Back to News Front

Several memorials to honor Air Force Capt. Douglas Ferguson

Tacoma native finally returns home after decades of missing in action

U.S. Air Force Capt. Douglas Ferguson

Email Article Print Article Share on Facebook Share on Reddit Share on StumbleUpon

A bittersweet homecoming will soon take place at Joint Base Lewis-McChord when an airman finally returns after decades of missing in action.

In 1969, the Phantom fighter-bomber of Air Force Capt. Douglas Ferguson, a 24-year-old Tacoma native, took a direct hit from ground fire while on its third bombing pass over the Plain of Jars in northern Laos. The plane immediately exploded and there were no parachutes seen and no emergency radio signals sent.

"They were going 500 miles a hour, 500 miles up in the air...the only people nearby saw the wings rock and then they crashed in a fireball," said Sue Scott, Ferguson's sister. "It was almost instantaneous."

In 1976, the government declared Ferguson dead; however, Scott refused to recognize that date.

Scott, who has served on the board of the National League of MIA and POW Families since 1984, has been part of delegations that went to Southeast Asia, specifically Laos. Over time she received the first confirmation that the crash site had been identified and over time they began to find parts of helmets and straps from the plane. 

In the decades that followed, the team went back but since time is limited to a few weeks dig at a time at the sites, which are often as large as three football fields, progress is incremental at best. Furthermore, the soil in the area is very acidic which compromises preservation.

Finally, Scott received word that they were able to locate some teeth matching Ferguson's dental records, identify some of his mitochondrial DNA and that they found his dog tags. This allowed them to eventually make the official identification and start the process of sending Ferguson home after almost 45 years.

"There is always a small flicker of hope until you finally get that news," Scott shared emotionally. "Then there was a small sense of peace, but now there is also a little bit of grieving every day."

To date, the United States Military Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii has identified more than 900 warriors from the Vietnam War where some 58,000 U.S. troops lost their lives in Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

The USO Northwest will be escorting the family from the USO SeaTac Center to the Delta Air Lines' tarmac to view the deplaning of Captain Ferguson, according to Meaghan Cox, USO NW communications lead.

"The role of the USO Northwest has mainly been to connect the family with those who could help honor Captain Ferguson properly," explained Cox. "The family reached out to many on their own and were not met with the type of response and support they should have been given."

The first event will take place on May 1, at Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, where Ferguson will be laid to rest. That day the family will host a visitation with the casket from 2:30-5 p.m. and it is open to anyone who would like to come and pay their respects to the long-lost hero.

Then on May 2, a Celebration of Life ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at the McChord Theater on McChord Field. That will be followed by the internment and service at 1 p.m. at the cemetery in Lakewood.

"To our family the incident date was Dec. 30, 1969 ... but the date he was accounted for was Feb. 14, 2014," Scott stated. "And on May 1 and 2 we will celebrate him."

People who have memorial bracelets with Ferguson's information are welcome to return them during the visitation on May 1. The bracelets will be placed in a box that will then go into the casket and rest eternally with him.

"It has been kind of a sweet sorrow, almost a joy, in creating the video that we are going to have at the visitation," she shared.

Scott and her family have also created a webpage where anyone can come to share stories and photos of her late brother; the page will remain active following the events at JBLM.

"It is such a wonder and brings such joy - so often we see the worst of America, but this is the best of who we are as human beings. Everyone is coming together to share love and show support," she said. 

To view the virtual memorial, click here.

"It is important that Doug is coming home but this is not just about Doug. There are still 1642 unaccounted for and I want to remind people of that," Scott added. "And it isn't just those who have been missing for years and years, it is to give those that serve today the assurance that they will also be returned no matter what."

comments powered by Disqus