SEMPER FIDELIS MARINE Major Glenn L. Ferguson, USMC, Retired A Tribute to his Life & Legacy By, CJ Machado
The Flying Leathernecks mourn the loss of a true friend, benefactor and great Marine. Major Glenn L. Ferguson, USMC (Retired) made his final takeoff on Saturday, December 18, 2021. He was 100 years old. Major Ferguson was the epitome of an Officer and a Gentleman. He was known as “Fergie” to those who knew him well. Major Ferguson was one of the pioneers of Marine Corps aviation in both fixed wing and rotary aircraft. He served in the Marine Corps for twenty- six years, a career that spanned three wars, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Major Ferguson took great pride in upholding the traditions of the Marine Corps and lived each day in its core values; Honor, Courage and Commitment. Glenn L. Ferguson, Jr. was born on October 29, 1921 in Harvey, Illinois. He grew up as most typical boys do with a severe case of wanderlust and a strong desire to see the world. Like most young men during that time, Glenn’s boyhood dream was to become an aviator. At the age of eighteen, Glenn decided to join the Marine Corps. Much to his mother’s dismay, on November 13, 1939, Glenn dedicated his life to the Corps for twenty-one dollars a month in pay, minus twenty cents for medical insurance. “And so I passed from boyhood to manhood and became a Marine Forever.” Glenn naturally acclimated to the Marine Corps, he had an understanding of military life that many others had a difficult time adapting to. He credited this to his father that had served as a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps in WWI and in the Army National Guard as a Captain in the Field Artillery after the war.
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WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / MARCH 2022
