J.P. Blecksmith, a San Marino resident who gave his life in battle during Operation Iraqi Freedom II in Fallouja, Iraq, as a member of the U.S. Marines, was honored recently by the Martin Severance Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution with a wreath-laying ceremony. Blecksmith is interred at San Gabriel Cemetery.
Martin Severance Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution laid a wreath at the gravesite of J.P. Blecksmith, who gave his life in Fallouja on Nov. 11, 2004.
“The stated purpose of a DAR wreath-laying ceremony is to lay a wreath at the grave of a patriot who gave his or her life for the preservation of our freedoms and our future,” it was said at the ceremony. It was the first such ceremony in the history of the Martin Severance Chapter and was attended by approximately 60 people.
Blecksmith attended Carver Elementary and Huntington Middle School before enrolling at Flintridge Prep, where he graduated in 1999. A National Honor Society student and gifted athlete, Blecksmith received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, graduating in 2003. He accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marines where he was assigned to the 3rd battalion, 5th Marine regiment of the first Marine division and commanded the 3rd platoon of India Company. The battalion was deployed to Iraq on Sept. 10, 2004. Blecksmith died on Nov. 11, 2004, when he was killed in action by a sniper’s bullet during Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq. He was 24 years old.
The Tribune annually co-sponsors the annual J.P. Blecksmith Memorial 5K Walk & Run on July 4. The event benefits the J.P. Blecksmith Leadership Foundation at Flintridge Prep and the USC Marshall School of Business Masters of Business for Veterans program, a fully accredited one-year graduate degree created specifically for military veterans, those on active duty and reserve personnel.
Several members of DAR took part in the ceremony, including Phyllis Lynes, Leslie McClure, Grace Van Orden, Carole Curran, Susan Haigh and Susan Broderick, who is the grandmother of an active Marine. Caitlin Curran, a junior member of the chapter, played a stirring rendition of taps to end the ceremony.
“The wreath-laying ceremony was a thoughtful tribute to my brother and as we approach the 16th anniversary of his death, a humbling reminder of his sacrifice,” said Alex Blecksmith, J.P.’s brother, who chairs the foundation. “We are grateful for the honor the DAR — Martin Severance Chapter bestowed upon him.”
