FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: CWO Frederick Ferguson ~ 18 January 2021

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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---

~ Hall of Heroes ~

CWO Frederick Ferguson

Info from here and here and here.

           

Frederick Edgar Ferguson (born August 18, 1939) is a former United States Army warrant officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Vietnam War.  He was the first Army aviator to receive the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

Frederick E. Ferguson was born on August 18, 1939, in Pilot Point, Texas. He attended Phoenix Union High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Ferguson joined the Navy after he graduated from high school in 1958, and served for four years as an aviation storekeeper.

He applied to the Army's Warrant Officer Program, and was appointed to the rank of Warrant Officer in 1966. Ferguson completed Army Aviation School in 1967 and was immediately deployed to Vietnam as an aircraft commander and Section Leader of

Company C, 227th Aviation Battalion, First Cavalry Division, Airmobile.

On January 31, 1968, Ferguson commanded a Bell UH-1 supply helicopter near the city of Hue, during the Tet Offensive. He heard a distress call from the wounded crew of a helicopter which had been shot down over the enemy-controlled section of the city. Ferguson ignored warnings to stay away from the area because of heavy anti-aircraft fire, and flew along the Perfume River toward the survivors at a low altitude and maximum speed.

He stayed on course despite heavy fire from enemy occupied buildings and boats and landed in a confined area near the survivors despite limited visibility. The helicopter was severely damaged by exploding mortar fragments while the wounded soldiers were loaded, but Ferguson ignored the damage and pushed the helicopter back through the heavy enemy fire along the river to safety. His actions successfully saved the lives of the five survivors and rescued them from a hostile area. Ferguson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was presented to him on May 17, 1969, by President Richard Nixon at the White House.

In July 1969, after completing the Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Ferguson was promoted to Captain. He remained on active duty and served as Commanding Officer of an armor company from 1970 to 1971. In 1972, Ferguson entered the Arizona Army National Guard. He was promoted to Major in 1975 and assigned to command the 997th Aviation Company of assault helicopters. He became Executive Officer of the 997th Aviation Battalion in 1978 and served in that capacity until 1982. Ferguson then served as a Technician Instructor Pilot with the Guard until 1997.

In his civilian life, Ferguson has held various positions and involves himself in numerous organizations. From July 1972 to July 1979, he was sales manager and then vice president of Arizona Janitor Supply. Ferguson then worked as a benefits counselor at the Phoenix office of the Veterans Administration from 1979 to 1984.

In 1998 he piloted air ambulances for Omni Flight Helicopters, supplementing the services of the Native American Air Ambulance of Arizona. Beginning in 1999, Ferguson has worked at the Arizona Department of Veterans Services, and became Deputy Director of the department in 2000. He is a member of several organizations for veterans and for pilots, including his role as a councilor for the Scottish-American Military Society. Frederick Ferguson is married with two children.

Chief Warrant Officer Ferguson's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. CWO Ferguson, U.S. Army distinguished himself while serving with Company C. CWO Ferguson, commander of a resupply helicopter monitoring an emergency call from wounded passengers and crewmen of a downed helicopter under heavy attack within the enemy controlled city of Hue, unhesitatingly volunteered to attempt evacuation. Despite warnings from all aircraft to stay clear of the area due to heavy antiaircraft fire, CWO Ferguson began a low-level flight at maximum airspeed along the Perfume River toward the tiny, isolated South Vietnamese Army compound in which the crash survivors had taken refuge. Coolly and skillfully maintaining his course in the face of intense, short range fire from enemy occupied buildings and boats, he displayed superior flying skill and tenacity of purpose by landing his aircraft in an extremely confined area in a blinding dust cloud under heavy mortar and small-arms fire. Although the helicopter was severely damaged by mortar fragments during the loading of the wounded, CWO Ferguson disregarded the damage and, taking off through the continuing hail of mortar fire, he flew his crippled aircraft on the return route through the rain of fire that he had experienced earlier and safely returned his wounded passengers to friendly control. CWO Ferguson's extraordinary determination saved the lives of 5 of his comrades. His actions are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself and the U.S. Army.

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

January 18

A Legacy of Acceptance

Bible in a Year:

• Genesis 43–45
• Matthew 12:24–50

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:7 In his book Breaking Down Walls, Glen Kehrein writes about climbing to the roof of his college dorm in Chicago after the assassination of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. “The sound of gunfire bounced eerily back and forth off the large buildings, and soon my rooftop perch provided a near panoramic, yet horrific, view. . . . How in the world did I get from a Wisconsin cornfield to a war zone in the inner city of Chicago in less than two years?” Compelled by his love for Jesus and people whose backgrounds were different from his, Glen lived on Chicago’s West Side and led a ministry there that provided food, clothing, shelter, and other services until his death in 2011.

Glen’s life mirrors the efforts of believers in Jesus who’ve come to grips with the need to embrace those who are different from themselves. Paul’s teaching and example helped Roman believers see that God’s plan to rescue wayward humanity included Jews and gentiles (Romans 15:8–12). Believers are called to follow His example of acceptance of others (v. 7); prejudice and discord have no place among those called to glorify God with “one mind and one voice” (v. 6). Ask God to help you cross barriers and break down walls and to warmly embrace everyone, regardless of their differences. Let’s strive to leave behind a legacy of acceptance.

Reflect & Pray

How can you be more intentional with people who are different from you? What steps do you need to take to be more in line with Jesus’ embrace of all people?

Father in heaven, help me to represent You and make adjustments in my thinking and actions today as I strive to love others well.

[Army Air Corps]

In.

[left that other site]

Hi everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[PROCON]

Thanks for honoring tonight’s Hero, Kathy!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Ready to take on the new week? Painting? Do most want red, white and blue?

Don’t forget to rest and stay warm! 😊

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, AAC... hope all are well in your area.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ Hall of Heroes: CWO Frederick Ferguson ~

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[luvie]

Another mighty American hero to admire. God bless him and all of them. They are our backbone.

I’d love for the President to join this mighty band some day. He saved them from obscurity. Hope they can survive the next 4 years with “leaders” who hate them.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...hope you and Penny are able to get out for some nice walks.

We are gearing up for yet another warm up...and rain. YUCK!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi, there, Pro...we must always remember them, even tho they are trying to be erased.

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

It looks like y’all got lucky and missed out on crummy weather, other than it being cloudy.

We had a little sunshine every now and then but it wasn’t nearly as cold as yesterday.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu (and I spelled it right tonight)...

Hope you are really going to get some rain. “They” say some snow overnight and then RAIN! NOOOOO!!! It is supposed to be the middle of winter...NO rain!

[SkyDancer]

~ Good Evening ~

~ Made it home for three days = back out on Wednesday ~

~ Good Evening ~

~ Welcome To My World ~

I’m Down There Somewhere

[radu]

Hey there, Kathy.

I had to go back and look. I didn’t even notice the misspelling last night. LOL

If we get a decent rain, it won’t be until later in the week. Thursday’s our best shot and we should get a good dose. It’s Republican Women’s Group meeting day and it ALWAYS rains then. :-)
At least it won’t be all that cold. 50s are forecast for that day.

I haven’t seen a weather report posted in the Lake Hood chat today but one I saw last night said you’d possibly be above freezing. That’s going to create a slushy mess if wet stuff makes it over the mountains. Yuck!

[mylife]

Hat tip to all Mustangs

[mylife]

Jeez I miss tongue tied, I think he was an ldo, still, roll on buddies.

[Kathy in Alaska]

luvie...you must be feeling a bit better to be “up”. Got some food in you, plenty of rest, breathing treatments working?

I agree with you wholeheartedly...we must remember our heroes. They are hated by the so called “leaders.

[fatima]

I miss him too.How he hated training Russians-hehehehehe