4 months ago
Family, friends, and those who didn't even know Staff Sergeant Alex French came together to remember and celebrate the Georgia National Guardsman killed in the line of duty last Wednesday.
Hundreds of people turned out for the funeral service, as the 31-year-old Milledgeville man was laid to rest Saturday with a military funeral.
"I'm so grateful for the sacrifice he made. His memory will never be forgotten," says Teculve Martial-Vann, French's cousin.
A rifle party and aerial fly-over gave a proud send-off to Staff Sergeant Alex French IV.
In a funeral service that started inside Baldwin High School, where he graduated in 1994, those who knew him and those who didn't gathered to lay to rest the soldier who laid down his life for his country.
On September 30th French was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. The National guardsman was deployed for a second tour of duty with the 48th brigade.
The fact that French made the ultimate sacrifice hits close to home for those who didn't know him but have family in the military.
"We got to understand that freedom is not free. We have soldiers that go and give up their lives," says Star Freeman, who drove from Stone Mountain to attend the funeral.
When family members speak of French, they say to know him was to love him, but it was clear by the crowds of people gathered to pay their last respects, you didn't have to know him to feel a connection.
"Those who serve tend to always find each other, one way or another. We're brothers simply because we serve our country," says Chet Mingledorff, who rides with the Patriot Guard.
Those who were close with the Milledgeville man and worked side-by-side with him at the Bibb County Sheriff's Department say he profoundly touched their lives.
"He would keep a smile on your face when you didn't have one. He would make you have one," says Cynthia Flournoy, a sheriff's deputy.
Accepting the Bronze Star and Purple Heart on French's behalf, the family now has a token of his valor to keep with their memories and mementos of him. The three children he left behind received American flags.
It was a funeral service that did him justice, family say, and was fitting for the type of man he was.
"It was a way to finally have Alex home, and there's closure. This opens up an opportunity to begin to heal and to really celebrate Alex's life," says Martial-Vann.
French leaves behind a wife and three children: twin girls, 5-years-old; and a 2-year-old daughter.
He is the 8th Georgia National Guardsman to die in Afghanistan this year.
To date, 865 soldiers have lost their lives worldwide in Operation Enduring Freedom.
