Alan Blohm remembered

As the family of Alan Blohm prepares to bury their fallen soldier, the Kawkawlin native's former football coach recalls Blohm as a ''gentle giant'' who was proud to be serving his country.

''Alan was the biggest boy on the team, the strongest boy, and yet he had the heart of a lamb,'' said Bay City Western High School football coach and Athletic Director Jim Eurick. ''He was just a wonderful kid to coach, and a great kid for all of our players to be around.''

U.S. Army Pfc. Alan R. Blohm, 21, a 2004 Western High graduate, died Dec. 31 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while he was on combat patrol, the Department of Defense announced. Blohm was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Blohm is survived by his parents, Christopher and Denise Blohm of Kawkawlin, his older brother, Jeremy, and a younger sister, Kiana.

Blohm's funeral will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church, Kawkawlin. Visitation will be today and Tuesday from 1-9 p.m. at Rivertown Funeral Chapel, Kawkawlin.

A memorial service is also planned at Fort Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, at a yet-to-be-determined date.

Eurick said he was ''stunned'' by the news last week that Blohm was the first Western grad to have died in the Iraq war. He recalled Blohm's toughness and tenderness.

''He didn't bully anyone, which he could have done, because he was just a rock,'' Eurick said. ''He could have taken advantage of his strength and size, but he didn't.''

''Nobody could block him,'' Eurick said of the 250-pound defensive tackle. ''Everybody tried. They'd try cheap shots to take his knees out, and he'd just pick them up and say 'That isn't going to work.'''

Eurick said Blohm came to visit him the day before he left for Iraq.

''One of his ambitions was to be a military police officer,'' Eurick said. ''He was so proud when he came in, and we talked. He just felt very comfortable and proud to be in the military.''

Blohm is also survived by grandparents Alan and Leona Blohm and Chet Vennix, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.

From the City Times

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