Colonel Vance Justin Klosinski

Family, friends and colleagues mourn the loss of Colonel Vance J. Klosinski, who ended his journey with cancer on September 24, 2022. He lived graciously and courageously with the aggressive disease until the very end. He died in the greater Tampa area, surrounded by love and cloaked in prayer, and with his wife of 16 years, Abigail Azote Klosinski, and sons, Vance Mateo (12) and Samuel Justin (7) at his side.

A native of Stevens Point, Wisc., Vance was born on June 4, 1974. He was an intellectually curious kid, more likely to be found curled up with a book than hunting, fishing, or any of the other activities popular in his hometown. Even so, he was a skilled athlete, excelling as a catcher in baseball through college, and earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. His love of learning and history would follow him for the rest of his life, as he became an admired and highly respected military leader.

Vance’s military career began early, when he joined the Wisconsin National Guard at the age of 17. He was commissioned through ROTC at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1997, where he also earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration. He was first assigned to the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, N.Y., as an infantry platoon leader.

He later qualified as a Special Forces officer, earning his Green Beret in 2003. He spent the majority of his military career with 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he was broadly recognized as the embodiment of the quiet professional, a talented and humble leader, and a thoughtful mentor.

His career also included assignments to the Pentagon, Army staff and several special operations commands around the globe. Vance was deployed numerous times over the years, to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, and other countries across Asia. His final command was of US Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz in Kaiserslautern, Germany in July 2020.

Vance earned a Master’s Degree in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 2009, as well as a Master’s of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College in Washington D.C. in 2020. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, three Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, an Army Valorous Unit Citation, Army Superior Unit Award, two National Defense Service Medals, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, two Afghanistan Campaign Medals, Iraq Campaign Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Korean Defense Service Medal, three NATO medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Pathfinder Badge, and the Parachutist and Air Assault Badges.

Vance was a devoted partner and a trusty provider to his wife and sons; a steadfast and loyal friend; and a dedicated soldier. He was a WWII history buff; an avid early-morning gym rat; an ardent reader; a graphic tee aficionado; a prolific and sometimes-late-night conversationalist; a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan; and a proud American. But more than all of that, he is remembered for being the straightest arrow that ever flew. De Oppresso Liber.

His passing leaves a hole in the hearts of those who had the privilege to call him sir, brother, friend or family. Many will carry his memory forward, but none so much as his surviving family: his treasured wife and sons (Lithia, Fla.); his parents, Gary and Patricia (Gliniecki) Klosinski (Stevens Point, Wisc.); his brother, Seth Klosinski and his wife, Elvia Meza (Whitewater, Wisc.); his parents-in-law, Juan and Elsa (Batallones) Azote (Oceanside, Calif.); his siblings-in-law, Candy Azote (Los Angeles, Calif.), Juan Paolo Azote and Zasha Guirnalda (Wood-Ridge, N.J.); his aunt and uncle, William and Kathleen (Klosinski) Breseman (Stevens Point, Wisc.).

A gathering in Vance's honor will be held on Thursday, October 13, from 4 to 8 PM at Blount & Curry Funeral Home in Tampa (605 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL 33609).

On Friday, October 14, a military memorial ceremony will be held at 10 AM at the MacDill Air Force Base Chapel (2204 Administration Ave, MacDill Airforce Base Tampa, FL 33621), followed by a funeral mass at noon.

Details on Vance's interment at Arlington National Cemetery are forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for a memorial fundraiser benefiting the organizations that supported Vance’s family during the final months of his cancer journey. Donate at https://tinyurl.com/vancek.