CHEBOYGAN -- Matt Blaskowski's second tour of duty in Afghanistan ended suddenly, tragically, making him the second soldier from Cheboygan County to die this year in U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
Blaskowski, 27, was shot and killed Sunday morning in Afghanistan, family members said. He was a sergeant and squad leader in the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade.
"We're mad and we're sad and we're tired," said Shirley Blaskowski of Cheboygan, his grandmother. "He was very proud of what he was doing, but we didn't want to lose him. He was very brave and very strong -- maybe too brave."
Blaskowski's death means Cheboygan County will play host to a second military funeral in seven months. U.S. Army Pfc. Justin Paton, 24, died in Iraq in February.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be made for Blaskowski, who graduated from Cheboygan Area High School in 1998 and quickly enlisted in the military.
"He loved fishing. He loved hunting. He loved motorcycles. He played football in high school. He was great," Shirley Blaskowski said.
She said military officials informed family members about her grandson's death on Sunday night, making him the second person in her family lost to military combat. Richard Blaskowski, Matt's second cousin, was killed in 1970 during the war in Vietnam, she said.
"I didn't think history would repeat itself," Shirley Blaskowski said.
Matt Blaskowski was interviewed by the Record-Eagle two summers ago during a 10-day leave at home, after he was shot in the right leg during a fierce fire fight in which he pulled another wounded soldier to safety. Anyone else would have done the same, he said then, and then blushed when his mother called him a hero.
Blaskowski also talked about the harsh terrain in Afghanistan and the daily struggles of soldiers on the ground, including frequent hostile fire during the search for Osama bin Laden.
"It has to get worse before it gets better in any war. I think we've reached that point in Afghanistan," he said in June 2005 from his parents' home near Levering.
Blaskowski also talked about buying a diamond ring for his Italian girlfriend, Daniela, whom he married in June last year. His parents, Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski, could not be reached on Monday.
"It's a sad day because we lost someone who always had a smile and always tried to do the right thing," said Ed Jeannotte, Matt's teacher from all four years of high school. "He never seemed to have a bad day."
Jeannotte said it may nearly be a decade since Blaskowski attended classes at CAHS, but he left a strong impression and is fondly remembered there among the staff members.
Jeff Katke, Cheboygan County veteran's affairs counselor, said that office offers counseling to family members of killed soldiers and also helps process paperwork for death benefits.
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