Army Master Sergeant Richard L. Ferguson
September 9, 1958 ~
March 30,
2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom
10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Fort Carson, CO
45, of Conway NH; killed when the military vehicle he was riding in rolled over in Samarra, Iraq.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Fort Carson, CO
45, of Conway NH; killed when the military vehicle he was riding in rolled over in Samarra, Iraq.
Richard was assigned to the Army's 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Carson, CO. He had served in Bosnia, Germany, Iraq and elsewhere, but his missions and deployments were often kept secret.
"What went on, he left at work or with the guys," said his father, Lee Ferguson Sr.. "When he came home, he laughed, he joked, he went camping with the kids, he went on trips, he worked around the house."
Richard dropped out of high school at age 17 and later earned his GED. He joined the Army, becoming a career military man. "Once he got in, he loved it and he stayed with it. That was his home," his father said.
He was also a history buff, and spent 20 years putting together a family tree tracing his roots back to the 1700s. Lee F. Ferguson Jr., Richard’s brother reminisces about family history with his daughter Becky at the family home in Coventry, R.I.
Richard had come to terms with the dangers of the military job he loved. Before he left for another tour of duty in Iraq, he wrote a will and picked out a cemetery plot. In his early days in the Army, when Richard had been stationed at Fort Carson, he had premonitions about his death. He'd wake up in a cold sweat after bad dreams, his brother, Lee F. Ferguson Jr., said.
Despite being a member of an elite military force, Richard was humble, more often found in fatigues than in his dress uniform. He turned down a promotion that would have taken him out of the field, his father said.
"He wasn't a person to stand out there and say, 'Look what I did,' " his father said. "He liked being in the field. He was behind the scenes. He was a team leader."
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Richard is survived by his wife and 4 children; his parents, a brother, and a sister.
"What went on, he left at work or with the guys," said his father, Lee Ferguson Sr.. "When he came home, he laughed, he joked, he went camping with the kids, he went on trips, he worked around the house."
Richard dropped out of high school at age 17 and later earned his GED. He joined the Army, becoming a career military man. "Once he got in, he loved it and he stayed with it. That was his home," his father said.
He was also a history buff, and spent 20 years putting together a family tree tracing his roots back to the 1700s. Lee F. Ferguson Jr., Richard’s brother reminisces about family history with his daughter Becky at the family home in Coventry, R.I.
Richard had come to terms with the dangers of the military job he loved. Before he left for another tour of duty in Iraq, he wrote a will and picked out a cemetery plot. In his early days in the Army, when Richard had been stationed at Fort Carson, he had premonitions about his death. He'd wake up in a cold sweat after bad dreams, his brother, Lee F. Ferguson Jr., said.
Despite being a member of an elite military force, Richard was humble, more often found in fatigues than in his dress uniform. He turned down a promotion that would have taken him out of the field, his father said.
"He wasn't a person to stand out there and say, 'Look what I did,' " his father said. "He liked being in the field. He was behind the scenes. He was a team leader."
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Richard is survived by his wife and 4 children; his parents, a brother, and a sister.