Andrzej Eugeniusz Błasik (11 October 1962 – 10 April 2010) was a

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

in the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

and a

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mi ...

. Błasik was born in Poddębice,

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...

. He died in the Tu-154 crash near

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Education

During 1977–1981 Błasik was educated at Aviation High School at the University Officers' School of Aviation in Dęblin. Afterwards he joined the 'School of Eaglets', gaining in 1985 the military rank of second lieutenant in the group of pilots of the passenger aviation corps. In the period from 1993 to 1995 he studied at the National Defence University in Warsaw, after completing the diploma and he became a certified officer. He was also a graduate of the Netherlands Defence Academy in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in 1998 and the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the Gulf Coastal Plain, coas ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

(2005).

Military service

At the first grade – a pilot – he was sent to 8 Regiment Fighter-Bomber in Mirosławiec. In 1987 he was transferred to 40 Regiment Fighter-Bomber in Świdwin, where he was a senior pilot, commander of a key officer of the squadron navigator, squadron commander and deputy commander of the squadron. Since 1995, he served in the Air Force Command, Air Force and Air Defense in Warsaw. He was successively chief inspector duties Navigation Division, Senior Inspector Department of Training and Operations Branch chief specialist. In 2001 he became Head of Training 2 Tactical Air Brigade in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

, and in 2002 became commander of the 31st Air Base in Poznań. He commanded a military unit in 2003 received the "Mark of Honour of the Polish Armed Forces" for the protection of international maneuvers in "NATO Air Meet 2003". Since 2004, he was head of the Combat Applications Division at Headquarters Air Force, while in 2005–2007 he commanded the 2nd Tactical Air Brigade. On 15 August 2005 he was promoted to brigadier general. After a short time, he served as commander-rector of the School Officers of the Air Force. On 19 April 2007 he was appointed commander of the Air Force and was promoted to major general. On 15 August 2007 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. As a pilot he had 1,300 hours total flying time. As an instructor he had the power to train in all weather conditions on airplanes

Su-22 The Sukhoi Su-17 (''izdeliye'' S-32) is a variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed for the Soviet military. Its NATO reporting name is "Fitter". Developed from the Sukhoi Su-7, the Su-17 was the first variable-sweep wing aircraft to enter ...

and PZL TS-11 Iskra. He also piloted the Lim-6.

Death

Błasik died in a plane crash near

, in which the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...

Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he pre ...

also died.

Personal life

Błasik was married. He had two children.

Awards

* Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...

– 2010, posthumously * Silver Cross of Merit (2006) * Bronze Cross of Merit (1998) * Silver Medal Armed Forces in Service for the Country * Bronze Medal Armed Forces in Service for the Country * Gold Medal of Merit for National Defence *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

''Commander'' – 2009, "for his outstanding accomplishments as the leader of the Polish Air Force".Legion of Merit for Lieutenant General Andrzej Blasik
, 28 September 2009. * Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...

(2008, Portugal)

References

* Content for this article is translated from the Polish Wikipedia article – (retrieved on 10 April 2010)

External links

Lt. Gen. Andrzej BŁASIK
on the Polish Air Force website.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blasik, Andrzej Military personnel from Poznań Polish Air Force generals Commanders of the Legion of Merit Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Silver Cross of Merit (Poland) Grand Officers of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Recipients of the Medal of Merit for National Defence 1962 births 2010 deaths Victims of the Smolensk air disaster 20th-century Polish military personnel 21st-century Polish military personnel