Paying the ultimate price

More than three-fourths of the names are casualties of the nine-year-long Iraq war.

“Rule number one of war is that young men die, and there is no way to change that rule,” said Farrare.

It is a rule that Farrare's son, Matt, knows well. He served two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Army, including a stint in Baghdad in 2006 at the height of a bloody insurgency. Now, when he visits the memorial, three names on the wall have special meaning.

“Caleb Lufkin, Gavin Reinke, Bryan Quinton. We were all in the same platoon,” said Matt.

All three of Farrare’s close friends died from wounds they sustained in a bomb blast while on patrol in Baghdad.

Honoring those who served

Despite the loss, Matt Farrare says he has no regrets about his service in Iraq.

“There’s not a part of me that asks was it worth it, because I know in my mind and in my heart that when I went in, I did it of my own free will," he said. “Do I think that it’s a good thing we are out of there? Absolutely. Did it take too long? Definitely. Is anybody to blame for it? Not at all.”

Though the Iraq War is over, Mike Farrare says some battles continue for his son.

“He’ll live with the mental anguish of losing his friends and fellow soldiers for the rest of his life,” he said.