Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro “Alex” Granado

Dateline: Tatun, TX Aug. 09

Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro “Alex” Granado, 42, of Tatum, TX.
Died from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device Aug. 2 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan.
He was a member of the Mississippi Army National Guard, and assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Jackson, Miss. He served for more than twenty years.

Granado was home last month and visited his family over the 4th of July holiday. There is no doubt of the family’s pride of one of their own. His nephew Johnny was quoted, “We’re real proud of him, he was one of the bravest men I knew. I always looked up to him…you have to look up to somebody like that.”

This video is a tribute in his honor. His interment services were held Aug. 10, 2009 in Tatum, TX. Crowds of people began arriving shortly before 5:00 pm. Many came equipped with umbrellas to help endure the 101˚ heat index. Whiles others came waving small American flags.
Once the procession, escorted by the PGR of East Texas, arrived approximately 600 people had gathered to bid a farewell to fallen American Hero. Army representatives from Ft. Bragg performed a military funeral. Church bells and a Texas size bell rang out in honor of Granado. He was given a three round volley salute and a bugler played TAPS. Four flags were presented to his family.

In the end, the family said their final goodbyes, as a small group of singers accompanied by a guitar, performed several Spanish Christian Hymns to help bring comfort to the grief stricken. After mourners offered words of sympathy to the family they began to file out of the cemetery.

Music:
Seven Spanish Angels
By: Ray Charles

Special thanks to:
Granado family
Patriot Guard Riders of East Texas
Davidl “The Texas Bell Ringer”
Tatum citizens
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Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins

Date line: Paris, Texas August 13, 2009 Temp: low 90’s
Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas.
Died Aug. 6, while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, HI.
Hoskins’ final journey home began after a chartered plane delivered his flag draped coffin. The family welcomed their love one home. There was a formal transfer of the coffin from the tarmac to the hearse. The staging of the procession ran from the flight line to the main entrance to the air field. High school students from the school he graduated from lined both sides of the street. The video shows highlights of the seven mile journey from the airfield to the funeral home.
As a video producer I have seen many of these types of videos before, but I never experienced in person. I live in a big city and they lose sight of real priorities. A human sacrifice still means something to many Americans. Our fallen soldiers allow for us to protest over healthcare, taxes, and anything else your heart desires. When Jay Hoskins came home today, traffic did not pull over; it came to a complete stand still. Thousands of citizens, white collar and blue collar, liberals and conservatives all put aside their differences to honor a local hero. For without these brave men and women make it possible for us to freely agree to disagree with each other.
Music:
Remix – Band of Brothers, Mansions of the Lord, and Sgt. MacKensie
Special Thanks:
North Texas Patriot Guard Riders
Patriotic Citizens of Paris

Video Production
Jerry Castillo

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