Explosive device kills Redlands soldier in Iraq
10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
As a child, William "Tony" Farrar Jr. would play soldier games with his brother. So it didn't come as a big surprise to his family when he joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school two years ago.
"Growing up, he always wanted to be a soldier," said his father, William "Tony" Farrar Sr., a Rialto Police Department captain who lives in Redlands.
William Farrar Jr. was killed Friday after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
He was driving the vehicle as part of a convoy patrolling an area in Iskandariyah, Iraq, about 30 miles south of Baghdad, according to his father and a Pentagon news release.
Farrar was taken to a field hospital but died of his injuries.
Farrar was assigned to the 127th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, out of Darmstadt, Germany.
He joined the Army in September 2005, shortly after graduating from Palm Springs High School. He was stationed in Germany and was sent to Iraq last November, his father said.
Farrar saw joining the Army as an opportunity to serve his country and to grow as a person, his father said.
He was excited when he learned he would be going to Germany, allowing him to travel someplace new and meet different people. When he was in Iraq, Farrar talked about having good days and bad days, but he still kept a positive outlook, his father said.
"He never complained about anything," Tony Farrar Sr. said. "He just wasn't that type of kid."
The younger Farrar lived in Norco and Palm Springs with his mother, Sally Bors, while in high school, but after graduation, he moved in with his father in Redlands.
He was the oldest of three brothers. The youngest, Kenny Farrar, 18, joined the Marines and will be leaving for boot camp in two weeks, while Nic, 19, is in school.
Friends and family called the father and son Big Tony and Little Tony, even though Tony Jr. grew to be taller, Tony Farrar Sr. said with a laugh.
He described his son as quiet and easygoing with a unique sense of humor. The younger Farrar enjoyed computer games, drew cartoons and played paintball.
Farrar said his son had spoken about going to school while in the Army but had not made plans for whether he would stay in the military as a career.
"At that age, he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life," Farrar said.
The family is waiting for his body to be shipped home before setting a date for funeral services.
Reach Imran Ghori at 909-806-3061 or
ighori@PE.com