Obituary of Joseph Benjamin Blazina

Joseph Benjamin Blazina Commander, United States Navy Joseph Benjamin Blazina, a Navy Commander and Vietnam veteran, passed away on October 28, 2012, at the age of 78, at his home in Sonoita, Arizona. CDR Blazina was born in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated at the top of his class from the University of Notre Dame in 1957. Shortly after graduation, he was commissioned as an officer of the United States Navy. He spent virtually his entire military career as a Naval Supply Corps Officer, serving on two Naval supply ships that served the Pacific Fleet, the USS Vega and USS Pollux, homeported in Oakland, California, and Yokosuka, Japan, respectively. CDR Blazina also served at numerous Naval installations, including in Guam where he worked with a SEABEE Battalion (MCB-11), Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, where he met and married his wife, a Lieutenant in the Navy Nurse Corps, Main Navy in Washington, D.C., and as a military advisor to the Brazilian Navy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His last tour of duty brought him back to his hometown of Chicago where he served at the Defense Contract Administration Services Region (DCASR). CDR Blazina always said that he joined the Navy to see the world, and he did! CDR Blazina's decorations included a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, a National Defense Service Medal, a Republic of Vietnam Service Medal and a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon. In addition to public service, education played an important role in CDR Blazina's life and career. CDR Blazina received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science degree in Materials Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California. In addition, CDR Blazina was a graduate of the Navy Officer Candidate School, the Navy Supply Corps School, and the Navy Transportation Management School. After more than 26 years of Naval service, CDR Blazina retired from active duty in 1983 and commenced his second career in the private sector as a contracting officer for several large defense contractors. Joe loved the art of negotiating and reveled in getting his employers the best deal he could! It was one of these positions that moved Joe and his family to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988. Even after retiring from this second career and moving with his wife to Sonoita, in 1998, Joe soon missed the challenges of corporate life and chose to return to work for approximately six years with ManTech International Corporation in Sierra Vista. Joe was a lifetime member of the Naval Supply Corps Officers Association, the National Contract Management Association, and the National Rifle Association. He was an active member of the parish of St. Theresa’s in Patagonia. Joe is survived by his wife of almost 48 years, Carolyn, his daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Gary Dickson of Alexandria, Virginia, and one granddaughter, his “buddy,” Hope Elizabeth. He is also survived by his brother and sister, James Blazina and Mary Anne Santay, and eleven beloved nieces and nephews. Services will be held at St. Theresa’s Church in Patagonia, Arizona. CDR Blazina will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C., at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Fisher House Foundation, a private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need (for more information, go to http://www.fisherhouse.org).