When Joseph M. Blickenstaff started struggling in high school, he turned to the Army to find discipline in his life.
"He was missing a lot of school, and he needed somebody to put an arm around him," said his former teacher, Jim Phillips. "I think the military was the right choice for him. He was just one of those quiet boys who was looking for direction."
Spc. Blickenstaff, 23, of Corvallis, Ore., died Dec. 8, 2003, when his Stryker combat vehicle tumbled off a dirt road in central Iraq and landed upside down in an irrigation canal. He was based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Teachers remembered Blickenstaff as quiet and well liked, although he missed enough school days to land in a program for at-risk teens, Phillips said.
Blickenstaff "was proud to protect our freedoms and died helping to create them for others he will never meet. He will always be our hero," his family said in a statement.
"He was missing a lot of school, and he needed somebody to put an arm around him," said his former teacher, Jim Phillips. "I think the military was the right choice for him. He was just one of those quiet boys who was looking for direction."
Spc. Blickenstaff, 23, of Corvallis, Ore., died Dec. 8, 2003, when his Stryker combat vehicle tumbled off a dirt road in central Iraq and landed upside down in an irrigation canal. He was based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Teachers remembered Blickenstaff as quiet and well liked, although he missed enough school days to land in a program for at-risk teens, Phillips said.
Blickenstaff "was proud to protect our freedoms and died helping to create them for others he will never meet. He will always be our hero," his family said in a statement.
When Joseph M. Blickenstaff started struggling in high school, he turned to the Army to find discipline in his life.
"He was missing a lot of school, and he needed somebody to put an arm around him," said his former teacher, Jim Phillips. "I think the military was the right choice for him. He was just one of those quiet boys who was looking for direction."
Spc. Blickenstaff, 23, of Corvallis, Ore., died Dec. 8, 2003, when his Stryker combat vehicle tumbled off a dirt road in central Iraq and landed upside down in an irrigation canal. He was based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Teachers remembered Blickenstaff as quiet and well liked, although he missed enough school days to land in a program for at-risk teens, Phillips said.
Blickenstaff "was proud to protect our freedoms and died helping to create them for others he will never meet. He will always be our hero," his family said in a statement.
"He was missing a lot of school, and he needed somebody to put an arm around him," said his former teacher, Jim Phillips. "I think the military was the right choice for him. He was just one of those quiet boys who was looking for direction."
Spc. Blickenstaff, 23, of Corvallis, Ore., died Dec. 8, 2003, when his Stryker combat vehicle tumbled off a dirt road in central Iraq and landed upside down in an irrigation canal. He was based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Teachers remembered Blickenstaff as quiet and well liked, although he missed enough school days to land in a program for at-risk teens, Phillips said.
Blickenstaff "was proud to protect our freedoms and died helping to create them for others he will never meet. He will always be our hero," his family said in a statement.
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