The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) extends its deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Dr. Warner “Rocky” Farr, who passed away on November 20, 2024. Dr. Farr, an ABPM Diplomate certified in Aerospace Medicine and a former item writer for the ABPM’s Aerospace Medicine certification exam, led an illustrious medical and military career.
Prior to earning his medical degree, Dr. Farr served as a Special Forces paratrooper in Vietnam and Cambodia, operated as an exchange non-commissioned officer behind the Iron Curtain in Germany, and became a Special Forces instructor.
He went on to attend the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Farr initially trained and achieved board certification in clinical and anatomical pathology. However, his enduring interest in aviation safety and accident investigation compelled him to complete additional residency training in Aerospace Medicine, in which he is also board certified.
Dr. Farr succeeded in a variety of leadership positions, including division surgeon for the 10th Mountain Division, deputy commander of the Aeromedical Center at Fort Rucker, chief of the Professional Staff at Lyster Army Hospital, deputy chief of staff and surgeon for the US Army Special Operations Command, surgeon for the Special Forces Command, and surgeon for the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. In addition to Vietnam and Cambodia, his military service took him to Berlin, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, where he served with honor.
Dr. Farr used his advanced medical training to make significant contributions to the practice of military medicine. For example, he innovated life-saving medical kits for use on the battlefield which have since become standard issue for combat troops.
Dr. Farr was dedicated to training the next generation of Special Operations soldiers and military medical personnel. His service as a Special Forces instructor began in the 1970s after his time in Germany, but extended throughout his career. He taught in the Army’s Flight Surgeons Course, the Special Forces Medical Course, the US Air Force Aerospace Medicine Residency, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s flight physiology and vision courses. After his retirement from the military in 2013, he continued teaching as an associate clinical professor at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Florida.
For his meritorious military service and dedication to improving the health and safety of combat troops and other military personnel, Dr. Farr earned an array of military honors and awards. These include the Combat Medical Badge with Star; Expert Infantryman Badge; Army Master Flight Surgeon Wings; Master Parachutist Badge; Pathfinder Badge; SCUBA Badge; Special Forces Tab; Defense Superior Service Medal with oak-leaf cluster; Legion of Merit; Bronze Star for Valor with oak-leaf cluster; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Army MSM with five oak-leaf clusters; Air Medal with 2 device; Joint Service and Army Commendation Medals; Good Conduct Medal with clasp and 4 loops; Presidential, Valorous, Meritorious, and Joint Unit Citations; Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm; and the US Air Force Operational Excellence Unit Citation. In addition, Dr. Farr was inducted into the Special Forces Regimental Honors Hall of Fame of the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Special Operations Center of Excellence in 2016; in 2024 he was the first inductee into the Special Operations Forces Medical Hall of Honor.
As Sharon Holland of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences writes, Dr. Farr’s “trailblazing efforts in Special Operations and battlefield care leave an enduring legacy, and he is remembered as a mentor, patriot, and pioneer whose contributions will benefit generations to come.” With the passing of Dr. Farr, the Aerospace Medicine, Special Forces, and military medicine communities have lost one of its most legendary members, but his tremendous contributions to these fields live on.