Family of Fort Bragg soldier killed in Iraq plan scholarship fund

AP ^ | 1/3/04 | LEONARDO ALDRIDGE

[Valin]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The parents of a North Carolina-based soldier killed in Iraq said Saturday that they plan to start a scholarship fund for Puerto Rican students in his name at the Texas university he attended.
Army Capt. Ernesto M. Blanco, 28, was killed last Sunday when an explosive device struck the vehicle in which he was riding.

His father, Jose Blanco, said by telephone from San Antonio, Texas, that he will donate a substantial sum, which he didn't specify, to Texas A&M University to set up the fund and then hopes to draw additional donations from businesses.
"It's to honor his memory, Blanco said. "He was an exceptional son and I always supported him in what he wanted."

The soldier was the 12th of Puerto Rican descent to be killed in Iraq. Before joining the Army he served in the Reserve Officer Training Corps while studying animal science at the university in College Station, Texas.
He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and his father said Blanco then moved to Puerto Rico with the family when he was 1. He remained until he was 15, when he moved with his family to Texas.
Blanco's father said his son returned to the U.S. territory to visit relatives but that he had closer ties to Texas, where he spent most of his time since leaving the Caribbean island.

Blanco joined the Army in April 1999 and became part of the 82nd Airborne Division in March 2001. He won a Bronze Star and his Combat Infantryman Badge while deployed to Afghanistan last year.
Blanco, who left for Iraq in September, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was the leader for the support and transportation platoon, which is responsible for supplying and transporting the battalion's soldiers.
Blanco was engaged to Michelle Sorrell and the two had planned a wedding in June.
His burial was expected in the coming week in San Antonio.

[Valin]

PING!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you, Valin. Y
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Posted on Tue, Dec. 30, 2003

Army captain from San Antonio killed in Iraq
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - Army Capt. Ernesto M. Blanco picked up a guitar for the first time at the young age of eight months. When a family friend saw footage on a cable channel of the soldier playing a guitar in Iraq on Christmas Day, they were comforted to know he was doing what he loved.

Blanco, 28 of San Antonio was killed Sunday while conducting a support mission in Qaryat Ash Shababi in Iraq, the military announced Tuesday. He died when an explosive device struck the vehicle in which he was riding.                                      

"He played the guitar and sang beautifully," his sister Carmen    Blanco-Pendergraff told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "When he would play everyone would just stop. I'm glad to know he got to play in his last days."

Blanco joined the Army in April 1999 and became part of the 82nd Airborne Division in March 2001 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in animal science. He won a Bronze Star and his Combat Infantryman Badge while deployed to Afghanistan last year.

Those who served with Blanco said he was a well-respected officer who got the job done.

"You could not ask for a better leader," Sgt. 1st Class Naamon J. Grimmett told The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer on Tuesday. Grimmett served with Blanco in Iraq. "His soldiers looked up to him. Everybody liked to work with him."

His sister called him her best friend. She said he had a strong faith in God and did mission work in Mexico and volunteered at church camps.

"Ernie was an incredible guy," she said. "He was happy. He laughed a lot. He would walk into a room and light it up. He was the glue that held everyone together."

Blanco, who left for Iraq in September, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was the leader for the support and transportation platoon, which is responsible for supplying and transporting the battalion's soldiers.

Blanco is the first officer from the 82nd killed in Iraq and the 20th paratrooper killed from the division.

"He wanted to fight for his people," Blanco-Pendergraff said. "He believed so strongly in making a difference in the world."

He was born in Hartford, Conn. but grew up in Texas, said Master Sgt. Pam Smith, an 82nd Airborne Division spokeswoman.

Three other soldiers suffered non-life threatening injuries in the attack, the military said.

Blanco, a 1993 graduate of San Antonio's Churchill High, was engaged to Michelle Sorrell. The two last spoke on Christmas Day. They had planned a June wedding.

His mother resides in San Antonio. His father, Jose Blanco, lives in the Dallas suburb of Frisco.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/7601550.htm      

1-504th PIR, Red Devils 

 

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      Capt. Ernesto M. Blanco