American Legion Beaufort Post 207 brings you Erik Blechinger, 61, who was a cadet in the Army ROTC unit at the University of Wisconsin – Madison from 1982 to 1987, when he graduated with a civil engineering degree and was commissioned in the Army Corps of Engineers (COE). He attended the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort Belvoir, Va., before being assigned to a Combat Engineer unit at Uijeongbu, South Korea. He was next assigned as a General’s aide at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., before attending the Engineer Officer Advance Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
From 1990 through 1994 he served with the 84th Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. In 1994, he returned to Fort Leavenworth to work in Weapons Systems and Operations Development. From 1995 to 1997, he attended the graduate school at the University of Kansas, earning a Masters in Civil Engineering Degree. He was next assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers in San Francisco as Deputy District Commander, working extensively on navigation project for the Bay. He then returned to Fort Leavenworth to work with combat developments for engineers.
In 2001 he transferred to the Army Reserves but continued to work with the COE as a civil servant at the Command and General Staff College. In 2007, he was recalled to active duty and sent to Bagdad, Iraq assigned to the Multinational Security Transition Unit there providing construction for all the security forces; he was awarded a Bronze Star for that duty. He later used the GI Bill to earn a Master of Brewing Science and Operations degree.
In 2010, he retired from the Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel with 23 years of service, transferred with the COE to the Savannah office and moved to Beaufort County. He retired from the Civil Service in 2024 as Deputy District Engineer with a total of 37 years of military and civilian service with the COE. All of those eight years of post-high school formal education were paid for by the military.
Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 207. For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.