Said current Rebel football Coach Marty Konrad, who began his
tenure as an assistant with the Rebels during Blecksmith's senior
year: "He's one of those guys that we still talk about to this day,
that's the type of impact he had at this school."
Peter Twist, who was Blecksmith's favorite target at wide receiver
and had been best friends with Blecksmith since the two were in
pre-school, remembered Blecksmith as someone with a great sense of
humor.
"For the last couple of months while he was in Iraq, we exchanged
some e-mails, and it was typical J.P. lighthearted stuff," Twist
said. "Around his birthday, he was joking around about inviting us
over to have a Fallouja Fiesta, as he called it.
"He liked to kid around and have fun."
But Blecksmith also had his serious side.
"He loved people and he loved his country," Twist said. "As long
as I can remember, he was gung-ho about being a marine and a soldier.
He wanted to protect people, and he firmly believed in what he was
doing.
"The way he died, it's very tragic, but he was doing what he was
born to do."
That still doesn't make dealing with his death any easier for
those around him.
"He was probably the greatest person anyone could ever know,"
Twist said. "It's just not right that he was taken from us."
