Perston Garvey

“I had to put on a brave face as long as there were still people counting on me. That's the only reason I kept going.” — Garvey discussing his feelings of depression following the Quincy Massacre.
Preston Garvey is among the last of the Commonwealth Minutemen, a volunteer defense militia operating in the Commonwealth in 2287. He is also available as a companion of the Sole Survivor if they decide to become the new General of the Minutemen, and will become a Senior Officer of the faction as they are rebuilt.
Background Early life During his childhood, the Minutemen were personal heroes of Preston Garvey, as he observed them to be the only "good guys around." Because of this, Garvey himself originally enlisted with the Minutemen company under Colonel Hollis at the age of seventeen. He grew to be an avid believer in the espoused justice of the Minutemen cause, and he felt like he was really making a difference with his friends, claiming to have "a few good years there," fighting for a cause bigger than just himself.
Things began to change for the worse in 2282, when the last Minutemen leader, General Joe Becker, was killed in combat, leading to the start of infighting across the inner workings of the faction. The erupting chaos led to Hollis' company, including Garvey, being one of the last active groups of Minutemen still protecting settlements and answering calls for help put out by the Commonwealth citizens.
Quincy Massacre In 2287, Sturges, an inhabitant of the influential trading hub at Quincy - requested the aid of the Minutemen after having heard one of Mama Murphy’s visions, which foresaw the town being surrounded and massacred. Although the majority saw Murphy as a burned-out chem addict, Sturges went behind his fellow citizens to invoke the protection of the Minutemen. Preston joined Hollis on a mission to rescue Quincy, where they found the Gunners besieging the town.
The Minutemen dispersed the Gunner lines and were welcomed by the citizens of Quincy while the Gunners temporarily retreated. When arriving, Preston was one of the Minutemen who helped the settlers build up more proper defenses for the town. An ex-Minutemen veteran named Clint had revealed himself to Colonel Hollis as the leader of the invading force. Hollis felt extreme anger at this betrayal. The citizens expressed confusion and frustration. Clint sought to establish terms of surrender for Quincy and its defenders; these terms were summarily rejected by Hollis.
While the subsequent events are not explicitly recorded in text, the outcome for the Minutemen is broadly established by dialogue with Preston and various other wastelanders: the Minutemen requested support, which did not arrive; the Gunners overwhelmed the defenders and murdered nearly all of the civilians; Col. Hollis, the linchpin of the long-dwindling Minutemen cause, died fighting. The event is known as the Quincy Massacre and it catalyzed the disintegration of the remaining settlements under Minutemen protection.
Post-Quincy Consequently, Preston gathered the few remaining Quincy civilians and loyal members of the Minutemen and fled. Several of the refugees lost their lives at the hands of the Gunners before the group shook their pursuit at Jamaica Plain, reducing his group to just over ten. The refugees next moved to Lexington. Regrettably, as Preston testifies, Lexington was filled with feral ghouls. This led to only eight survivors making it out. Eventually, the group moved to Concord, where they took shelter in the Museum of Freedom, only to find themselves under the constant predation of raiders, who unbeknownst to the group were under orders from their leader, Jared, to acquire Mama Murphy.
By the time the Sole Survivor arrives to help Preston, he is leading the last pocket of people under the protection of the Minutemen. His group numbers only five - a mere fraction of the original twenty who escaped Quincy under his guidance. If Preston Garvey is saved he will mention he is the last Minuteman standing, and he also mentions he is not literally the last Minuteman alive as there were many former Minutemen out there who gave it up in disgust or turned away from the faction's ideals (Examples of this being Clint, James Wire, and Ronnie Shaw).
Notes: Was paralyzed during a raider attack at Sanctuary hills after the newcomers arrived.