James Alex Capt. Funkhouser, Jr.

Alex was the Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander for 1-12 IN, 4th Infantry Division as well as a part of the 4BCT, a team that trained the Iraqi Army. He, his Iraqi interpreter and 2 CBS reporters were killed when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive devise detonated near his HMMWV during a reconnaissance operation. Alex is survived by his wife, Jennifer; daughters, Kaitlyn and Allison of Killeen, TX; parents, COL Ret. and Mrs. James Jim Alexander Funkhouser, Sr., of Livingston, TX; grandmother, Oneita Funkhouser, of Albuquerque, NM; parents-in-law, Henry and Rosemary Garza, of New Braunfels, TX and numerous extended family members, friends and fellow Soldiers. Alex was born in Okinawa, Japan on February 12, 1971 where he lived for the first two years of his life.

He and his family moved to California and finally to Katy, TX. He graduated high school from Robert E. Taylor in 1989 and attended Stephen F. Austin State University for two years before joining the Army.

In 1991 he enlisted in the Army as a 19K Armor Crewman. During his enlistment, Alex was stationed in Friedburg, Germany, Camp Casey, Korea, Fort Bliss, TX and Fort Carson, CO before being released from active duty as a Staff Sergeant to participate in the Green to Gold Program at Southwest Texas State University now Texas State University in San Marcos, TX.

While in the ROTC program at the university, Alex attended Airborne School and was awarded a General Abrams/USAA scholarship.

Alex graduated from college in August 1999 with a BBA in Management and a minor in Military Science and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army.

He and Jennifer Garza married on May 20, 2000 in New Braunfels, TX. CPT Funkhouser's next six years took him and his family to Vilseck, Germany, Fort Knox, KY, Fort Polk, LA and finally to Fort Hood, TX where he then deployed with his unit to Baghdad, Iraq in early December 2005.

Besides being a Soldier, Alex was a devoted family man who loved spending time with his wife and his two little girls. He also loved golfing, hunting, barbequing, being with his friends and traveling.

A huge Texas fan, Alex and his family were planning on retiring in New Braunfels after his future retirement from the military.

CPT Funkhouser's military decorations and awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Parachutist Badge.

He is awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart posthumously.