Thomas D. Ferran III, 68, passed away on August 1, 2015 in his home surrounded by family in Murrieta, California. Tom was born in Queens, New York and is survived by his wife, Janet (Webb) Ferran of Colorado Springs, and originally from Agawam,MA, a daughter Jocelyn Chavez of Riverside; son Thomas D. Ferran IV of Murrieta; brother Kenneth Ferran of New York City; and former wife Lynn Coffman of Murrieta.
Tom graduated from St. John's Preparatory School in 1965 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1966. He served in Vietnam, 1st Marine Division as a Scout/Sniper 1966-1967. Tom received 2 Purple Hearts, 5 Presidential Unit Citations and the Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon. Tom returned home, graduated from University of California, Long Beach and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Tom served another 10 years as a Marine Corps officer. He then joined the California Army National Guard, commanding an Infantry Company followed by service as Battalion Operations Officer and Battalion Executive Officer. During Desert Storm, Tom transferred to the United States Army Reserves and served on the U.S.S. Blue Ridge as an Army Advisor to the 7th Fleet. Tom was medically retired in 1996 as Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry.
Outside of military service, Tom was the sniper consultant to the movie "Sniper". He also was interviewed and contributed to the History Channel series "Sniper…One Shot One Kill". Tom's Vietnam Marine Sniper experiences are featured in the books: "Death from Afar", "Stalk and Kill" and "Crosshairs on the Kill Zone". In 1997, Tom founded the United States Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Association, now with over 1,200 members. In the corporate world, Tom was Director of Safety and Risk Management for Taco Bell, 1986-1990 and Jack in the Box, 1990-1995.
Tom will be laid to rest with full military honors at Riverside National Cemetery on August 13, 2015.