Eulogy

Thomas Raymond MacPherson was born on July 20th, 1986 in Long Beach, CA and was killed in action in the Ghazni Province of Afghanistan on October 12th, 2012.

After graduating locally from Los Alamitos High School in 2004, Thomas Raymond Macpherson, 26, enlisted in the United States Army in 2007 and was assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Headquarters and Headquarters Company at Fort Lewis, Washington. He served three years as a Mortarman Team Leader in HHC, and was then assigned to D.Co. (short for Delta Company), where he was a Fire Team Leader with 3rd Platoon. He counted the men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion as true blood brothers. Sgt. Thomas MacPherson was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan and was previously deployed once to Iraq.

Sergeant Thomas R. MacPherson’s military education included the Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, U.S. Army Ranger School, Infantry Mortar Leader’s Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course (SERE), and the Warrior Leader Course.

His awards and decorations include the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the U.S. Army Expert Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Badge. MacPherson has also been awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart Medal.

Thomas R. MacPherson is survived by his wife, Claudia, his 17 month old son, Brayden, his parents Troy & Diona, his sister Jessica and his brother Tim.