Word Entry- Sonny's Blue

1. "And I had a lot of things on my mind and I pretty well forgot my promise to Mama until I got shipped home on a special furlough for her funeral." (p.72) 
2. I've never seen this weird but the way it is used in the sentences I think it means coming back to a special occasion. It's a good guess because the son is coming back to his mom's funeral.
3. A vacation or leave of absence granted to an enlisted person. (Dictionary.com)
4. So it makes sense now, the older son is must have been part of the military/army. He got a special time off from service to come back home for his mothers' funeral/passing away.