Photo By Capt. Hans Zeiger | Senior Master Sgt. Bill Farrer, 143rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron, retires from the...... read more read more
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In the 143rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Senior Master Sgt. Bill Farrer is known as “Stealth,” according the unit’s First Sergeant, Master Sgt. Wes Salinas. Farrer doesn’t seek the limelight, but he is “a man of action,” said Salinas. On April 10, Farrer retired from the Washington Air National Guard after more than 41 years of service.
Farrer grew up on the north side of Spokane. His father was a technician in the Air National Guard in a Spokane unit, and Farrer followed him into the Guard by enlisting in the 242nd Combat Communications Squadron in November 1979. Farrer worked in air traffic control radar maintenance. He often worked with air traffic controllers who came out to practice on radar technology. “Combat comm was rewarding but a lot of work,” he said. Transporting radars was particularly challenging, he said.
Farrer put his maintenance skills to use during a deployment to Egypt in late 1981 following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. “In combat comm, the whole unit deployed,” he said. “You’d go out and set up basically a small tent living area.”
In 1982, Farrer transferred into the California Air National Guard’s 234th Combat Communications Squadron and worked as a radar maintenance technician for the next several years. During that time he took part in a missions to South Korea.
When the 262nd Combat Communications Squadron in Bellingham, Washington was acquiring a radar in 1991, and Farrer transferred back into the Washington Air National Guard to join the 262nd.
“Combat comm stayed pretty active,” he recalled. “We were required to take our stuff to the field and deploy twice a year at minimum. Between getting ready to deploy and recovering, we stayed pretty active.”
In Bellingham, Farrer became the supervisor for a young airman named Jason Longoria. Later, Longoria was at a point in his career when he could have left the Guard. Farrer was “one of the main reasons” why he decided to stay in, “because of Bill and his support, and the environment he created in that shop.”
When the 262nd transitioned to a network warfare mission and relocated to McChord Air Force Base in the early 2000s, Farrer made a career field switch by joining the 215th Engineering and Installation Squadron at Paine Field in Everett. He went to work as a radio technician and later became an engineering technician.
Not long after Farrer started in the 215th, members of the unit, including Farrer, were deployed to Afghanistan.
Being in the 215th was demanding, he said, but it was also fun. One highlight was traveling to Belgium with the unit, he said.
The 215th was deactivated in 2013, and Farrer joined the 143rd Information Operations Squadron, which is a cyberspace operations squadron today.
Most recently, Farrer has filled quality assurance and financial roles for the 143rd. “Bill is always the last one out the door,” said Salinas.
Today, Lt. Col. Jason Longoria—who was a young enlisted airman under Farrer’s supervision decades ago—is the commander of the 143rd. “It’s come full circle,” he said. Reflecting on Farrer’s legacy in the Washington Air National Guard, Longoria said, “You never know the influence you can have as a leader or supervisor.”
In addition to Farrer’s father, who retired from the Washington Air National Guard after 20 years of service, his brother served in the Air Guard for a short time, and his sister retired from the 262nd Network Warfare Squadron at the rank of Master Sergeant.
Looking back at more than four decades of uniformed service, Farrer said that he was consistently impressed by the intelligence of his fellow airmen. “I got to work with a lot of really smart people,” he said. “I got to learn a lot from them.”
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2021 13:46 |
| Story ID: | 394363 |
| Location: | WA, US |
| Web Views: | 263 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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