Joe Granville, Earl’s twin brother, had always had aspirations of becoming a soldier. Once Joe took his oath, it was only right for Earl to do the same. The twins would become Infantrymen together in the Army National Guard and be assigned to the 109th Infantry Regiment out of Pennsylvania.
Joining during a time of peace, the brothers’ first taste of adventure landed them in Bosnia as part of the NATO mission, Operation Joint Forge, to bring peace to the region after years of conflict. This gave them both a chance to see the world and experience a new culture. The brothers quickly fell in love with the military way of life, and they knew they wanted to make it a career. As the PA Army National Guard (PAARNG) Unit left Bosnia, mid-March of 2003, President George W. Bush addressed the world and announced that the United States of America would be invading Iraq.
An Iraq combat deployment was a sure bet, due, in part, to the nature of the Infantryman’s job. But, eager to fulfill his service obligation, Joe Granville, volunteered to deploy to Iraq. Feeling the pressure of his brother’s decision, Earl decided to volunteer as well. He felt compelled to join his brother in Operation Iraqi Freedom; furthermore, he just couldn’t allow him to go alone. Both men thrived in their careers, and despite the hardships of combat they knew the military was their “calling”….They both re-enlisted prior to returning home.
Once he returned home from combat, Joe got married and landed a great job as a correctional officer at SCI Waymart, a state correctional institution. Later, he was attached to the Pennsylvania National Guard A1-109th Infantry in Honesdale as a Training NCO. Earl returned to community college and earned his associate degree. The men were progressing in their lives, respectively, and all was right.
The opportunity to deploy to Afghanistan presented itself to the brothers in 2008, Joe wasn’t ready to go back to war. Joe had a young family, a good job, and he thought his best option was to wait for the deployment orders to drop. On the other hand, Earl felt as though the deployment had come at the exact right moment and he took it!
“Who the fuck is watering their grass in Afghanistan??”
BLACKNESS
“When I came to…big beautiful sky...my feet are backwards, and I’m full of blood. The Humvee to my left is completely destroyed. We just hit a roadside bomb.”
Listen to the episode to hear how SSG (Ret.) Earl Granville, US Army Infantryman, overcame this horrific attack, how he honors the brothers he lost, and what he is doing to change the future! Currently, he is travelling the nation telling his hard truths and inspiring other Veterans to do the same!
This episode is in loving memory of: Staff Sgt. Joseph Granville (1983-2010).
TOGETHER WE ARE THE STRONGEST.
If you or anyone you know is struggling, please seek help and share the resources below.
Together we will beat this!
Confidential Military Crisis Line:
1 800 273 8255 Option 1 or text 838255
Military One Sources:
1 800 342 9647
Get in contact with SSG (Ret.) Earl Granville here:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/earlgranville
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com › Granville...Web results Earl Granville - Home | Facebook
Website: https://www.earlgranville.org Earl Granville | Earl Granville
YouTube: https://youtu.be/LYvjkRutnjM
