Wichita Falls, TX. August 30, 2010, members of the Patriot Guard Riders from Oklahoma and North Texas began to arrive at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, to the somber tolling of the Texas Liberty Bell. Hundreds of mourners came to pay their final respects of An American Hero, US Army Spc. Alexis V. Maldonado.

Family members, friends, fellow veterans, and even strangers were unified in honoring this young warrior. The family chose to conduct his funeral services at a church surrounded by members of the Patriot Guard Riders with their flags snapping in the morning breeze.

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After the church services the procession made it way to the Sacred Heart Cemetery. The procession was greeted by two long flag line down the driveway to the Staging area for the public ceremony. The family later held a private graveside service.

Once the mourners gathered around the 10’x20’ tented area the Patriot Guard Riders then took up position shielding the family and in a show of support.

Brig. Gen. Bryan Watson presented the family with medals awarded posthumously including the Purple Heart and Bronze Medal for valor.

The honor guards were members of 20th Engineer Battalion, Ft. Hood TX. Engineers from this unit were among the victims of the Ft. Hood tragedy last November. Spc. Maldonado’s friends and fellow soldiers were among them.

The honor guard fired a 3-round volley with 7 rifles. Shortly thereafter, the bugler played Taps.
Finally, the honor guards folded the American flag, which had been draped over the casket. Clouds began to let go of a light drizzle. The first flag was presented to the mother. The father received the 2nd flag and his son, Isaiah, received the final flag. At two-years-old he will have to get a little older to understand the significance of this historic event.

Then the light drizzle turned into a full fledged downpour of rain. Most got wet, but know one seem to mind all that much since, it shielded everyone’s tears.

May God bless this young warrior and the family he leaves behind.

Wichita Falls, TX Aug. 28,2010. On a warm clear summer day several dozen family members gathered at the Wichita Falls Municipal Airport to welcome home their loved one, SPC Alexis V. Maldonado.

Also gathered were 50-75 North Texas Patriot Guard Riders who stood by while the family watched the dignified transfer on the tarmac, and later escorted the procession through town on the way to the Owens & Brumley Funeral Home.

Originally, the family had requested no media, but once I explained how my videos are watched by family members who are unable to attend and the troops who served with him.  The family invited me out on the tarmac with them and allowed me to document this solemn ceremony.

This was especially poignant for me as I am preparing for the Patriot Guard Riders National Gathering of the Guard 2010 scheduled for Sept. 9-12 in Killeen/Ft. Hood, where Spc Maldonado was based. His unit was one of the units attacked during readiness processing at Fort Hood last November, and engineers Alexis had trained with were killed or wounded before the unit ever left American soil.

Alexis Maldonado enlisted in the Army a year after he became a father. His son, Isaiah, just turned two.

Alexis became a combat engineer, one of the soldiers who travel dangerous roads, seeking to protect the lives of others while risking their own. Once deployed to Afghanistan, his service was remarkable.  Alexis’s unit was stationed at Forward Operating Base Ramrod, and they cleared roads of IEDs to protect soldiers and civilians alike.  Alexis completed more than one hundred missions of this extremely dangerous duty, usually driving or manning the machine gun position which serves as the eyes of the vehicle.

After his service in the Army, Alexis Maldonado hoped to study auto mechanics at Universal Technical Institute, near home in Dallas, Texas.  He wanted to be a mechanic.  He loved music, and was a dedicated weight-lifter.

Alexis died of wounds he suffered when his convoy was ambushed in Zhari Province, Afghanistan.

Alexis is mourned, remembered, and loved by many, including his parents and step-parents, Jesse, Alicia, Linda, and Keith, his fiancée, Baronica, his son, Isaiah, his brothers, Brad and Sergio, and his sister, Aleksi.

Honors rendered for Spc Jerod H Osborne

July  16, 2010 (Dallas, TX) Spc. Jerod Heath Osborne, 20, of Royse City, TX, was laid to rest in Rockwall, TX.  After church services concluded the procession made its way to Rest Heaven Cemetery led by local and state police.  Members of the Patriot Guard Riders were on hand to ensure the services were not disrupted.

The interment ceremonies began with a bagpiper leading the hearse to the gravesite.  Once, the majority of the participants gathered around the gravesite, members of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg, N.C. performed the military final interment ceremonies.

At the conclusion of the ceremonies, participants offered the family condolences and made their way out of Texas’ scorching summer sun.

Afterward the family stayed behind to witness the casket lowered into the grave. We were blessed to share the moment with the eldest brother SSGT Wau-tash Grillett, who was also serving in Afghanistan. He also was tasked with escorting the remains of his younger brother home.  He shared his thoughts about his brother after the funeral.

On behalf of USFallen.org and its viewers, we wish to extend our sincere gratitude to the Grillett and Osborne families, for allowing us to share in the loss of Our American Hero. We are forever indebted to your dearest Jerod, and the sacrifice he made on our behalf. We pray you find comfort in knowing he will rest in peace, for eternity, among America’s finest who answered her call to duty and did so with valor.

July 15, 2010 (Dallas, TX) Spc Jerod Heath Osborne, 20, of Royse City, TX, remains arrived in Greenville, TX on a charter plane Wednesday July 14, 2010 at 1300 hours (1:00 PM). The temperature was a scorching 98 degrees as family and friends waited for his arrival.

Upon touchdown his plane was welcomed by the Greenville Fire Department and an honorary water-bridge. Once the plane parked, members of the 1^st Cavalry, Ft. Hood, TX, conducted a dignified transfer on the tarmac.  The family was escorted to the hearse to welcome their loved one home.

The procession led by various Fire-trucks from surrounding communities.  Also, present were 200 Patriot Guard Riders to help escort the procession as it made way to the funeral home.

Osborne was assigned to 4th Squadron, 73rd Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.  He was killed in action July 5 in Yakuta, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked their unit using an IED.

According to his step-father, “he jumped on an IED to save the lives of others. He was a really good kid.  He never got into trouble or into drugs,” he said. “He is a hero and will be sorely missed,” he said as he choked up with emotion.

Osborne is scheduled for final interment with full military honors on Friday.

June 17, 2010 (Dallas, TX) on a partly cloudy day with temperatures reaching into the upper 90’s Sgt. Zachary J. Walters family and close friends attended his inurnment ceremonies at DFW National Cemetery.
The procession was led by the North Texas Patriot Guard Riders and escorted by the Dallas Police Department from the funeral home to the cemetery.

Once the procession arrived at the cemetery the ring of the Texas Liberty Bell could be heard throughout the 638 acres and beyond. An honor guard from the 1st Marines, 14th Regiment conducted the full military honors ceremony, which included a 3-volley salute, playing of Taps and folding the American flag and presentation to his parents.

Afterward family members made their way over to the Texas Liberty Bell to ring it in memory of Zachary.
“He told me the reason he stayed in,” his mother said. “He said, ‘I prepared these guys; I want to be with these guys.’”

He went as their advance man and was killed by a roadside bomb. Friday morning, his family tried to comfort his fiancée, Victoria Falcon, with photos from happier times. Only family and faith have kept the pain from being overwhelming.

“I wanted to be a part of his life,” his grandmother said. “He is my only grandchild and I wanted him to know that we loved him so much.”

“I’ve never been prouder in my life,” she said. “My precious boy made the ultimate sacrifice. He would not have had it any other way.”

Thank You

Family of Sgt. Zachary J. Walters
Honor Guards;
• USMC 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines Regiment
• USMC 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment
• USA 1st Cavalry, 3rd Brigade
• Marine Corp League Longhorn Detachment
Patriot Guard Riders
Dallas Police
Irving Police
Brown’s Funeral Memorial Chapel
DFW National Cemetery
Texas Liberty Bell
David Hall & J Wayne Duckworth

Music
Funeral March from Dom Sebastian
USMC Ceremonial Band
Marine Corp Hymn
Amazing Grace
James Hisey – Bagpiper
Taps – MSGT Doug Compton
They’ll Remember You
John Ottman

Video Production
USFallen. org
Jerry Castillo – Producer
2010