Photo By Ashley Roy | Donnie and Janice Schauwecker, parents to Staff Sgt. Richard Blakley, and Lt. Col....... read more read more
EDINBURGH, Ind. - The Medical Simulation Training Center at Atterbury-Muscatatuck near Edinburgh, Ind., was dedicated in memory of Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley, during a ceremony commemorating his service May 1.
Blakley, an Indiana National Guard soldier, was killed in Iraq on June 6, 2006, by a sniper during his deployment with the 738th Area Support Medical Company out of Monticello, Ind.
A bronze plaque bearing Blakley’s image and an inscription of his accomplishments was unveiled during the ceremony, formally declaring the simulation complex as the Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley Medical Simulation Training Center. The plaque is to be displayed in the foyer of the MSTC as an inspiration to soldiers training there.
“He continued to be what every medic hopes to be, until he paid the ultimate price so that others would not have to,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Fodrie, former technical oversight for the MSTC.
During the ceremony Blakley’s family and fellow soldiers shared memories of him and stories of his service with the attendees.
A service member for 17 years, Blakley was a veteran of Desert Storm and had returned from serving in Afghanistan six months prior to his mobilization with the 738th, said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Williams, former commander of the 738th Area Support Medical Company.
While many members of the 738th worked a mission inside the wire, Blakley was one in a handful of soldiers to be relocated to an isolated Iraqi post, working with the Iraqi people in close proximity.
Blakley was always willing to go into danger, not for any personal glory, but out of a sense of duty and compassion, said Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Adjutant General of Indiana.
Just weeks before his death, Blakley was presented with a purple heart by former Gov. Mitch Daniels after being shot through his shoulder by a sniper. Blakley insisted on returning to his team and active duty the same day he received the injury.
When asked if he wanted to be reassigned to a mission inside the wire, Blakley said, “No. I’m needed out there. I really feel like I’m making a difference,” said Umbarger.
“He continued to return to the field of battle to save every life he could. To give back a mother, a father, a son, a daughter to a family that would have been devastated without his efforts,” said Fodrie.
Even the Iraqis with whom Blakley served were hurt by his loss. Donnie Schauwecker, Blakley’s stepfather, read a letter written by Blakley’s favorite interpreter; a man referred to only as Joe.
“There are Iraqi children, Iraqi adults and Iraqi soldiers, as well as his fellow soldiers, that will always remember the big-hearted Staff Sgt. Blakley, just as we will,” read the letter. “He was always ready to help anyone, soldiers and civilians alike.”
Many of the people in attendance spoke of Blakley’s dedication to helping others and his loyalty to his fellow soldiers and the Iraqi people.
Umbarger recalled speaking to Blakley’s commander when informed of his passing. “His commander in Iraq told me as we talked that he [Blakley] loved doing his job. He was respected and looked up to by all those he served. The Iraqi soldiers and people for whom he provided medical support really trusted him.”
Many soldiers from 738th, who served with Blakley, attended the dedication as well.
“We were fortunate that we were able to be part of Staff. Sgt. Blakley’s life. When Staff Sgt. Blakley put on the uniform, he was nothing but a soldier; an NCO in every sense of the word. Being a soldier truly mattered to him,” said Williams.
Umbarger said he was honored to be naming these buildings for a man like Blakley. The MSTC at Atterbury-Muscatatuck was the 18th constructed in the nation, and only the second to be built on a National Guard post. Since the first class was conducted in February 2011, almost 5,000 soldiers have trained at the Medical Simulation Training Center.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2013 09:16 |
| Story ID: | 106206 |
| Location: | EDINBURGH, IN, US |
| Hometown: | AVON, IN, US |
| Hometown: | INDIANAPOLIS, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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