Guthrie bomb victim was U.S. 'at our best'
State Department worker helped rebuild.
Guthrie bomb victim was U.S. 'at our best'

By Ann DeFrange

Published: July 3, 2008

EDMOND — Steven L. Farley answered a call to bring a democratic government to Iraq because he loved Iraq, but mostly because he loved America.

At his funeral Wednesday at Henderson Hills Baptist Church, Farley was described as a good man, a decent man, "an example of America at our best.”

He died June 24, at age 57, in a bombing in Baghdad. He was there working with the U.S. State Department to help reconstruct the government of that war-torn city.

Though he was in Iraq as a civilian, the funeral had a distinctly military theme. Farley came from a multigenerational service family; he spent 34 years in the Army and Navy, and was serving as a captain in the Navy Reserve at the time of his death. He had answered three recalls to active duty since Sept. 11, 2001.

He had a large collection of medals, awards and commendations most of his friends didn't know about until they read his obituary. He was out of his element in Guthrie in the family's cleaning business, said his friend and pastor, Ron Jenkins, and returned to the war zone to instill the American values he cherished.

The casket was escorted in by a bagpiper and pallbearers in Navy white, led through lines of veterans in T-shirts and motorcycle vests. Many Navy uniforms appeared in the crowd of about 500, dotted with uniforms of other branches and with men in suits with medals and ribbons pinned to their jackets.

In the photos hung in the church, Capt. Farley wore the naval uniform easily, as if it were a good feel and fit.

Harry K. Thomas Jr., director general of the State Department's Foreign Service, said Farley was a man who loved his neighbors, wherever in the world his neighbors lived. He referred to his Iraqi brothers as affectionately as he did his Oklahoma brothers.

Thomas stepped from the podium and presented the Farley family with the Thomas Jefferson Star, the State Department's award for employees who lose their lives in national service.

Paul Folmsbee is a senior diplomat for the Baghdad team. "Steve helped us break down the walls that divided people,” he said. Because of Farley, the mission was succeeding.

"He loved life and he loved what he was doing,” Folmsbee said. "He brought out the best in all of us. ... It was good to be with Steve.”

Col. George Watts, an Air Force retiree who knew Farley in Guthrie, said: "We must honor the men who stand on the wall each night and keep vigil, so we may sleep in safety and security.” He called Farley an example of "the notion of the common individual who responds in uncommon ways.” To Sadr City in Baghdad, he brought "American liberty, strength and goodness.”

The men who spoke in the church, who had official uniforms and impressive credentials, choked and stumbled in their words. Each knew Farley personally as well as professionally.

When Capt. Lance Benham spoke of the personal decency that befits a naval officer, he pulled out a huge handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.

Farley was buried Wednesday afternoon in Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin. He is survived by his wife, Donna, and three sons.

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