Army Sergeant Aaron Blasjo, 25, of Riverside, Calif., was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C. He died May 29, 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

SGT Blasjo grew up in Riverside and joined the Army right out of high school in 2004. He was selected for the elite Green Berets in 2006. At the time of his third deployment to Afghanistan, he had become a dog handler. On May 29, SGT Blasjo and his Malinois were riding in the lead vehicle in a caravan, enroute to their first mission together. SGT Blasjo was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals.

Even as a small child, his life’s goal was to join the Army Special Forces. His wife, Crystal, said that when she met him, he told her he was a school janitor because he didn’t want her to know what his real job was. He took the commitment and secrecy of his missions seriously, she said. “I remember being nervous when I found out what he really did, but you can’t help who you fall in love with. There is a risk in being any kind of a military wife,” she said.

SGT Blasjo is survived by wife Crystal and son Talon.