Alan R. Blohm dies of injuries from I.E.D.

When U.S. Army Pfc. Alan Blohm called home on Christmas Eve and talked to his brother, Jeremy, he had some exciting news.

''He and some of the other soldiers had just gotten to move into a bigger tent,'' said Jeremy, 26, of his brother's accommodations while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. ''He was happy that he got to sleep in a real bed and said they had three big TVs.''

The happiness was short-lived. Alan Blohm, 21, of Kawkawlin, died on New Year's Eve, his family said. He becomes the 48th member of the armed services with ties to Michigan to die in Iraq in 2006.

The family received the news on Sunday, although the military has not confirmed the death through the media.

''A plain car pulled up (into the Blohm family's driveway on Fraser Road) and four men in uniform got out,'' Blohm said. ''My mom knew right away what it was.''

Jeremy Blohm said Army officials informed the family that Alan Blohm died on New Year's Eve from injuries sustained in an explosion near Baghdad.

Besides his brother, Blohm is survived by his parents, Chris and Denise, and a sister, Kiana, an eighth-grader at St. Bartholomew Lutheran School in Beaver Township. Alan Blohm also attended St. Bart's before attending Bay City Western High School.

Blohm, who tipped the scales at 250 pounds, earned the nicknamed ''Biggins Blohm'' from Jim Eurick, Western's football coach, Jeremy recalled. Alan Blohm played defense and wore

No. 77.

''He loved football,'' Jeremy Blohm said.

Mark Boileau, principal of St. Bartholomew Lutheran School, recalled Blohm as a ''likeable kid'' and leader at the school.

''I know he paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life,'' Boileau said. ''While at our school, he learned about his savior, Jesus, who also gave up his life - for all mankind. We know Alan will be in a better place because of the sacrifice he made, because of his love for our country.''

Boileau said pastor Fred Zimmerman was on campus to counsel pupils regarding the loss.

Alan Blohm graduated from Western High School in 2004. In a Bay City Times article that year on student views on privacy and rights, Blohm declared that ''The First Amendment is what makes this country great.''

Blohm joined the service two years ago, receiving basic training in Alaska at Fort Richardson.

''He wanted to serve the country,'' Blohm said. ''His grandfather had been in the Army, and it's just something he wanted to do.''

He'd deployed to Baghdad three months ago, his brother said.

Jeremy Blohm was with his parents and other family and friends on Tuesday at their Kawkawlin home, awaiting a visit from Army personnel who were to provide more details regarding Blohm's death and transportation of the body for funeral services and burial.

From the Contra Costa Times