A national tribute to the French soldier who died in Mali paid to Les Invalides

A national tribute is paid, Wednesday, September 29, to the French master corporal Maxime Blasco, killed in operation in Mali. Before the ceremony chaired by Emmanuel Macron at 4:30 p.m. at the Hôtel des Invalides, in Paris, where he will be posthumously elevated to the rank of sergeant and made an officer of the Legion of Honor, the funeral procession of the Alpine hunter crossed the Alexandre III bridge in front of Parisians and soldiers who came to pay homage to this soldier “Exceptional”.

The remains of the 34-year-old French soldier crossed the bridge in a mortuary van preceded by a gendarmerie escort, as soldiers on the sides stood at attention and others in the crowd cheered. .

Deep respect. Honor to Sergeant Maxime Blasco. https://t.co/5AIOxLg1HJ

– HerveGrandjean (@ Spokesperson for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces)

Maxime Blasco was killed Friday, September 24 during a reconnaissance and harassment operation conducted by the anti-jihadist force Barkhane in the region of Gossi, near the border between Mali and Burkina Faso. He leaves an 8-year-old child and a partner, Alexandra, who has entrusted to Parisian her wish to marry her posthumously.

“An exceptional operational career”

Several times decorated, Master Corporal Blasco received the military medal in June “For the exceptional value of its services”. “He was someone who had an exceptional operational background”, according to Colonel Pascal Ianni, spokesman for the armies.

In 2019, he saved the lives of two of his comrades after their Gazelle helicopter crashed. Seriously injured, especially with multiple vertebral fractures, he had succeeded in extracting them for about fifty meters before installing them. “In a somewhat artisanal way on the skates” a Tiger helicopter to extract them from the combat zone, according to the staff.

His death brings to 52 the number of French soldiers killed in action in the Sahel since 2013. Thursday, another tribute will be paid to him in Varces (Isère, south-east) by his brothers in arms of the 7th battalion of Alpine hunters.