Los Al Soldier's Funeral Procession Route Changed

Authorities are asking residents to note the revised funeral procession route honoring Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson, a Los Alamitos Alum killed in battle in Afghanistan.

MacPherson will be honored during a solemn hero mission when his coffin arrives via plane to the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Base. His coffin will then be transported down Lexington Drive and past the Los Alamitos High School on its way to Forest Lawn Cemetery.

“Please come out in full force with flags lining this route with a "sea of flags" as he is escorted to his resting place,” said Laura Herzog, founder of Honoring Our Fallen, a nonprofit devoted to helping the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty. “ I suggest getting out along the route below with your flag about 12-12:15pm. “

The funeral procession will leave the Joint Forces Training Base via Lexington in Los Alamitos and travel:

-North on Lexington to Cerritos and will turn left on Cerritos heading west past McAuliffe Middle School & Los Alamitos High School his Alma Mater.

-Turn right onto Los Alamitos Blvd/Norwalk traveling north to Lincoln

-Turn right on Lincoln to Denni/Entrance to Forest Lawn Cypress

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m.  Oct. 26 at Cottonwood Church at 4505 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos, CA 90720.

MacPherson, 26, was killed by small arms fire in the Ghazni Province in Afghanistan as he led an assault against an enemy position, U.S. Army officials said.

MacPherson was a team leader assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. This was his fourth deployment to Afghanistan and he had also previously served one deployment in Iraq.

MacPherson is survived by his wife, Claudia MacPherson, and their son, Brayden, of Tacoma, Wash., and his parents, Troy and Diona MacPherson of Long Beach.