[1] After high school he attended American University from 1938 to 1940, then enlisted in the National Guard, serving in the Coast Artillery and rising to the rank of sergeant.

He received a National Guard appointment to the United States Military Academy and graduated on D-Day, 6 June 1944.

[2] Blanchard served in various positions during the 1950s, including as an assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Omar Bradley, a tactics instructor at Fort Benning; and as a military advisor in Taiwan from 1955 to 1957.

After his time in Vietnam, he was assigned as Director of Special Warfare in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations; and Director of Plans, Programs and Budget for two major Army General Staff organizations, and he served as executive officer to two Secretaries of the Army.

Blanchard was also known for his attempts to combat alcoholism in the army, which included banning discount drinks during happy hours in post clubs, prohibiting units from holding drinking contests, and opening the first alcoholism treatment center in Europe for officers and senior enlisted soldiers.