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The 87-year-old retired Air Force officer logged nearly 22,000 hours in flight, served as a flight instructor and participated in many missions.
When he reflects on all that time flying he said, “It’s another life.”
If he could liken the feeling to words he would have to cite the poem “High Flight” where a pilot could “slip the surly bonds of earth” and “put out my hand and touch the face of God.”
After graduating high school in 1936 in Oklahoma, Blosch said he needed to figure out what he was going to do with his life.
“Besides growing whiskers and talking big,” Blosch said. “I had my eyes on those airplanes that were flying across the sky.”
Blosch knew he wanted to be flying planes, as well working on them, so he went to work at the Spartan Aircraft Factory in Tulsa, Okla., in 1940. He hitchhiked 72 miles to make it to his first day of work and never looked back after that.
“I thought, ‘This is for me,’” Blosch said of his factory job. “They got me in airplanes, and I wanted to be in airplanes.”
In 1941, Blosch joined the Army Air Corps Reserve as a Buck Private. By 1944, he was a second lieutenant, and in 1965 he became a lieutenant colonel. He spent 28½ years in the Air Force, with a credited four terms in Vietnam.
He earned at least 17 medals, awards and citations, including the Sliver Star — awarded for gallantry and heroism — for his work in the November 1970 Son Tay raid in North Vietnam. It was a mission to get prisoners of war out of a camp in North Vietnam, he said.
“He’s an extremely straight- forward, honest and good man,” said Melvin B. Gibson, 64, of Summerville, S.C. Gibson was a staff sergeant and served as load master and recovery technician on the raid. He received a Silver Star along with Blosch in 1971.
“You always knew where you stood with him,” Gibson said. “He was the best pilot I’ve ever known. He could do things that unless you’re a kite you just couldn’t do.”
One of those “things” happened at the Kadena Air Base in Japan in 1966. Blosch was able to make a perfect landing of a C-130 64-0561 — now known as a “starship” — which earned Blosch and his crew air medals.
The craft, very rare and classified at the time, was used in surface to aircraft recovery missions, but it had only been landed three times because it could be dangerous, he said.
Blosch did the one successful landing on a foamed runway at Kadena, but the other two landings had been at the expense of the lives of those who were piloting and crewing the plane. Blosch’s landing went off without a hitch.
“You know who William Shatner is, don’t you?” Blosch said, referring to the television actor from “Star Trek.” “He’s a phony. I’m an honest-to-God starship commander.”
Sgt. Chuck Richards, 74, of San Antonio, Texas, served with Blosch and has been his friend for years. He agreed Blosch was no phony.
“He knew your job, and he knew his,” Richards said. “He made those flights painful by asking you all sorts of questions you should know the answers to. He did it better than most.”
Blosch’s family holds the highest respect for him.
His granddaughter Donna Boser of Brownsville, with whom Blosch now lives, said he’s the best grandpa in the world. But that’s not all.
“Truly, he’s the bravest man I know,” Boser said.
Her brother, James Behan of Hudson, Wis., said he believes his grandfather exemplifies “The Greatest Generation.”
“He lived for us and made history,” Behan said. “His unfaltering devotion to God and country are resonated in his life and heart.”
Behan, 51, is retired from the United States Navy. He said the lessons he learned from his grandfather taught him to love, honor and serve God and country. He called Blosch his hero.
“He is part of the reason we live in freedom today,” Behan said.
Blosch is humble about his achievements and his years of service. He also offered some advice to those currently serving in the military.
“I admire those who have made the decision to be in the military,” Blosch said. “I don’t give much advice except get all the education you can and make it work for you.”
Ryan Stotts can be reached at (608) 791-8446 or ryan.stotts@lee.net.
