Blaise Humbert Vallese

Blaise H. Vallese, 97 of Pensacola, passed away November 30, 2019. He was born on September 2, 1922 in Providence, RI to Biagio and Maria (Pieranunzi) Vallese, the third of four children. His siblings were James, Celia, and Elda, now all deceased.

After attending local grammar schools and graduating from La Salle Academy High School in May 1940, Blaise matriculated at Providence College to pursue a pre-medical course. Although eligible for an academic deferment after the start of World War II, Blaise interrupted his studies to enlist in the U.S. Army on February 3, 1943.

After completion of basic training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, Blaise was assigned to the 544th Engineer and Boat Regiment of the newly activated 4th Amphibious Brigade. He served in the Pacific Theater of Operations for 18 months participating in three combat landings, noteworthy of which was the invasion of Morotai Island of the Halmahera Group, northwest of New Guinea, which represented the U.S. Forces first strike north of the equator on September 15, 1944.

Following the invasion of Luzon on January 6, 1945 and the capture of Manila, staging for the invasion of mainland Japan was interrupted by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The occupation of Japan followed in mid-September with entry at the port city of Wakayama in southern Honshu.

After three months service with occupation forces, Blaise returned to the U.S. and was honorably discharged, coincidentally, where it all started at Fort Devens on January 16, 1946. After marrying Leona Turgeon on August 3, 1946, Blaise returned to Providence College and graduated in May 1949 with a B.A. in Sociology. With concurrent summer sessions at R.I. College of Education, Blaise accrued additional academic credits to qualify for a teaching certificate.

When the Department of Defense initiated its Army Officer Augmentation Program to fill depleted post-WWII officer ranks, Blaise accepted a direct commission. With the outbreak of the Korean War, he was called to active duty in May 1951 as a 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry. After a brief stint at Fort Dix, NJ, because of multiple language skills, Blaise was assigned to the 1013th Army Language Qualification Unit at Fort Devens. This special unit, established under a program sponsored by the Senators Lodge-Philbrick Act, trained inductees from non-NATO European countries.

After completion of this assignment, Blaise attended the Army Language School, Monterey, California, where he successfully completed a course in Mandarin Chinese. Deployment to Korea followed.

Because of his WWII boating experience and Chinese fluency, Blaise was assigned to the Combined Command Reconnaissance Activities Far East, a special operation element of 8th Army. As the commanding officer of the 8157th Army Unit's Inchon Boat Detachment, Blaise's unit supported intelligence collection incursions north of the 38th parallel. Experience gained in intelligence operations eventually resulted in a branch transfer on December 15, 1962 from Infantry to the newly established Army Intelligence and Security Branch. After completing specialized formal training in Field Operations Intelligence, Blaise served in a variety of covert operations in Italy, Vietnam, Miami, and Taiwan.

During his service stint in Miami, Blaise was selected to attend senior military schooling at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he graduated in May 1966.

Upon completion of his tour in Taiwan, Blaise retired on July 31, 1972 after 26 years of service. He was tendered a position as director of the Taiwan Dependent Youth Activities Program by the Taiwan Defense Command, which he accepted and administered until the American military presence was withdrawn in April 1979.

With the departure of the military, Blaise joined the sizable expatriate community. As an avid and knowledgeable “big-band” and jazz buff, Blaise was employed as a disc jockey by the expatriate radio station – International Community Radio Taiwan – which had been Armed Forces Radio Network. He left the station in July 1982 and relocated to Pensacola the following month. In October, his Taiwanese wife, Shiou-Mei, gave birth to their son James, who joined his adoptive Taiwanese sister, Theresa.

Blaise was very active in church activities. He was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and member of the Military Officers Association of Uniformed Services.

Preceded in death are his parents, brother, sisters, and all members of his first family – wife Leona, son Blaise Jr., daughter Adrienne Putzke, and son-in-law Larry Putzke.

He is survived by his wife, Shiou-Mei, and their two children, Theresa and James.

A visitation with rosary will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at Oak Lawn Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at St. Anne Catholic Church Bellview at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 18, 2019. Inurnment will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery with full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital.