The National Guard Armory in Blanding has been renamed in honor of James E. Thode. Thode, who served in the National Guard unit that is headquartered in the armory, was killed in action just over a year ago in Afghanistan.

The rededication of the armory took place on Friday, December 9 under the direction of Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Brian L. Tarbet. Thode was remembered as a dedicated soldier.

Sergeant First Class James E. Thode, of the 118th Engineer (Sapper) Company, 1457th Engineer Battalion, Utah National Guard, died December 2, 2010 in Sabari District, Khowst Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

A resident of Kirtland, NM, Thode deployed to Afghanistan in July, 2010. The unit’s mission was to provide route-clearance support to Coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Thode, 45, enlisted in the military in 1984 and joined the Utah National

Guard as a 12B combat engineer in 2002. He deployed to Iraq as a member of the Utah Guard’s 1457th Engineer Battalion in 2003-2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Thode is survived by his wife and two children.

The armory is located at 10 W. Freedom Way, in Blanding, near the Blanding airport.