Inland soldier killed in Iraq

10:00 PM PDT on Friday, April 14, 2006

Cpl. Joseph Anthony Blanco, 25, of Bloomington, was killed in a firefight in Taji, Iraq, Tuesday.

Special to The Press-Enterprise

Joseph Anthony Blanco, of Bloomington, had planned to attend college after the Army, and was considering a career in law enforcement. He was killed Tuesday.

Blanco had been in the U.S. Army three years, his brother-in-law Perry Davis said Friday by telephone.

Blanco grew up in Bloomington and graduated from Bloomington High School, Davis said. He had planned on attending college when he got out of the army and was considering a career in law enforcement.

Blanco's hobbies included physical fitness, including weightlifting and martial arts. He had earned the rank of black belt in Hap Ki Do at a studio in Fontana. He also taught young students there.

Blanco was not married and had no children.

--David Raclin

draclin@PE.com

© 2006, The Press-Enterprise Company

For father, a grim acceptance

INLAND: His 25-year-old son is killed in Iraq three years after enlisting to get help with school fees.

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, April 15, 2006

By MASSIEL LADRÓN DE GUEVARA and CADONNA PEYTON

The Press-Enterprise

The joyful laugh of Joseph Anthony Blanco could often be heard throughout his Banning home.

That laugher is what his father, Jose Blanco, says he will miss the most.

Cpl. Joseph Anthony Blanco, 25, of Bloomington, was killed in a firefight in Taji, Iraq, along with two other soldiers Tuesday, said Maj. John Clearwater of the Nation Training Center at Fort Irwin.

Cpl. Blanco's stay in the U.S. Army was extended in March, the month he was due to get out after three years of service. He was serving his second tour in Iraq, helping to train the Iraqi army, his father said.

Jose Blanco said his son enlisted to get help paying for school because he wanted to study either art or computers, in case a career in law enforcement didn't work out.

"He would always say that if he could help the community he would do it because he wanted to keep everyone safe and wanted to use his martial arts training to stop criminals instead of having to use a gun," Blanco said.

During both tours, Cpl. Blanco would teach fellow soldiers how to defend themselves using Hap Ki Do, in which he had obtained the rank of black belt.

Jose Blanco said his family, including his wife and three children, are preparing themselves emotionally for the return of Cpl Blanco's body.

"Children are supposed to bury the old and in this case the opposite is happening and that is what has me full of pain," Jose Blanco said.

"I feel bad for the condition in which he died, but we as a family must give each other strength because the worst is yet to come."

He added that the family's 7-year-old neighbor took his son's death hard as well. The younger Blanco always made time to play cars with the neighbor in the back yard.

"My son had the soul of a child, he was always so happy and full of life," Jose Blanco said.

Reach Massiel Ladrón De Guevara at (909) 806-3054 or mdeguevara@PE.com. Reach Cadonna Peyton at (909) 806-3053 or cpeyton@PE.com

© 2006, The Press-Enterprise Company

Bloomington family mourns loss in Iraq

Leonor Vivanco, Staff Writer

BLOOMINGTON - Candy Blanco was getting ready to bake cookies to send in a care package to her younger brother in Iraq when she received the news.

She said she dropped the phone when she heard the most feared and dreaded news from her mother about her brother's second tour in Iraq.

Sgt. Joseph A. Blanco, 25, died of injuries received in Taji, Iraq, on April 11 with two other soldiers when an explosive device detonated near their Bradley Fighting Vehicle and they came under small arms fire, according to a U.S. Defense Department news release.

All in their 20s, they were assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

"When we first found out, we all took it so hard," Candy Blanco said. "I couldn't believe it."

Her brother, the second oldest among four siblings in a tightly knit family, enlisted in the Army in 2003. His family was heartbroken when they found out he was being deployed to Iraq in July 2003 for seven months.

His mother, Ceferina, constantly worried about him and suffered a heart attack in 2004.

The last time the sergeant came home to Bloomington was a few weeks before Thanksgiving. The family celebrated the holidays with a turkey dinner one night and tamales another night.

When home, he often doted on his 4-year-old nephew, Derek.

"He was a really good person, kind hearted. He loved to play with kids," his sister said.

The sergeant and Derek, were inseparable.

"Anytime he would write to us in letters or e-mails or call us, the very first thing to come out his mouth was, 'How's Derek doing? Send me pictures of him. Tell me about him and things he's done,' " the soldier's sister said.

Sgt. Blanco went back again to Iraq in December and was supposed to return home in March but his stay was extended.

The last time the family saw him was March 5 on a video feed over the Internet.

He always ended his letters or conversations with "Miss you."

Looking back, his sister said, there were signs he was interested in the military. He often played with G.I. Joe action figures and drew tanks when he was younger and as a student at Bloomington High School.

"He really did believe the war was for a good cause," his sister said. "He told us, 'I'm going there because I'm fighting for your freedom.' "

He wanted to go to college and pursue a career in law enforcement after leaving the military.

The brothers and sisters grew closer as they got older and each sibling developed a bond with Joseph.

His sister said she loved watching movies with him.

"We were both movie freaks," she said.

"I don't know how many times he made us watch Bruce Lee and Steven Seagal movies," she said.

The sergeant loved anything that had to do with martial arts, she said. He was working on his second black belt in Hap Ki Do.

Her brother, Christopher, shared that same passion. His sister, Jamie, often partnered with him in family board games.

Sgt. Blanco will be remembered for his boisterous laugh, Candy Blanco said.

"He had a funny laugh," she said.

"When he laughed, everybody would hear. My mom would be in the living room and he'd be in the bedroom with his doors closed and she could hear him."

Joseph Blanco is survived by his father, Jose Antonio; mother, Ceferina; sisters Candy and Jamie; and a brother, Christopher.

Funeral arrangements were pending.

Copyright © 2006 Los Angeles Newspaper Group

From the Los Angeles Times
MILITARY DEATHS
Army Sgt. Joseph Blanco, 25, Bloomington; Among 3 Killed by Roadside Bomb
By Steve Hymon
Times Staff Writer

April 30, 2006

At first, Joseph Blanco's family was surprised when he announced in 2003 that he was joining the Army. And then, the more they thought about it, the more it made sense.

He had always been interested in the military, from the time he owned a GI Joe as a child. He drew tanks, loved karate movies and for years prepared himself physically to be a soldier.

"This is what he wanted to do," said his older sister, Candy. "Not that he wanted to do it forever, but he wanted it to be part of his life."

Army Sgt. Joseph Blanco, 25, of Bloomington, Calif., was among three soldiers killed April 11 when a roadside bomb detonated near their Bradley fighting vehicle and they were then attacked with small-arms fire in Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense. Also killed were Spc. James F. Costello III, 27, of St. Louis and Pfc. George R. Roehl Jr., 21, of Manchester, N.H.

All three soldiers were assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Blanco was born in Los Angeles, but while he was still young his family moved to Bloomington in San Bernardino County for the quieter life it offered.

The Blancos were among the first Latinos in their new neighborhood, but that didn't deter Joseph, who learned to fit in, his sister said.

Blanco graduated from Bloomington High School in 1998 and then took a job at a book warehouse. He also began preparing himself for what he really wanted: several years in the military followed by a career in law enforcement.

He began weightlifting and in 2000 started training in hapkido, a Korean discipline of martial arts. In 2003, he earned his black belt.

"He just showed up one day and watched and liked what he saw, and fell in love with it," said his instructor, Jada Sanchez, the owner of Kim's Hapkido Karate in Fontana. "He passed his black belt test and left for boot camp the following week. I was really glad it was something he could achieve before he left."

Blanco shipped out to Iraq later that year for his first deployment and returned seven months later. Then, late last year, he learned that he was being redeployed to Iraq and wouldn't be coming home this spring, as he had planned.

He managed to visit home in November.

"It was just before Thanksgiving, and we knew he wouldn't be here for Christmas, when we usually have tamales," his sister said. "So one weekend we had the tamales and then I made him turkey — so we were able to give him Thanksgiving and Christmas."

Still, he was able to send e-mails to his family every few days, and March 5 he was able to teleconference with them via a computer — he could see and hear his family but they couldn't see him.

"I put my son up there and he was like, 'Oh, my God, he's gotten so big,' and he said my daughter looked just like me," his sister said. "It was the last time we talked to him."

Blanco's younger sister, Jamie, said: "We grew up very close, because we didn't have a lot of outside family, and so it was just us. He was a good guy, always positive, always in a good mood. He was a very determined person, and whatever he put his mind to he would accomplish."

Said his father, Jose Antonio Blanco: "I have received a lot of calls and mail from other soldiers who knew my son, and they've said that he was both a good friend and a good soldier."

Joseph Blanco was buried Tuesday at Riverside National Cemetery.

In addition to his father and sisters, he is survived by his mother, Cerefina; and a brother, Christopher.

Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times

To the Blanco family, Please forgive me for not sending this to you MUCH earlier. Our son was in the Bradley with Joseph, and I know for a fact they were close buddies. When we received his journal, he mentioned Joseph often, especially about the "Rondo game". They all seemed to enjoy that game, and now I figure it is because he loved playing games! Don't know if you were aware that our guys were featured on Good Morning America, interviewing SSgt Paau. I still have the url, so if you would like to view, feel free to e-mail me at: Riethetree@aol.com. Hoping 2007 gives us more peace! Sincerely, Jim and Marie Costello

help children! if you search for Computer Virus and any thing SEARCH FOR HELP all incomes will go for the needs of children.email this and say to your friends! Thanks