1st Sgt. John Blair of Calhoun.

This past Wednesday, I was traveling north on Interstate 75 outside of Calhoun Georgia when we noticed that there was no traffic going south. A highway patrol car came over the hill lights flashing but still no other traffic.

Then the first Georgia State Patrol came over the hill, followed by another and another. I don't know how many law enforcement cars there were, perhaps a fifty or more, then there was a large contingent of motorcycle patrolmen, and then the Patriot Guard. I knew then, it was a soldier's funeral we were watching traveling south.

1st Sgt. John Blair was by all accounts a soldier's soldier. He was killed in Afghanistan last week by an RPG.

Traffic on our side of the road were pulling over, some just slowing not knowing what to do. I was proud of my nation, or at least the men and women that day that took the time to honor this man. I found this from the web, but it says a lot about this man.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey issued a statement in in honor of Blair on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Text of Gingrey's remarks:

Madame Speaker, I rise to honor an American hero and patriot who gave his life in defense of our nation while serving with the Georgia National Guard in Afghanistan. First Sergeant John Blair from Calhoun, Georgia and my 11th Congressional District was killed in action on June 20, 2009, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle during an hour and a half long firefight with enemy forces after the convoy which he was leading was ambushed.

Eye-witness accounts from soldiers serving alongside Sergeant Blair credit his actions with saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers during the ambush, and as a credit to his leadership, his men kept their cool and did their jobs, even after their commanding officer fell. Blair has been described as a true leader – both for the American troops who served with him, as well as for the 1st Brigade of the Afghan National Army’s 203rd Corps who he was in charge of mentoring. I want to quote a couple of lines that were written about Sergeant Blair in the military publication, Stars and Stripes: “Blair was their leader. He was tough, unrelenting. He cursed and reprimanded and gained not just their respect, but their fondness during the months of training for their deployment in Afghanistan. He could be harsh, but was fair and imparted to his men a sense of their potential.”

So, why do I rewrite this? USA Cares has been here for six years now, helping military families, and it is easy sometimes get caught up in the day to day work we do, but then when you see first hand the courage and the sacrifice, well I just thought it should be observed for what it is, a tribute to another fallen soldier.

Roger

If you would like to know more about the 1SG, visit this site: http://www.calhountimes.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Long+processional+follows+body+of+fallen+Calhoun+soldier+from+airport%20&id=2852958