To complex solution.

You will need just to write some server side logic when sort is performed. Just read what we pass as parameters when we do sort.

Regards

                           complete: function (xhr, stat) {
	                        if (stat == "success") {
	                            var data = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText);
	                            $("#list").jqGrid('setGridParam', { datatype: 'jsonstring', datastr: data });
	                            $("#list").trigger('reloadGrid');
	                        }
	                    }

and it seems to work. I just hope this is the correct method of doing this.

        $("#list").jqGrid({
                url: 'FileServices/GetList/JSA',
                datatype: function (postdata) {
                    $.ajax({
                        type: "GET",
                        contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8″,
                        dataType: "json",
                        data: postdata,
                        url: "FileServices/GetList/JSA",
                        complete: function (xhr, stat) {
                            if (stat == "success") {
                                var jsonObject = (eval("(" + xhr.responseText + ")"));
                                $('#list')[0].addJSONData(JSON.parse(jsonObject));
                            }
                        }
                    });
                },
                jsonReader: { root: "rows", page: "page", total: "total",
                    records: "records", repeatitems: true, cell: "cell", id: "id" },
                colNames: ['Id', 'Number', 'Facility', 'Department', 'Category', 'Job Title'],
                colModel: [
                  { name: 'Id', index: 'Id', width: 55 },
                  { name: 'Number', index: 'Number', width: 90 },
                  { name: 'Facility', index: 'Facility', width: 80 },
                  { name: 'Department', index: 'Department', width: 80 },
                  { name: 'Category', index: 'Category', width: 80 },
                  { name: 'Job_Title', index: 'Job_Title', width: 150, sortable: false }
                ],
                pager: '#pager',
                rowNum: 10,
                rowList: [10, 20, 30],
                sortname: 'Id',
                height: 'auto',
                sortorder: 'desc',
                viewrecords: true,
                gridview: true,
                caption: 'My first grid'
            }).navGrid("#pager");

When I try to click on a column to sort, it doesn't work.  I read that you need the reloadGrid trigger added but I'm not sure what that would go.  I tried it in a couple of places and that seemed to send the grid in some crazy infinite loop or something.

Now using the code below, the data loads fine and the sorting works great.  But the data call is done outside of the main call.  I like the idea of having everything in the single call (like above).

       $("#list").jqGrid({
                url: 'FileServices/GetList/JSA',
                datatype: 'jsonstring',
                jsonReader: { root: "rows", page: "page", total: "total", records: "records", repeatitems: true, cell: "cell",  id: "id" },
                mtype: 'GET',
                colNames: ['Id', 'Number', 'Facility', 'Department', 'Category', 'JobTitle'],
                colModel: [
                  { name: 'Id', index: 'Id', width: 55 },
                  { name: 'Number', index: 'Number', width: 90 },
                  { name: 'Facility', index: 'Facility', width: 80 },
                  { name: 'Department', index: 'Department', width: 80 },
                  { name: 'Category', index: 'Category', width: 80 },
                  { name: 'Job_Title', index: 'Job_Title', width: 150, sortable: false }
                ],
                pager: '#pager',
                rowNum: 10,
                rowList: [10, 20, 30],
                sortname: 'Id',
                height: 'auto',
                sortorder: 'desc',
                viewrecords: true,
                gridview: true,
                caption: 'My first grid'
            }).navGrid("#pager″);

            $("#list").clearGridData();

            $.ajax({
                type: "GET",
                contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8″,
                dataType: "json",
                data: null,
                url: "FileServices/GetList/JSA",
                complete: function (xhr, status) {
                    var data = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText);
                    $("#list").jqGrid('setGridParam', { datatype: 'jsonstring', datastr: data });
                    $("#list").trigger('reloadGrid');
                }
            });

Does anything stand out to what I'm missing? 

Thank you very much!