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Major Glenn L. Ferguson (Tribute
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.
Ferguson entered “Boot Camp” at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego and was trained by men of the Corps called the “Old Breed” that had served in WWI. “These men were fair, firm, nononsense, hard Marines, well suited to convert raw recruits into efficient fighting Marines,” Glenn would explain. After graduating from Basic Training, Glenn was assigned to Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Brigade at MCRD known as the “Devil Dogs,” a nickname received by the Germans for their relentless fighting tactics during WWI in the legendary battle of Belleau Wood. Glenn trained as a Gunner in old whaling boats made of wood and a high sharp prow (pre-Higgins boats).
One by one the recruits would have to disembark with their heavy combat equipment in boat exercises. It was a slow process that in combat would leave them vulnerable to the enemy. Glenn distinctively recalled the day of his graduation, “As I stood on the blacktop of the parade ground, the day of his graduation, “As I stood on the blacktop of the parade ground, I watched a silver plane fly over North Island, and I said to myself, someday, somehow, I too would fly.” At the time, it seemed to be an impossible path given the lack of opportunity and college education.
In 1942, Glenn was assigned to the Whitehouse where he provided protection for couriers carrying top secret war documents across the country and checked in dignitaries at the East Wing for President F.D. Roosevelt. Fate intervened when he met a pretty girl named Irene Houston on a double date that stemmed from a night at the canteen at Lafayette Square. During that time, Ferguson became close friends with Mr. Crim, the Head Usher of the Whitehouse who ensured Glenn’s flight training application was reviewed by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Glenn’s boyhood dream finally became a possibility and in June of 1943, he started his primary flight training at Bunker Hill, Indiana. He trained in open air cock-pit Bi-planes, which had two-wings, one above the other that were covered in fabric and doped with a lacquer-like finish. He finally earned his coveted Naval Aviator “Wings of Gold.” He advanced to further training and eventually was assigned to dive bombers, torpedo bombers and fighters.
In July, 1945, Glenn was sent overseas to Pearl Harbor to be part of the first wave of the invasion of the Japanese homeland in which 1,000,000 casualties were expected. The plan was cancelled once the atomic bomb was dropped and Japan surrendered. He was then sent to Tsingtao, China where the Japanese Manchurian Army had not yet surrendered. While in China, Glenn never forgot the pretty girl he had met while stationed at the White House. He sent her a letter and proposed marriage. On June 9, 1946, Glenn married Irene and they went on to have two sons and many grandchildren. Glenn and Irene were happily married for sixty-four years until her passing in 2010.
Ferguson was eventually assigned to the legendary F4-U Corsair and transferred to an instrument training squadron in El Toro that was established to train pilots to fly in bad weather. This training had been temporarily passed up due to the urgency of the war. Glenn became the flight instructor to many pilots going through training.
In 1951, Glenn was assigned to NAS Ellyson Field, Pensacola, Florida where he trained to fly helicopters. This was during the early days of operating the new aircraft. Initial versions of the helicopter had to be assisted with bungee cords attached to the joystick for retention due to the heavy flight controls. Glenn successfully completed his training and was given Helicopter pilot number 411, signifying a very early designation as a helicopter pilot.
In March 1952, Glenn deployed to Korea as a medevac helicopter pilot flying the Bell HTL helicopter, the same model helicopter used in the television series M*A*S*H. At that time, wounded personnel were carried by a stretcher mounted externally. A metal hood would cover their head to protect them from the brisk air currents while sandbags were used to balance loads. The helicopters were not equipped with sophisticated instruments for rescues that occurred at night. Pilots had to navigate by starlight.
Glenn finished his tour in Korea with 134 missions, 29 of which were night missions. In total, he evacuated 132 wounded personnel. Glenn later stated that it was the most meaningful assignment of his Marine Corps career. It should also be duly noted that during the Korean War, Major Ferguson chased down Korean Runners and held them at bay with the blades of his helicopter until the military police arrived to arrest them. This is the only incident recorded of its kind.
Toward the end of his active career, Glenn was appointed as a Group Legal Officer. He also served as a test pilot for OE planes and HOK helicopter and was a co-pilot with Marine One for President D. Eisenhower.
Even after his retirement, Glenn Ferguson never stopped serving the Marine Corps. He dedicated his time and talents, volunteering to preserve Marine Corps Aviation with the Flying Leathernecks Historical Foundation and Museum. He established the Foundation’s “Honor, Courage and Commitment” annual student essay contest, and the “Marines in Flight” annual student art contest, an education outreach to encourage young people to learn their country’s history and “to recognize and reflect on the past and that people have fought and died for their way of life.” Major Ferguson also founded the Irene Ferguson Marine Wife of the Year Award in 2011 in honor of his wife’s dedicated service to the Corps and his family of sixty-four years. In Glenn’s words, “It was after Irene was gone that I realized that in all the museums that I had visited, all the parks I had walked through, and all the buildings I have been in, none showed a tribute to the life of the service wife in supporting her husband.
Men left for distant lands where they lead busy, sometimes exciting times. Many won medals and their feats were extolled in the newspapers. Unsung were the wives left behind, nurturing and educating their children, caring for them in times of sickness and soothing their fears when daddy was gone…There were no medals, no monuments to attest to her trials, tribulations and her victories. I wanted to recognize my dedicated wife Irene’s service and all those that married into the Marine Corps.”
Major Glenn Ferguson exemplified the Marine Corps tradition. His life and legacy, his commitment to his family, his country and America’ youth, will forever be imprinted in the hearts of those who knew him and engraved on the wall of the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation and Museum.
Major Glenn Ferguson in Janurary 2020, was named San Diego Veterans Magazine “Veteran of the Month”. VOM article available at:
www.tinyurl.com/MajorFergusonVOM
May you Rest In Peace in the arms of your lovely wife Irene...Semper Fidelis, Marine. You will be greatly missed.
Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation is now accepting nominations for the Irene Ferguson Marine Wife Recognition Award. Founded by the late WWII pilot and Escondido resident, Maj Glenn Ferguson, the award honors the resiliency, strength, and dedication of the wives of active-duty Marines with a ceremony, cash award and other gifts. Nominations are due by April 4, 2022. Friends and family members can submit online nominations and get more information at:
www. yingleathernecks.org/about-us/programs/marine-wife-award
STUDENT ART AND ESSAY CONTESTS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES:
"How do you show honor, courage and commitment in your life?" is the prompt for the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation's annual essay contest. All 6th-12th grade students residing in San Diego County qualify. There are cash awards available for both students and teachers. Guidelines, the online submission form and a downloadable yer are available at:
www. yingleathernecks.org/education/essay-contest/ The deadline is April 18, 2022. For students who are artistically-inclined, the Flying Leathernecks host the annual "Marines in Flight" Art Contest. All San Diego students in grades 6-12 qualify. Guidelines, the online submission form, information about the awards and a downloadable yer for the art contest are
available at: www. yingleathernecks.org/education/art-contest/ The deadline for the art contest is April 11, 2022
The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation's mission is to preserve the history of U.S. Marine Corps aviation, honor military service, and inspire in all generations an appreciation of America’s freedoms and values. The Foundation has established a collaboration with the Character Education Resource Center at the University of San Diego to provide lessons in U.S. history, leadership, character, patriotism, and aviation science. FLHF@FLYINGLEATHERNECKS.ORG | WWW.FLYINGLEATHERNECKS.ORG | 858-693-1723
