Just Who Is the Farmdog?

As long as I can remember, I've had a callsign. I was born James Franklin Deaner, Jr., in Fort Chaffee Arkansas on 26 September, 1957. The son of a career Soldier named Jim Deaner, and my mom Dorthy Ann Farmer Deaner, I was called J.J. to eliminate any confusion between myself and my father. My Mom and Dad divorced soon after I came along, and my Mom took me, my brother Mike, and my sister Dona, back to Lexington, Kentucky to live with her parents, my maternal grandparents, Harry and Angie Farmer. Unfortunately, my Mom passed away in 1962. Fortunately, we three kids were taken in by our maternal grandparents, and they adopted us in 1968. Along with the adoption came a name change for me to Harry Walker Farmer, Jr., but by that time, I was forever Jay to all who knew me, and I have gone by the name Jay Farmer all of my life, unless an official form needs a signature. I was an avid Boy Scout, and became active in the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or NJROTC at Lafayette High School in Lexington. Three years of NJROTC made for a great high school experience, and I made lifelong friends there. Following graduation in 1975, I attended Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond Kentucky, and graduated in 1979 with a BA in Journalism and a BA in Broadcasting. While at Eastern, I was a member of the Military Fraternity Pershing Rifles. Another place where life-long friendships were formed. While at EKU, I gained another callsign: Farmboy.I went to Officer's Candidate School while in College, and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1979. Following a six month stay at The Basic School in Quantico, VA, I went to flight school in Pensacola, Florida. There, I flew the T-34, and selected helicopters as what I would like to fly for a living. Following training in the TH-57 and the TH-1, I received my wings of gold in May 1981.I went to New River Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina to fly the CH-46 Sea Knight. During my first tour, I cruised on amphibious ships to Norway, Beirut, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. I spent a total of 18 months at sea.My next tour of duty took me back to Pensacola, where I served as a helicopter flight instructor in HT-8.
Following that tour, I was assigned to the Presidential Helicopter Squadron, HMX-1, back in Quantico, Virginia, where I flew Marine One during the Bush Administration. It was there that I gained the callsign "Farmdog". We were all dogs of one kind or another, mine was a natural choice.
Payback time. I next went to Okinawa in a non-flying job, as an Air Officer for the 9th Marine Regiment. It was a great job.
Next, I went kicking and screaming to Hawaii, and back to flying. I became the Executive Officer (XO) for HMM-265, "The Dragons". A great squadron, and living in Hawaii was a good time. My squadron was relocated to Okinawa, and I opted to go with them, and spent three more years on that magical island.
Naples Italy is where we next ended up, and we were there for two and one half years. My job was setting up and running NATO exercises all over the Mediterranian and Black Sea, and I also managed to get myself sent to Sarajevo twice while I was there.
Following our European Vacation, we returned to Okinawa, Japan in June of 2000, arriving just in time for the G-8 Summit which turned the island upside down! My jobwas the Deputy G-3 (Operations Officer) for Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler, and all of Marine Bases Japan. It was a great job, and the best part was, I flew the UC-12 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

I retired from active duty on 1 July, 2003, and stayed in Okinawa in the same job capacity, as a GS worker.  I do everything I was doing with the exception of flying, which I miss, but I love being home with my family.  When I retired, I had 24 years of Active Duty, and over 5000 hours of flying time "in every clime and place".

LtCol H. W. Farmer, Jr. USMC
PSC 557 Box 2441
FPO AP 96379-2441