U.S. Veterans

Clan Fergusson Society of N.A.

U.S. Veterans

				Steven Butler, Senior Vice President, CFSNA. U.S. Army. Service dates:  March 18, 1971 – December 21, 1972.  Inactive Reserve until March 17, 1977 Specialist (E-4); assigned to the United States Army Management Systems Agency (Pentagon) as a computer programmer (74F2O) with civilian acquired skills and attached to Headquarters Company U.S. Army. Basic training was at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, Company E, 2nd Basic Training Brigade. Currently active in the Scottish American Military Society.
				Paul Branchfield U.S. Coast Guard. Active Duty 1967-1969. Sonarman / Oceanographic Technician. Vietnam service in 1969.
				Lisa Ferguson Cady, Region Vice President Region 5, CFSNA. Tech Sergeant, U.S. Air Force. Enlisted: May 1988 with the KS ANG 184th TFG – Full-time Technician / Crew Chief F-4’s and F-16’s. Retired: May 2012 from the AR ANG 188th FW – Crew Chief F-16’s and A-10’s. Maintenance Operations Control (MOC), Special projects Quality Assurance (QA), served multiple Active duty tours in both units; and Special projects for Col. Berry, Maintenance Commander. Served as Maintenance Inspector for the 1st Air Force for LSET Inspection. Veteran of Gulf War and Operation Iraq Freedom. Also was one of the last units to work Operation Southern Watch.
				Wendall Dwight Farris, Treasurer, CFSNA. Major, U.S. Air Force. Treasurer, CFSNA. Wendell Dwight Farris was born July 20, 1951 in Selmer, Tennessee. After enlisting in the USAF in 1973, he attended and completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), TX. He was then assigned to Air Traffic Control Radar Technician School at Keesler AFB, MS, and from there was assigned to Hurlburt Field, FL. where he maintained ATC Radar. After completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, Dwight applied for Officer Training School and was accepted in 1979. Upon graduation, Dwight was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and was assigned to Communications-Electronics Maintenance Officer School at Keesler AFB, MS. During the years following, he served in many other positions of responsibility: Chief of Maintenance in the 73rd Tactical Control Flight (a Combat unit) at Myrtle Beach AFB, SC (he was deployed to the Gulf War during this assignment); Chief of Operations Division Ramstein AB, Germany; 7th Air Division Director of Information Systems; Commander of Detachment 7, 2003 Communications Group, Izmir, Turkey (this unit transitioned to 2007 Communication Squadron during this tour of duty); Program Manager Communications Systems Program Office at Scott AFB, IL; following promotion to Major, he became the Chief of Leased Systems Division; Deputy Director of Mission and Support Systems Air Force Communications Command. Major Farris retired in 1993. Awards: the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, the Outstanding Unit Award with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Marksmanship Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. (Editor’s note: Click here for more about Major Farris’ career in the USAF.)
				Billy J. Ferguson, President, CFSNA. Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Coast Guard. Active Duty July 12, 1960 – July 11, 1964; Radioman. Active and Inactive Reserves July 12, 1964 – July 11, 1966. USCG Cutters GENERAL GREENE (Gloucester, MA); SEDGE (Cordova, AK); BITTERSWEET (Kodiak, AK); SUNDEW (Charlevoix, MI). USCG Radio Stations Kodiak AK and Northbrook IL. USCG Air Station Traverse City, MI. “During my time in service, Coast Guard uniforms were the same as that used by the Navy (then and now). The Coast Guard now wears a uniform that is very similar to the U.S. Air Force uniform with the only major differences being the color (the Coast Guard color is called “Bender Blue”) and the insignia, which is still the same as that used by U.S. Navy.” In civilian life, active in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol (1983-2005), Lt.Col, Command SAR and Instructor/Check Pilot (Ret); currently a piper in the USCG Pipe Band, a staff officer in the USCG Auxiliary, and a member of the Scottish American Military Society.
				Byron W. “Bill” Ferguson, III. “I’m serving with the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-Syria and am currently bouncing back and forth between Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.  I’ve been deployed since late November, 2014. I’m a retired Army guy and currently serving as a DoD Civilian.”
				Dana Ferguson 2000-2006 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) ODA 9515 (California National Guard) 1997- 2000 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, 6th Platoon USMC 1995-1997 Mountain Warfare Training Center, Instructor Duty USMC 1991-1995 3rd Battalion 7th Marines, Sniper Platoon, USMC 1988-1991 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) ODA 2213 (US Army Reserves) “After graduating High School 1986 in El Cajon California. I realized I needed to escape from the downward direction I was heading… To correct myself I enlisted in the US Army Reserves early spring of 1988 and immediately went to a long series of military schooling. Basic Training, AIT (Commo School), Advanced AIT (Morse Code), Airborne School, Special Forces Assessment and Selection, and finally Special Forces School. Then Panama and then Gulf War broke out while waiting for orders to go I was impatient and transferred onto active duty with USMC. After 9 months of additional infantry training I missed the Gulf War by a few months… Following that I did two tours overseas (Okinawa, Korea, Thailand, Somalia and several other countries) with 3/7 Sniper Platoon out of 29 Palms. I then got orders to be a Mountain Leader Instructor at the Mountain Warfare School just south of Lake Tahoe. Several years later I was kneeling on a beach with five other Recon Marines in the middle of the night soaking wet covered in sand shivering uncontrollably in combat dive gear at the peak of my career with 1st Force Recon. Life was truly grand!!! My body after a tour with 1st Force Recon was used up. I then decided to go back to being a part timer with the California National Guard slowly transitioning back to civilian life and retired myself at ~18 years to focus on a career in High Tech.”
				Eric Ferguson, Region Vice President Region 3, CFSNA. Sergeant, U.S. Army. Years – 1978 – 1989. “I entered service as a Private and took basic training at Ft Jackson South Carolina. After that I went to Quartermaster school in Ft Lee, Virginia and finished school as an Honor Graduate. My first duty assignment was with a transportation company located in Fort Carson, Colorado, assigned to FORSCOM and the 4th Infantry Division. I was promoted to rank Specialist in 1979 and then got orders to be assigned to the 18th Engineer Brigade at Schwetzingen Germany, not far from USAEUR Headquarters in Heidelberg. I was in the 18th Engineer Brigade from 1980 – 1981 and was promoted to Specialist 5 during this time. I had a break in service and attended the University of Nebraska. In 1984 I was in the Army National Guard Nebraska 67th Infantry Brigade. In 1984 I reenlisted to a new occupational skill in Signal School and went to Fort Gordon, Georgia. I finished Signal school as a Distinguished Honor Graduate, top of class. In 1984 I got orders to return to Germany assigned to the 535 Signal company in Nurnberg Germany, and I rotated to multiple sites in Bavaria Germany. During this time, I was promoted to Sergeant. I left Germany being assigned to 534th Signal Company, 69th Signal Battalion, in 1988. I got orders to report to my last duty station, USAISC Fort Meade Maryland, and exited out of the military with an Honorable Discharge in September 1989. Decorations – Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medals (2), Army service ribbon, Overseas Ribbon (2), NCO Academy, Expert Rifle marksmanship. I am also entitled to and wear commemoratives NATO, American Defense, Army National Guard, Cold War, Honorable Service.” Currently active in the USCG Auxiliary and as a Scottish American Military Society Post Commander.
				Frederick E. Ferguson Major, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor Recipient.
				John A. Ferguson Sergeant, U.S. Army. Active Duty July 1961 – July 1967. Served in Vietnam in 1962 and 1963. “I arrived back in the US on the November Day that President Kennedy was shot and killed. I was assigned to MAAG Vietnam as an advisor to an ARVN Ranger Units. Anything that I did in Vietnam was/is considered classified, just like the Navy Seals that have done so much in the last few  years. My last  duty assignment was as the S1 Sergent for the OCS Brigade at the Armor School at Fort Knox KY.
				John Ferguson, Past President, CFSNA. Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret). WWII Aviator and Aircraft Carrier Commander.
				John F. Ferguson, Past President, CFSNA. Sergeant, U.S. Air Force. “My dates of active service in the regular USAF were Oct 67’ to June 71’(inactive reserve til Jul,73’). After boot camp and secondary school in Texas I was stationed in Okinawa (Naha AB) and MacDill AFB in Tampa. My MOS was Dental Specialist. I earned the Good Conduct, National Defense and the small arms expert medals. Obviously being able to shoot an M-16 accurately on the rifle range didn’t mean much in the Air Force as they made me a medic. The service photo dates back to 68/69’ in Okinawa.” Currently active in the American Legion.
				John R. Ferguson, Past RVP 3, CFSNA. Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy. Active Duty 1958-1962. Electricians Mate. “Served most of the time on the USS Aeolus, one of the cable layers that put down the ‘SOSAS’ system”
				John T. Ferguson, II Captain, U.S. Army. 1969-1972
				Louis N. Ferguson Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Ret). Active Duty December 1958 – 1981. “… (I graduated from) the University of Maryland … with a degree in Secondary Education and a Second Lieutenant commission in the Air Force. Married Suzanne Nuesse in August of l957 and entered the Air Force in December 1958. Flying school and Basic Instructor School, followed with a tour in Missiles, Intelligence school in Washington DC, a year in Vietnam as Intelligence Officer with the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. Then to Washington DC with the Air Force Technical Application Center, a four year tour at the Pentagon with Air Force Intelligence, three years with 5th Air Force at Yokota AB, Japan as a staff planner. Back to the Pentagon as an Operations Planner then Deputy Director for Intelligence Systems capture a 23 year exciting and fulfilling career — retiring in 1981. During this career, I joined the CFSNA (#109) in the late 60s while working part time as an investment counselor where I met Capt. John Ferguson who recruited me.” (Editor’s note: Click here for more from Col. Ferguson about his varied military experiences and occupations in civilian life following retirement.)
				Neal Ferguson, RVP Region XII, CFSNA. U.S. Army:  Neal Ferguson was commissioned 2nd Lt. US Army 8 Apr, 1971 at the University of Montana. Neal served over 24 years in the Army. He had one assignment to Hawaii (lucky guy). He was assigned to Germany three times including a forward deployment to the Middle East for Desert Shield/Storm. Neal served in a variety of command and staff positions in both Air Defense Artillery and Military Intelligence. Most of his career was in “tactical” units at Company, Battalion, Brigade, Division and Corps level. Neal retired from the Army at Ft Lewis WA on 30 June 1995 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Currently active in the Scottish American Military Society.
				Robert B. Ferguson, Past President, CFSNA. First Lieutenant, U.S. Army. December 1944 – October 3, 1946. Pvt. 9th Company, Infantry School, Third Student Training Regiment, Officer Candidate School from 12/44 – 4/45, Fort Benning, GA. Commissioned in the Army Infantry from 4/14/45 – 10/3/46. His last rank was First Lieutenant. He served as a Unit Training Office for 6 months prior to going overseas.  He trained and instructed infantry recruits in the Infantry Replacement Training Center at Camp Hood, Texas. He then served 10 months in the CL II & IV Branch Tokyo Quartermaster Depot, Japan. Decorations: Army Occupation Medal (Japan), Expert Infantryman Badge, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal. (Editor’s note: Click here for more photos.)
				William James Ferguson Petty Officer First Class, U.S. Merchant Marines. Active Duty 1976-1993. “I was in the service for seventeen years and was honorably discharged (medical).  I am a “DAV” (disabled veteran) and “PROUD” to have served.”
				William “Bill” Ferguson “I’m including a shot of me in sunny Vietnam.  I was flying C-123’s out of Nha Trang and in country from April 67 to April ’68…..which included the Tet gaggle.”
				Thomas G. Ferris, Secretary Emeritus, CFSNA. Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret).
				Rupert Henry Furgerson, II, Past President, CFSNA. Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy. Radioman.
				Kurk Wade Harris U.S. Army. Nurse.
				Michael Merchant Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret). “I am a member of the Clan as a descendant of Sarah Ferguson on my father’s side. I joined the Navy in 1963 and was commissioned as an Ensign in October of that year. I served as a surface line officer for 21 years (1963 until 1985) retiring as a Commander. My sea tours were mostly aboard Guided Missile Destroyers and were usually involved in shipboard weapons systems.A majority of my deployments were to Vietnam during that period. My shore duty tours included post-graduate education at the Naval Postgraduate School, a tour in the Defense Supply Agency,  Surface Warfare Officer at the Pacific Missile Test Center, and as Mobile Sea Range project officer. After retirement from the Navy, I worked as an engineering analyst for an aerospace company at Vandenberg Air Force base for 11 years, and afterwards taught computer programming and technology at several colleges for 13 years. I have been married to my wife for almost 50 years and we have one grown daughter. The picture of my wife and I was taken in Sydney, Australia several years ago.” (Editor’s note: clicking on CDR Merchant’s image will display the photo that he is referring to of himself and his wife Kathy.)
				Drew Metcalf Lt.Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Ret). “I was commissioned through AFROTC at Central Washington University in 1974. My first assignment was Laughlin AFB, TX for pilot training then to Cannon AFB, NM to fly the F-111D. In 1979 I was transferred to RAF Lakenheath, England to fly the F-111F. After 4 years in blighty I was selected for the first F-16A wing in Europe at Hahn Air base, West Germany. After promotion to major, I attended Air Command and Staff college at Maxwell AFB, AL in 1986-87. A staff assignment followed at Langley AFB, VA before being promoted to Lt Col and being sent to Osan Air Base, South Korea where I was the Operations Officer (second in command) of the 36th Fighter Squadron (F-16C). Back to the states at Randolph AFB, TX and lastly to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ where I retired and started my second career flying international flights for FedEx. Of note: Since my mother grew up in Portobello, Scotland as part of a large family (10 boys, 1 girl) I had the opportunity to meet many of my Scottish family during my years at Lakenheath. My uncle, Alexander Fergus, was a retired RAF sergeant living in Sleaford, England, about 50 miles north of me so we got to see him often. If you go to the Scottish War Memorial at the top of Edinburgh Castle, you’ll find the name of my uncle, John Fergus, killed in a RAF Wellington bomber crash in Iceland in 1941. The memorial is well worth the visit.”
				Brett Osborn Lt.Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret). “I enlisted in the Kansas National Guard in May 1970 while in college.  In 1972 I was commissioned after attending Officer Candidate School.  Did 7 years in the Kansas National Guard, I went inactive and moved to Aruba, Netherland Antilles and taught scuba diving for three years.  Came back and got back in the US Army Reserve.  Went on Active Guard Reserve tour in 1983 and retired at Fort McPherson, Georgia in 2002. Have attached my retirement photo. I did tours of duty at Rochester, New York; Birmingham, Alabama, two tours at Fort McPherson, Georgia with different commands, and Yongsan, South Korea. when I returned from Korea to an assignment with the US Army Reserve Command.  I was the Task Force Deputy Logistics manager and the Task Force Engineer for support of Kosovo Refugees at Fort Dix, New Jersey, was there for 82 days as part of a humanitarian support mission. Did a lot of traveling in those years, started and raised a family.” (Editor’s note: In the photo in the right column, Brett is shown speaking with R. Lee Ermey of television and movie fame. Click on the photo for the complete story.)