John Granado Honored with Military Banner Installation Ceremony

Local hero John Granado, 24, was recently honored with a military banner installation ceremony last month. Granado attended school in Colton until the fourth grade, when he transferred to Paul J. Rogers Elementary School in Redlands. He finished out his school years there, graduating from Redlands East Valley High School in 2008. “He was a junior when he told me he wanted to serve for his country…I was so proud of him,” said his mother Stephanie Granado-Smith. She explained that ever since the tragedy that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York he has been determined to join the military. She said, “Before that he wanted to be an engineer, but that day his goals changed.” Granado joined the Army in July 2009 and has been serving under Military Intelligence since. He recently re-enlisted for another five years. He is currently at Fort Lewis is Washington state. “He’s making a career out of this; he loves serving his country. It can be hard for me at times but I couldn’t be happier or more proud of him,” Granado-Smith shared. Fortunately, Granado came home from Germany on leave for a couple weeks so he was able to attend the installation ceremony. According to Granado-Smith, it was a complete surprise for her son. “We told him that we were going to Grandma’s house and told him he should put his uniform on for her to see,” she explained. “He’s not one to show emotion so when he saw his banner for the first time I looked right at him. You could see the emotion in his face,” Granado-Smith shared. Most of his family and friends were also there for support. She added, “I was so glad his godparents were able to be there. It was such a special day.” The location of Granado’s banner is sentimental to Granado and his family. According to Granado-Smith, the banner is located on the northwest corner of Rancho Avenue and Laurel Street, by his grandmother’s house. “(John) spent his early years and most of his childhood there. It was where he was brought up - the perfect spot,” she said.