Vincente T. Blaz
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| Vincente T. Blaz | |
|---|---|
| Born February 14, 1928 | |
 BGen Vincente T. Blaz |
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| Nickname | "Ben" |
| Place of birth | Agana, Territory of Guam |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1951–1980 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands held | 9th Marines |
| Battles/wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
| Other work | U.S. Representative from Guam (1985–1993) |
Brigadier General Vincente T. Blaz (born 14 February 1928), also known as Ben Blaz, is a retired United States Marine Corps Brigadier General. Blaz served in the Marine Corps from 1951 to until 1 July 1980. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.
Blaz was elected the delegate to Congress from Guam in 1984 as a Republican. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 until 1993.
As his mother's maiden name was Garrido, he is sometimes called Ben Garrido Blaz, in accordance with Spanish naming customs.
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[edit] Biography
Vincente Blaz was born on 14 February 1928 in the Territory of Guam. He was living on the island during the three years of Japanese occupation during World War II. During the occupation he was forced to work in labor battalions building to build aviation fields and plant rice.
In 1947, he was awarded a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. At the beginning of the Korean War, he joined the Marine Corp Reserve and attended Officer Candidate School. He graduated in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 1951, and was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Combat "V", the Navy Commendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
[edit] Marine Corps career
Blaz was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps after graduation.
He subsequently attended George Washington University, Washington, D.C., where he received a Master of Arts degree in 1963.
Service schools he attended include the Navy’s School of Naval Justice for legal officers, Newport, Rhode Island; the Army’s Artillery and Guided Missile School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia; and, the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, where he was designated a Distinguished Graduate. His thesis, The Cross of Micronesia, was published in the Naval War College Review and entered verbatim in the Congressional Record in August 1971.
General Blaz served in a variety of command and staff billets throughout the Marine Corps, highlighted in 1972 by his assignment as Commanding Officer, 9th Marine Regiment, which was one of the major units involved in the liberation of his native Guam during World War II.
From September 1972 to August 1975, General Blaz served as Chief, United Nations and Maritime Matters Branch, International Negotiations Division, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. In this assignment, he represented the Joint Chiefs of Staff on U.S. Delegations to several international multi-lateral negotiations in Helsinki (Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe) and Geneva (Law of War) and was an action officer on Law of the Sea matters.
- Decorations and Medals
- For his service in the Joint Staff, he was awarded the Legion of Merit. His other personal decorations include the Bronze Star with Combat “V”, the Navy Commendation Medal (twice awarded), and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
In December 1974, the University of Guam conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws on General Blaz.
Blaz retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Brigadier General in 1980. He was a professor at the University of Guam, and was then elected as a Republican to the House, serving from January 3, 1985 to January 3, 1993. After his campaign for reelection in 1992 was unsuccessful, he retired to Ordot, Guam.
[edit] U.S. Congress
In 1984, Blaz was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing his native Guam. He served on the Armed Services, the Interior and Insular Affairs Committees, and the Select Committee on Aging. During his first term, he introduced legislation — the Veterans' Educational Assistance Act — to expand eligibility under the GI Bill. He served in Congress for eight years (1985–1993), until he was defeated for re-election by Democrat Robert A. Underwood.
[edit] Honors
In 1988, Blaz was honored by his alma mater, when the Notre Dame Alumni Association presented him with the Corby Award, which honors alumni who have distinguished themselves in military service.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Corby Award". Alumni Association, University of Notre Dame. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.
[edit] References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.
- Brigadier General Vincente T. Blaz, USMC (Retired), Who's Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- Ben Blaz Bio. Bisita Guam. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.
- Ben Blaz Garrido. Hispanic Americans in Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.
| Preceded by Antonio Borja Won Pat |
Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Guam 1985–1993 |
Succeeded by Robert Anacletus Underwood |
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