A soldier from Winter Park has been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Saturday.
Pfc. Christopher T. Blaney, 19, died Friday in Taji of “a non-combat-related incident,” a news release stated. Taji, a little less than 20 miles north of Baghdad, is the site of Camp Taji, a U.S. military base.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense said the incident is under investigation and that no further information was available Saturday.
Blaney was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He is part of a military family, said his grandfather, Dan Blaney of Winter Park, a retired Army major who teaches math at Tuskawilla Middle School in Oviedo.
Chris Blaney was a cavalry scout whose job included reconnaissance work and protecting the main forces, Dan Blaney said. He was home on vacation a couple of weeks ago, his grandfather said.
Blaney grew up in Winter Park but graduated from high school in Oklahoma, where he studied art — one of his passions. He also loved animals, his grandfather said.
Chris Blaney is survived by his mother, Dorinda Blaney of Winter Park, a technician in the identification section of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; his grandparents; and a great-grandmother.
