Blanding, Albert Hazan, 1876-1970.

Albert Hazen Blanding was a prominent National Guard officer. He graduated from East Florida Seminary in Gainesville in 1894. In 1895 he enrolled in the Gainesville Guards, Florida State Troops. By 1899, he was a Colonel in the Second Florida Infantry Regiment, and he commanded the Regiment when it was called into federal service during the Mexican Punitive Expedition, 1916-1917.

Blanding was appointed Brigadier General by President Woodrow Wilson in August 1917. He was one of only eight National Guard officers to be promoted to such rank. During World War I, Blanding served in France with several units and earned the Distinguished Service Medal.

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