Jared Armstrong unfolded a tattered letter from his father as he packed up his childhood bedroom. “To my boys,” he read aloud. These were the last words he wrote to his sons. Jared was nine-years-old when his father lost the battle to alcoholism. “My dad just couldn't overcome the demons that he was dealing with,” he said. Without a father figure, Jared said his journey to manhood has not been easy. After college, Jared has decided to leave his hometown of Malta Bend, Missouri: population 239, and begin his adult life in Kansas City. “I’ve always felt like my dad is with me, steering me,” he said. “I try to be the best man I can be, but would I even make him proud or would he even know who I am?”