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Fort Bragg widow vows son will know his father

Crystal Blasjo remembers her late husband, Sgt. Aaron J. Blasjo, as a laid-back, surf's up guy.

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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Crystal Blasjo remembers her late husband, Sgt. Aaron J. Blasjo, as a laid-back, surf's up guy. 

"Everything was just open to him and he loved life," she said. 

Aaron Blasjo grew up in Riverside, Calif., and joined the Army right out of high school. Crystal Blasjo was raised in Fayetteville and graduated from Terry Sanford High School in 2005.

When the two met in 2007, Crystal Blasjo said her future husband told her he was a school janitor. 

"He didn't want people to know (he was in Special Forces). They are the silent professionals," she said. 

When she found out about his profession, Blasjo said it scared her. But her fears didn't stop her from marrying him on Dec. 3, 2008. 

“Being a military wife is a risk, and you can’t choose who you fall in love with,” she said.

On March 24, the Fort Bragg-based couple welcomed a son, Talon. 

"Aaron just screamed. He was never so excited," she said. 

On May 1 – the same day President Barack Obama announced that U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden – Aaron Blasjo left for a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. 

For some reason, Crystal Blasjo said this time she knew things would be different. 

"I got the most eerie feeling because I knew," she said. 

Crystal Blasjo said her husband also became uneasy. 

"His mom said when she spoke with him last week that he told her he was scared," Crystal Blasjo said. 

On Sunday night, two uniformed men came to the door to inform Crystal Blasjo that her husband had been killed.

“Once it hit, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t do anything," she said. 

Aaron Blasjo and two other soldiers were killed in the Wardak province of Afghanistan when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device, officials said. 

Blasjo was part of the Group Support Battalion within 3rd Special Forces Group. He was a canine trainer and his dog, Hunter, was also killed in the roadside bomb blast. 

"He'll always be a hero. That's something nobody can take away from him," Crystal Blasjo said. 

She said Talon will know his father. "I won't miss a detail," she said amid tears. 

Aaron Blasjo was recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

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