Matt Farwell

My Dad Gets a Shoutout in the Huffington Post

“Then there’s Gary Farwell, who tried to get a gold star license plate from the state of Idaho to recognize his son’s sacrifice for his country. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gary Marc Farwell died in 2010 in a military helicopter crash in Germany that killed two other soldiers. He had served four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan flying Black Hawk helicopters with the U.S. military. Yet his application for a gold star license plate was rejected by the State of Idaho, because his son had not died in combat.

Are the deaths of military service members like Schumann and Farwell - who swore an oath to protect and defend this country, who were doing their duty at the time of their deaths - any less important or honorable? Do their families grieve any less than the families of those who die in combat? Is it right for society to honor people only for how their lives are taken - and not for how they are lived?

The Schumanns and the Farwell are not alone. While I was heartened to see the White House expand its policy in 2011 to send presidential condolence letters to the families of those who die by suicide while stationed in combat zones, the policy continues to exclude the two-thirds of families whose military loved ones die by suicide in other locations.”