Sgt. Blake
Stephens Scholarship
Pocatello native Sgt. Blake Stephens was killed by a roadside bomb May
8, 2007 while serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army.
Stephens, 25, was the commander of the lead vehicle in a four Humvee
convoy escorting a colonel through Salman Pak, 18 miles southeast of
Baghdad, when his vehicle was hit simultaneously by four improvised
explosive devices. The driver, Spc. Kyle Little, of Massachusetts, was
also killed. The only survivor in the vehicle, California resident
Pfc. Saul Martinez, lost both of his legs.
Following Stephens' death, his friends at Hooligans Bar in Pocatello
started an annual foosball tournament in his honor. All proceeds from
the event are used to fund the Blake Stephens Scholarship, which is
awarded each fall to a deserving ISU student veteran. The ISU
Foundation manages the fund.
Stephens is survived by his wife, Erin Dructor. He graduated from
Century High School in 2000.