SFC Blaskowski’s Parents Featured on The Front Line

Saturday night, Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski, along with milblogger Leta Carruth, were featured on the internet talk radio show The Front Line, hosted by fellow milblogger Kit Lange. The Blaskowskis talked about their fallen son Matt, and about the homecoming they are trying to plan for Matt’s unit when they return to Italy. You can hear the show here.

Sky Soldiers PFC Justin Kalentis & SPC Jesse Murphree Receive Purple Hearts at WRAMC

On March 28, 2007 at a ceremony held at Walter Reed Army Medical Center two of the Wounded Heroes from the 17r3rd ABCT were presented Purple Hearts. Army Pfc. Justin Kalenits, 24, of Geneva, Ohio 2-503, Chosen Company was one of those Soldiers. I have met Pfc Kalentis. He is a firey young man with a great spirit and an infectious smile.

Justin was wounded at the battle at the Ranch House near Aranus, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on August 22, 2007. I wrote about another of the 25 Sky Soldiers, Sgt Kyle Dirkintis who was in that battle. He, too, was wounded and was awarded the Bronze Star with V Device for his actions that day. On the morning of August 22, 2007 the Sky Soldiers were attacked from all sides by a company size insurgent force. The battle raged on for an estimated three hours. Air support was called in to strafe the areas from which the insurgents were attacking. When the Battle at the Ranch House was over 11 of the 25 Sky Soldiers had sustained wounds but none, thankfully, had been killed.

I have never met Sgt Jesse Murphree but have heard and read many stories about him. Jesse was so severely wounded in an IED attack on December 28,2007 that both of his legs were amputated. In this story you will read that Jesse, an avid snowboarded prior to joining the Army, still has many of the same goals in life with respect to his love of skiing. He’s just altering the methods and his pathways to realize his dreams of competitive skiing. What an inspiration!

You can read more about these great Warriors here, here and here. I don’t think I have to tell anyone who has been reading this blog how much it angers me (because so many Americans either don’t care or are completely ignorant) to read Sgt Murphee’s words from “Afghanistan: It’s a Battle” by John Rutherford“:

Every day we were getting shot at,” he said in an interview after receiving his Purple Heart on Friday. “And you hear about other people in Iraq, they got shot at a couple of times. We’re like, we’ve been shot at every day.

“You start thinking you’re fighting a forgotten war, like no one’s paying attention. I went home on R&R before I got hurt and people were coming up to me, they’re like, at least you’re not in Iraq and stuff, and I was looking at them, and I was like, what? And they’d say, you don’t do, they called it battle, they’re like, you don’t do battle anymore? And I’m like, are you kidding me? Like, yeah, I do,” Spc. Murphree said.

NONE of our Brave Warriors must ever feel forgotten. NONE OF THEM! No, Sgt. Murphree, you and all of the Soldiers, Marines, Airman and Sailors in Afghanistan are NOT and will NOT be forgotten. We think of you, appreciate you and support you EVERY day.

Help Us Welcome Home the 173rd, 2-503 (INF) Airborne Back to Italy in American Style

So many of you have been integral in providing literally TONS and TONS of support to the 2-503 while they are deployed for 15 months to eastern Afghanistan. These Warriors and their fellow Battalions in the Brigade have endured so much and still have a few months to go before they redeploy to Europe. As one last “Thank You” and to stamp our seal of appreciation on their deployment we are planning a Fourth of July “style” welcome home party for the 2-503. Of course there is just one tiny little detail or two…1) They are home based in Vicenza, Italy and have no American community to provide a proper welcome home and 2) We need to raise the funds to send over there for some good old American hot dogs, hamburgers, trimmings and BEER!

There’s more detail in the letter below from Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski but we are just asking everyone to take an envelope to work, church, civic meetings, local base ball games, the bowling alley, local pubs, etc and ask everyone to toss in a dollar or two or five. The drop the envelope in the mail to the address below. Together we CAN do this. And as we all know it’s really the least we can do to thank these Soldiers for all they have given on our behalf.

So now I give you Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski:

Patriotism: “What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times?… (A) sense of national responsibility… a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but a tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” – President Abraham Lincoln

We would like to thank the people of Northern Michigan for their support and encouragement during the difficult period of the past six months since the tragedy of Matthew’s death.

The communities that have shown support have been a real blessing to us and our extended families and friends. Words do NO justice for our gratitude.

In the past, when Matthew left for deployment, the only thing to bring peace in our hearts was to think about his safe return. We know that won’t be happening now. However, Matthew and us have an extended family that reaches far beyond this place.

We recently learned that there are no plans for any welcome home celebrations for the 173^rd, 2-503 Army Airborne Battalion when they return to their home base at Camp Ederle in Vicenza Italy after at least 15 months in Afghanistan, where they lived and fought in horrendous conditions. There is not a local American community in Italy to step up and put on a Heroes welcome for them, as so many would do here in the states. Very few of the soldiers will be returning to family or loved ones there in Italy. By far the majority of soldiers are single, with no family to welcome them back or home support to assist them in transitioning from war and death to peace and recuperation.

Cheryl and I, together with others, have been supporting the 173^rd 2-503 Battalion troops, who continue to endure a tenacious tour of duty in Afghanistan that is not yet over, are asking that you join us in raising funds for a proper WELCOME HOME CELEBRATION when they arrive back in Italy. There will be approximately 2000 troops returning and we believe a GRAND CELEBRATION is well deserved. We would love to have banners flying there to show the support from communities throughout this nation in honor of our Sky Soldiers returning as well in memory of our Sky Angels of the 173^rd Airborne Brigade.

If we all pitch in, it is no great sacrifice for a few. A minimum of $125,000, is a small amount to do so much for so many soldiers when raised by communities all around the U. S. of A.. It is hard to imagine the transition of so many Sky Soldiers who, we are sure, think it is “JUST THEIR JOB”.

Please join us in donating for the WELCOME HOME CELEBRATION for the 173^rd 2-503 SKY SOLDIERS.

Checks can also be made payable to: 173^rd Sky Angels Fund. The funds (100%) will be reserved for that purpose only (Sky Angels are our fallen soldiers of the 173^rd Airborne).

Please mail all checks to: 173^rd Sky Angels Fund

c/o Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski

PO BOX 164

CHEBOYGAN MI 49721

If you have any questions do not hesitate to call us at 231-627-9732, 231-818-2560 or email us at candtb@triton.net .

To read about support that many great Americans have been joining together to provide to these soldiers go to www.tankerbabelc985.vox.com . Leta Carruth (she adopted Matt’s platoon and sent so much support to them) has been a driving force in providing support to our troops in Afghanistan.

With much gratitude,

SFC Matthew Blaskowski - KIA 23 Sept 07 - Fire Base Vegas

Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski and family

Parents of SFC Matthew Blaskowski

Platoon Leader, Battle Company 1^st Platoon

KIA 23 September 2007, FOB Vegas, Afghanistan

Written by Leta Carruth