Richard Andrew Farrer, USMC, Tennessee Chaplain and Post Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Stones River Post #12206 in Murfreesboro, serves other military veterans in his community every day.
This September, Farrer was honored as the Tennessee Representative for the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor induction ceremony.
“Veterans of Foreign Wars, or VFW, was founded in 1899; it is one of the oldest veterans’ services organizations in the world,” Farrer said. “We are known for the GI Bill, The Pact Act, and we are still serving after we have served. We are serving for our veterans.”
Farrer has served as the VFW state chaplain for three years in a row.
“We have 15,898 members, who I get to pray for. I get to go to their funerals, I get to console families, and I get to help out the state officer, and the continuation of the VFW,” he told the Pulse. “I am also the VFW Commander of the Stones River Post 12206. The Stones River Post started two years ago with 26 members. We now have 330 members. We did 935 hours of community service last year, and we gave back $132,000 in aid and assistance to veterans.”
Farrer was born in Tennessee in 1977, and moved back to Tennessee seven years ago after some time away. Now as state chaplain, he volunteers along with the other leaders of the 87 VFW posts in Tennessee.
“I am really happy to represent the state,” Farrer said. “I came back here and married my wife, and now we live in Murfreesboro. It is a great story for me because I was an alcoholic—I am an alcoholic. I am five years sober.
“I got saved, and now I am a community leader. I go to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, I’ve been married five years to my wife, Katrina, and I got to buy a house in Murfreesboro that is right next to the VA. Because of the VFW and God, my life has turned around for the better.”
Farrer received his Purple Heart after being hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade in July 2006 at the Battle of Ramadi in Iraq.
“I was doing operations in Iraq,” Farrer said. “I was an infantry machine gunner. We had to go to Ramadi, which was a very, very bad time. That summer I think 47 people got the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart medal is given if you were wounded or killed in action while serving overseas for the country.”
In September 2023, Farrer represented Tennessee at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor induction ceremony in New York.
“This opportunity to represent our great state at such a prestigious event is truly humbling,” Farrer said. “The Purple Heart Hall of Honor is a place that pays tribute to the brave men and women who have been wounded or sacrificed their lives in service to their nation. It serves as a testament to their courage, resilience and unwavering dedication.”
Farrer offered an aside regarding the origin of the Purple Heart medal, which was created by George Washington in 1782. “Back then it was actually called the Medal of Merit. [Washington] wanted a medal to give to the enlisted soldiers because everything else went to the officers,” Farrar explained. “He wanted to make an award that would be given to the privates and the enlisted people.”
The ceremony took place in Newburgh, New York—the city where Washington originally founded the honor—as part of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission’s 2023 Purple Heart Project. Purple Heart recipients from across the country were honored. The Purple Heart Hall of Honor welcomed new inductees who have received the award for their valor and sacrifice.
“These individuals have demonstrated extraordinary bravery and selflessness in the face of adversity, and it is our duty to honor and recognize their sacrifices,” Farrer said.
The event was a multi-day tribute to salute wounded warriors that also included a trip with visits to historic sites in New York City, to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Fame in New Windsor, and a visit to Washington’s headquarters in Newburgh.
Among this year’s honorees are U.S. Army veteran Robert Senter, who received two Purple Hearts while serving in the European Theatre during World War II. Another honoree is George Stavropoulos of Indiana, a Navy hospital corpsman attached to the 1st battalion 9th Marines in Vietnam in 1967. During heavy fighting, Stavropoulos continued to provide medical care to other soldiers despite his own wounds. He was awarded a Silver Star for valor; and his second, third and fourth Purple Hearts.
Here in Murfreesboro, on most Sunday mornings, Farrer attends Coffee with a Veteran. It begins at 8 a.m. at Joanie’s on the Square. Many veterans attend and usually pack the restaurant, but “anyone can come and enjoy Coffee with a Veteran,” Farrer said.
Other upcoming veterans events include the VA Carnival at the Alvin C. York Medical Center on Oct. 6, VetFest in Brentwood on Oct. 7, and the Veterans Day ceremony on the Murfreesboro Public Square at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11.
For more information on the VFW Stones River Post, visit stonesrivervfw.com.
