Pregerson was a United States Marine Corps First Lieutenant in World War II, during which he was severely wounded in the Battle of Okinawa (4 May 1945).
pɹɪdʒˈɜːsən wʌzɐ juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts mɚɹˈiːn kˈɔːɹ fˈɜːst luːtˈɛnənt ɪn wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ɹˌoʊmən tˈuː, dˈʊɹɹɪŋ wˌɪtʃ hiː wʌz sᵻvˈɪɹli wˈuːndᵻd ɪnðə bˈæɾəl ʌv ˌɑːkɪnˈɑːwə fˈoːɹ mˈeɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈaɪv.