Gift of war medals a history retrieved

MACHIASPORT – When the town finishes gathering the names of all of its veterans, William A. Prescott will be among them.

But the town hasn’t even broken ground yet for the veterans monument that will stand at the Town Hall, approved by residents at their 2002 town meeting.

So until then, William “Bill” Prescott Jr. is keeper of his father’s World War II memories that, thanks to his son-in-law, are now displayed as medals.

Prescott Sr., who died in 1990, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was a lifelong Machiasport resident who was honored on the cover of the town’s annual report in 1944, the year he was listed as missing in action.

The rest of his adult life, Prescott Sr. was a mechanic who could repair Ford tractors like no one else could locally.

He never talked much about his war experiences, so few knew he had fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

When part of his house burned in 1988, and his medals and memorabilia were lost, part of Machiasport history disappeared.

But a family member’s search for replicas of the missing medals has helped restore that.

And Prescott Jr. knows more about his father’s actions in the Army than he ever knew while Prescott Sr. was alive.

Prescott Jr., 63, spent 14 years as principal of Machias Memorial High School, through 1995. For the past 10 years, he has been teaching at the University of Maine at Machias in mathematics and education.

Last Christmas, Prescott Jr. was presented with framed replacements of his father’s war honors, including four bronze stars for the four battles he fought in. The thoughtful gift came from Michael Toepper, a lieutenant in the Navy and the executive officer (second in command) for the USS Alaska.

Toepper, now based in Virginia, is married to Jo-Marie, the daughter of Bill and Sandra Prescott. He used the resources of military computers to do his research.

Today marks the first Veterans Day that the Prescotts have had the medals hanging in their home.

“I was just overwhelmed when I opened the box,” Bill Prescott said. “I couldn’t believe it, four bronze stars. [Prescott Sr.] never told us about that.”

Bill Prescott was just 5 years old when his father returned home. He remembers just a single image from that day.

“He knocked on the door and I answered,” Prescott said. “He was standing there with a big grin, standing on crutches, with a cast all the way from his hip to toe. But that’s all I remember.”

Then the oldest of two children, Bill Prescott would grow up as the oldest of six. Five of the siblings continue to live Down East. That includes Harold Prescott, once the Washington County sheriff and now retired to Gardner Lake in Whiting.

The third of the family’s boys, Monaghan Arthur Prescott, was named for Arthur Monaghan – Prescott Sr.’s war buddy who was killed beside him.

“Monnie” Prescott still lives in Machiasport.