
Command Sgt. Maj. James Blankenbecler is the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to be killed in hostile fire in the war in Iraq, Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd said.
Blankenbecler was born in Arlington, Va., and attended the old Groveton High School in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. He was interested in sports and played quarterback on the varsity football team. He joined the Army in 1983 and his career included service in Operation Desert Storm and at Fort Belvoir in the Army Personnel Command.
— Associated Press
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