At first glance, it might appear Joel Blake liked being a soldier so much he went back for seconds — and thirds.
The Copperhill, Tennessee, native joined the U.S. Army in 1967, right after graduating from Copper Basin High School. Twenty-three years later, as a 41-year-old in the National Guard, he was deployed in Operation Desert Storm.
And in 2006, at 57, he was deployed once more, training for four months at Fort Bliss, Texas, then spending 12 months in Iraq.
“I was the only one in my family (to serve). My father wanted to (serve in World War II), but he was 4-F because of his eyes,” Blake said, referring to the classification code the military used for someone not qualified for service.
