Honoring fallen soldiers: Lake County Gold Star family to be given free home for Thanksgiving

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A Fruitland Park family that lost a loved one during the Iraq War has something very special to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Crystal Blasjo on Tuesday will be given the second of three free homes awarded to gold-star families across the country each of the three days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Aaron Blasjo, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan in May 2011 during his third deployment of Operation Enduring Freedom.

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He died eight weeks after they welcomed their first child, Talon.

"Nothing has really felt like home since Aaron died," Crystal Blasjo told the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the organization providing the mortgage-free home.

The foundation was named after a New York firefighter who lost his life saving others on Sept. 11, 2001. It has spent more than $125 million to honor and support first responders and veterans.

The dedication comes almost seven years after Blasjo lost her mother on Thanksgiving 2012, the foundation said.

The first home will be given to a family in Smithville, Tennessee.

On Wednesday, a family in Wimauma, about 30 miles southeast of Tampa, will receive the foundation's third home of the holiday season.

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Cox Media Group