Frederick Edgar Ferguson (born August 18, 1939) is a former

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

and later officer, as well as a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

—for his actions in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

while a chief warrant officer 3.

Biography

Ferguson joined the

from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

in 1958, and by January 31, 1968 was a chief warrant officer 3 in command of a

UH-1 Huey The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...

as part of Company C, 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). On that day, Ferguson voluntarily piloted his aircraft through intense enemy fire to rescue the crew and passengers of a downed helicopter in

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

, South Vietnam. In addition to the Medal of Honor—the first awarded to a United States Army aviator in Vietnam, and the first in modern army aviation history—Ferguson was awarded two Silver Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, and 39

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

s. Ferguson's additional honors include Military Aviator of the Year ("Kitty Hawk" Award of the Wright Brother's Committee), the President's Award, the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame, and the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame. He was also honored by the US Postal Service along with 23 other Vietnam Medal of Honor recipients with a limited edition stamp. Ferguson served in the Arizona Army National Guard, rising to the rank of major before reverting to warrant officer rank in order to continue instructing in the UH-1. Ferguson was deputy director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services in 2000.

Medal of Honor citation

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

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Frederick Edgar 1939 births Living people United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam) United States Army officers Vietnam War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Pilot Point, Texas American Master Army Aviators Military personnel from Texas

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References