PFC John L. Ferguson arrives home
After leaving for military service in 1940, John Lewis Ferguson has made it home.
The remains of PFC John L. Ferguson arrived at Duffy-Baier-Snedecor Funeral Home in Pontiac shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Ferguson's remains had been buried with other soldiers at a prisoner of war camp in the Philippines since his passing in December 1942.
PFC Ferguson was stationed at Nichols Air Base (also known as Nichols Field) on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. He was at Nichols when the Japanese attacked the Philippines as part of its attack on US and British bases in the Pacific on Dec. 7-8, 1941.
By the end of December, the Japanese had taken control of Nichols Field. Ferguson and his fellow soldiers withdrew to defensive positions in Cabanatuan Province where they were forced to surrender in April 1942.
It is believed that PFC Ferguson took part in the Bataan Death March to Camp O'Donnell, with some prisoners then going to Cabanatuan Prison Camp.
According to PFC Ferguson's obituary in Tuesday's Daily Leader, he died at Cabanatuan Prison Camp on Dec. 10, 1942.
More recently, efforts were made to identify soldiers found in buried in groups in graves at such World War II POW sites. PFC Ferguson was positively identified through DNA with a living relative. Ferguson's younger brother, Merle, lives in Pontiac.
Merle Ferguson was part of the procession from Chicago to Pontiac Tuesday, riding in the Duffy-Baier-Snedecor hearse that carried the remains of PFC Ferguson.
Other members of Ferguson's family were on hand, including second cousins Tim Lewis, Laura Lewis Frazier and Nancy Lewis Hafer.
Illinois State Police, including two motorcycle-riding officers led the procession into Pontiac and to the funeral home. Following the ISP escorts were members of a Rolling Thunder chapter, an advocacy group for prisoners of war and missing in action military personnel, on motorcycles. Members of Rolling Thunder acted as pall bearers as they carried the casket with Ferguson's remains into the funeral home. An honor guard presented colors on arrival and as Ferguson was carried into the funeral home.
Merle Ferguson followed his brother into the building.
Funeral services for PFC John L. Ferguson will take place Saturday, Oct. 1, at 2 p.m. at Gridley Cemetery.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: John L. Ferguson remains return to Livingston County Merle Ferguson
