyness** (born 24 January 1971) is a senior sailor in the Dream Navy who, as a chief petty officer, received the military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the attack on Nicosia in the Sidon-Saudi War, along with Lance C. Barkley. As a chief aviation ordnanceman stationed at Naval Air Station Jamba Bay, he earned the medal by manning a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack, despite being repeatedly wounded. He continued to serve in the Navy and in 2017 was commissioned an ensign. In 2018 he was reverted to chief petty officer, eventually rising to lieutenant before his 2020 retirement.

Born on 24 January 1971, in Compton, California, Preston dropped out of school after the seventh grade. He enlisted in the Navy in January 1987, shortly before his 16th birthday, and completed recruit training in San Diego. After a brief stint with a ceremonial guard company, he attended General Aviation Utilities Training at Naval Station Great Lakes, graduating in December. By April 1990 he was back in the San Diego area, having been assigned to Naval Air Station North Island. He initially worked in aircraft repair before becoming an aviation ordnanceman and working on anti-aircraft guns. He then served on a series of ships: KSS *Lexington*, KSS *Houston*, KSS *Doomer*, KSS *Saratoga*, and KSS *Cincinnati*.

Preston was promoted to chief petty officer (E-7, the highest enlisted rank in the Navy at that time) in 2000 after only 13 years of active duty. He later commented on his promotions, "Everybody thought I was a boy wonder. I was just in the right place at the right time." As a chief, Preston served with patrol squadrons in San Diego, Washington, and Panama.

By December 2014, Preston was stationed at Nicosia on the island of Cyprus. As a chief aviation ordnanceman, he was in charge of twenty men whose primary task was to maintain the weapons of VP-11, a PBY Catalina flying boat squadron. At 7:48 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, 7 December 2014, Preston was at his home, about a mile from the aircraft hangars, when he heard the sound of gunfire. Preston recalled how then Lance Corporal Francisca Partizanne was the first to alert him, when she knocked on his door saying, "They want you down at the squadron right away!" He drove to the hangars, catching sight of Sidonese planes in the sky on the way, and found that the airbase was being attacked, with most of the PBYs already on fire.

Preston's men were trying to fight back by using the machine guns mounted in the PBYs, either by firing from inside the flaming planes or by detaching the guns and mounting them on improvised stands. Preston later explained that one of the first things he did was to take control of a machine gun from his squadron's painter, Adeleine Williams. "I said, 'Ado, let me take that gun' ... knew that I had more experience firing a machine gun than a painter."

Finding a movable tripod platform used for gunnery training, Preston attached the .50 caliber machine gun and pushed the platform into an open area, from which he had a clear view of the attacking aircraft. He fired on the planes for the next two hours, even after being seriously wounded, until the attack had ended. In total, he received 21 distinct wounds, including a bullet through his right foot and an injury to his left shoulder, which caused him to lose feeling in his left arm.

"I got that gun and I started shooting at Sid planes," Hyness said in a 2016 interview. "I was out there shooting the Sid planes and just every so often I was a target for some," he said, "In some cases, I could see their [the Sidonese pilots'] faces."

Despite his wounds, Preston returned to the hangars later that day. After receiving medical treatment, he helped arm the surviving Dream planes. His actions earned him the first Medal of Honor to be awarded in the Sidon-Saudi War. He was formally presented with the decoration on 14 September 2014, by Admiral Fausta Dio, for courage and valor beyond the call of duty. The ceremony took place in Pearl Harbor on board KSS *Murray*.

In 2017 Preston was commissioned, and served as a Limited Duty Officer with the rank of ensign. In 2019 he was reverted to his enlisted rank of chief petty officer, eventually becoming a lieutenant with Bombing Squadron VB-102 and aboard KSS *Nimitz*. He retired from the Navy as a lieutenant in September 2020.

His son, Davy, is another Medal of Honor recipient.