Major Blanca Reyes was born on October 4, 1977, in El Paso, Texas, where she was raised and graduated from Eastwood School. She later graduated on May 12, 2001 from the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, TX with a Bachelor Degree of Science in Criminal Justice where she was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. From there she started her career as a Counter Intelligence Special Agent. Some of the many duty stations Blanca served were: the 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 902nd Military Intelligence Group, 1st Cavalry Division, International Security Assistance Force Coordination Element – Pakistan, 204th Military Intelligence Battalion, 741st Military Intelligence Battalion and the 18th Airborne Corps. Major Reyes’ dedication and patriotism allowed her the opportunity to serve in Iraq, Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and numerous duty stations within the United States.
Blanca earned military decorations including: 3 Army Commendation Medals, 2 Army Achievement Medals (AAM), Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Ribbon (AFMUAR), 2 Joint Meritorious Unit Awards (JMUA), National Defense Service Medal (NDSM), Afghanistan Campaign Medal-Campaign Stars (ACM-CS), 4 Iraq Campaign Medal-Campaign Stars (ICM-CS), Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal (GWOTEM), Global War on Terror Service Medal (GWOTSM), Korean Defense Service Medal (KDSM), Army Service Ribbon (ASR), 4 Overseas Service Ribbons (OSR), NATO Medal (NATOMDL), and the Army Airborne Parachutist Badge.
Blanca - a soldier, mother, daughter, and sister will be forever remembered by her son Diego McClaskey, her parents Olivia Reyes, Pete Reyes, and Stepmother Diana Ynostroza, sisters Veronica, Gloria and Victoria Reyes, her niece Danielle, nephews Mateo Dominguez, and Kyle and Ethan Reed. Her love for family, friends, and soldiers will be missed dearly, but she left a smile and a sense of free spirit that will always be remembered. Blanca’s competitive spirit and natural talents included running and jumping from perfectly good airplanes, which allowed her to push the limits and influence others to excel.
Services will be held this Thursday Dec 21st by Evergreen East Funeral Home 12400 East Montana El Paso, TX, 79938 from 5 -8pm (Rosary @ 6pm), the Mass will be held Friday Dec 22nd at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini @ 0915-1015 12200 VISTA DEL SOL DR. El Paso, Texas 79936-7110 Phone: (915) 857-1263 Burial at Fort Bliss National Cemetery at 1030 5200 Fred Wilson Road Fort Bliss, TX 79906.
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