Col. Blenkle was born and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, by his parents Herbert and Eva. He had two older brothers; Herbie and John. Col. Blenkle attended school at Fordham Prep in Bronx, New York and graduated from Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, in 1965, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Upon graduation, Col. Blenkle was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in December, 1965 and graduated from the 38th Officer Candidate Course, in May, 1966 and completed his MOS training at Marine Corps Combat Engineer School, in 1966 and the Army's Engineer Officer Advanced Course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 1970.

Col. Blenkle's major career assignments include:
· Platoon Commander Company D, and Assistant Operations Officer, 7th Engineer Battalion, Republic of South Vietnam, 1966-1967;
· Company Commander, Staging Battalion, DaNang, Vietnam, 1967-1968;
· Company Commander, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA, 1968-1969;
· Company Commander, Marine Aircraft Group 11, Vietnam, 1969-1970;
· Company Commander, 3rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Okinawa, Japan, 1970-1971;
· Engineer Officer, Marine Airbase Squadron 11, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, El Toro, CA, 1972-1975;
· Operations Officer, 9th Marine Corps District, Overland Park, KS, 1975-1978;
· Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 1979;
· CommandingOfficer 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, Japan, 1979-1980;
· Director of the Atlantic/European Plans Division, U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., 1980-1983;
· Acquisition Sponsor Project Officer for Marine Corps Engineer Equipment, Installations, and Logistics Department, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., 1983-1986;
· Assistant Chief of Staff Logistics, Marine Corps Base, Japan, Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan, 1986-1889;
· Commanding Officer Brigade Service Support Group 5 and Assistant Chief of Staff Tactical Readiness Training Inspector, 1st Force Service Group, Camp Pendleton, CA, 1989-1992;
· Engineer Officer, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1991-1992;

Col. Blenkle retired after over 26 years of active service on 1 April 1992 from the 1st Force Service Support Group, Camp Pendleton, CA

Upon retirement, Col. Blenkle worked in private industry and received a CA Teaching Credential in Education in 1995. For 12 years, he taught for the Orange County Department of Education, Joplin High School Juvenile Correction Facility, Trabuco Canyon, CA.

Col. Blenkle and his wife of 49 years, Mary, have four grown sons Andy, Matt, Pat, and Sean, daughters-in-law Jen, Lisa, Cindy and Star, and grandchildren Hailey, Morgan, Lizzie, and Slater. Their beloved grandson, Brendan, is deceased.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Cancer Institute being built at St Joseph Mission Hospital in memory of Col. Andrew Blenkle, USMC (Ret.).
· Online donations can be made at the Institute's website: https://www.mission4health.com/donate in memory of Col. Andrew Blenkle, USMC (Ret.).
· Mailed donations can be sent to Mission Hospital Foundation, 27700 Medical Center Road, Mission Viejo, CA 92691. Checks can be made payable to Mission Hospital Foundation noting on check or accompany check in memory of Col. Andrew Blenkle, USMC (Ret.).

Please join us in remembering Colonel Andrew. Through this site, we invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with our family.