About A Hero's Welcome

In the spring of 2008, filmmaker and entrepreuner, Michael J. Brown, met with the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Board for a standard business meeting. The city's annual Medal of Honor celebration was mentioned as it was coming up in less than a week. Michael agreed to round up his team, grab some cameras, and film the week's happenings.

Over ten Medal of Honor recipients showed up for the festivities of remembrance and honor, and Michael and his crew documented it all. After reviewing the footage, Michael knew he had something special. Before him was the only visual documentation of these surviving Medal of Honor recipients. Additionally, Michael had met and filmed John Finn, the oldest surviving Medal of Honor recipient at the time of filming.

So, Michael hired Emmy Award winning director, Javier Sanchez, to direct the film. Over the next few months, Michael, Javier, and his team shot more interviews and returned to Gainesville many times. During this period, Michael also sent his filmmakers out to East San Diego County, the home of John Finn. There, they filmed exclusive interviews with the Medal of Honor recipient. Mr. Finn turns 100 years old in 2009 and received his Medal from his service at Pearl Harbor at the start of World War II.

The film's message is one of honor, remembrance, and pride. The film documents nearly a dozen Medal of Honor recipients and the average Americans who stood up to remember them. The filmmakers couldn't be more pleased than to have been part of such an experience. After almost a year's worth of work, the A Hero's Welcome will be completed in February of 2009. It will premiere as the closing night centerpiece of the 2009 Medal of Honor ceremonies in Gainesville, TX on April 4th.