Military men honor fallen heroes

DECATUR -- For several weeks now, we've introduced you to local veterans, showing how they're serving the community. But, today, we want you to meet two men from Our Town. These Hometown Heroes make sure fallen soldiers in Macon County get the honors they deserve.

"Move, right here."

It's a Saturday afternoon at Point Pleasant Cemetery. Rudy Escobar and the Macon County Honor Guard have been here for hours getting ready for a memorial to a fallen soldier.

"Let us pray."

"He deserves it because he put his life on the line for our freedom."

That's why the former marine spends nearly 30-hours a week away from his wife and six kids, making sure these families have closure.

"We are more than honored to do it. We've been out there when it's been 105-degrees, or five or ten below, whatever. We've had four funerals in one day. I'm talking 8:30 in the morning to 5 in the evening."

But, right by his side for 17-years has been his second in command, and good friend, James Parker.

"Jim and I really care about what we do for our veterans."

"He's a good guy. I wouldn't trade him for nothing."

Escobar is a decorated World War II veteran. He met Parker in Decatur, years after he'd been an army soldier in the Korean War and Vietnam. Both wanted to revamp the honor guard which didn't even have uniforms back then.

"It was something that we feel a deceased veteran deserves, so we wanted to do the best job we could for that person."

While both admit the job can be tough on the heart, "When I hear the bugle for Taps, I used to get goosebumps and proably tear up a little bit," they'll keep doing it, not only for the fallen, but the moms they didn't come home to.

"Those are the heroes. We're just out there doing a job that had to be done. We're proud of it."

The Macon County Honor Guard has 32-members. Over the past 10-years, they've traveled a total of 60,000 miles to be part of military funerals and memorials.