DNA samples were taken from Michaels mother Jean and his sister Judy and tested against the remains. As is standard, all records pertaining to these remains were destroyed. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. Even though he knew about the missing wallet, the head of the lab, using now outdated techniques, determined that the remains did not match Michael Blassies physical description. He had been shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972.. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing . Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. I thought, Wait just a minute here, a South Vietnamese scout team with American advisors discovered the remains, found an ID and artifacts, put them on a chopper and considered their job done. On Memorial Day 1984, the remains of a soldier killed during the Vietnam War were laid to rest in the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery. After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains of Blassie were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Weve updated the security on the site. When family members received word that his remains might be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown, they petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct previously unavailable DNA testing. AFDIL has used DNA analysis to identify the remains of at least 150 military personnel from Vietnam, Korea, and World War 2, and assisted in the identification of victims from high profile disasters, both natural and man-made. Michael was 24 years old and 72 inches tall when he died. The test results showed a match with DNA samples from Jean Blassie and her oldest daughter. memorial page for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie (4 Apr 1948-11 May 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 4245, citing Jefferson Barracks National . Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. They were returned them home for a military burial. Patricia Blassie, today a colonel with the Air Force Reserve who lives in Georgia, told her family of a phone call she had received in 1994 from a former Army Green Beret. Another perspective on this issue is that all soldiers are unknown. There, Captain Richard S. Hess of Mortuary Affairs inventoried the package and added a skeletal chart showing the bones locations on the body (right humerus, right pelvis, and four rib bones). Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the claim that Blassie was the Unknown, drawing on Defense Department records. Michael flew as an Air Commando, probably running covert missions into Laos and Cambodia, in addition to his official duties as forward air controller and counterinsurgency operations pilot in South Vietnam. A fellow airman saw tracer rounds directed toward Mikes A-37. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. "We were all so proud of him. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. The report triggered a speedy response from the Department of Defense which, after its own investigation, ordered the Tomb to be opened and the Vietnam Unknowns remains to undergo DNA testing at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Also pictured is sister Judy Cozad (left). Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Feel free to, By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you have read the, The city of An Loc was totally leveled it looked like Hiroshima, I thought this is the best example of internet conspiracy garbage Ive seen to date,. It is very austere and moving. But for whatever reason, the first bad decision was not telling the family. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. "We put away no final memories.". There were fewer than 25,000 US servicemen left in Vietnam, as opposed to the over 500,000 who had been deployed by the late 1960s. Michael Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. In 1997, Gonzalez contacted Patricia. The writer had been combing through military records, he said, and found that the Air Force had found the wreckage of Michaels plane five months after he was shot down, 60 miles north of Saigon. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. From a computer genius to a popular sitcom star, talented women have made their mark in the U.S. military. She suffered a stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family said Thursday. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. United States Air Force Vietnam Veteran. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. Webb devised an ingenious solution: hide the crash-site artifacts where no one would ever find them, in the casket with the remains of X-26. Jean Blassie holds a photo of her son Michael Blassie while seated in the living room of her apartment in Florissant, on May 2, 1998. (AP Photo/Brian K. Diggs), In thisJune, 30, 1998, photo,Joan Blassie, right, the mother of the Michael Blassie reacts to the news that the remains in the Tomb of Unknowns were confirmed by DNA testing as belonging to her son Lt. Michael Blassie, who was shot down over Vietnam. I dont know any of them. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. Part 2: DNA. See http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BlassieMJ01a.htm read more No other MIA or KIA even remotely near the An Lc location would have possessed a life raft, parachute, and pistol holster. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. Please try again later. He died in 1991. Michaels younger sister, Patricia Blassie, was seven years old when her big brother with the gentle smile left for the Air Force Academy in 1966. DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. World War I ushered in an era of total war and mass conscription, in which the combatants on both sides were mostly ordinary citizens, often rendered anonymous amidst the violence of the Western Front. Michael Joseph Blassie Collection: U.S. Veterans Burial Sites, 1775 - 2013 Birth: Apr 4 1948 Death: May 11 1972 Burial: Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 2900 Sheridan Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63125, USA View the Record Michael Joseph Blassiein Vietnam Casualties, 1956 - 1998 Michael Joseph Blassie ", 1998 The Associated Press. They were just looking out for him until he could go home. She stood strong, did what was right and led the family.. (She would retire in 2018 as a full-bird Colonel). At least he went into a place of honor.. Blassie, said Ted, I believe your son is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. Morphological approximation, worthless though it was, provided quick answers and a veneer of scientific validation. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . Jean Blassie dies; she fought to get her son buried at home in St. Louis. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have hallowed it far above our poor power to add or detract.". Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. Many Vietnam veterans, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. They had a letter from his flight leader, James Connally, who recapped what had happened., Still, without remains, there was a terrible sense of open-ended grief. memorial page for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie (4 Apr 1948-11 May 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 4245, citing Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay . In World War I there were around 1,648 Unknowns, in World War II there were 8,526, the Korean war there were 848. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ Try again. CBS Evening News went public with the explosive story in a broadcast on January 19, 1998. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. A 1970 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he served in the Vietnam War as a 1st Lieutenant the 8th Special Operations Squadron. On March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) launched a massive surprise attack on the South. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat" Visit the digital memorial page of Veteran Michael Joseph Blassie where you can share stories, photos, biographies, obituaries, tributes and more. Baracus on "The A-Team," Mr. T was a member of the biggest team of them all -- the U.S "I was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being Copyright 2023 Military.com. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. I missed the names of the two announcers who discussed the Arlington Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument and chuckled together over some of the changing of the guard ceremony and sentry duties. The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. We want the truth, we want to bring him home. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35, Pandemic-era food benefits end for millions of Americans as costs rise, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. She met George Blassie, a butcher, at a ballroom dance. No one knows how many remains from Vietnam and elsewhere were buried in the wrong graves because of these flawed identification procedures. She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. We were all so proud of him. Those who fell in the Vietnam War would thereby be honored alongside the three other Unknowns from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. In addition, a single strand of hair found in the flight suit yielded an estimated blood type O negative. but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Try again later. It was his 138th combat mission. In 1972, it was still under the control of the South Vietnamese military, along with a handful of American advisors, but it was surrounded by an invading North Vietnamese Army. The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform. It didnt matter if you wanted to honor all those who served or merely those who died, those who volunteered or those who were drafted, or even whether you were for the war or against it. Then, as more information about those remains was discovered, only one set of remains remained unknown. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. Learn more about merges. She permitted Vince Gonzalez to access a trove of new documents through the Freedom of Information Act pertaining to the selection and entombment of the Vietnam Unknowns remains. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. They never got updates on recovery efforts. After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. The guards coming on duty are inspected for perfection in uniform, and inspector found some problem with the new guards blouse. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Five months later, during a sweep of the area, a South Vietnamese Army patrol recovered a pelvis, an upper arm bone, and some ribs, as well as the remnants of a flight suit, a life raft, pieces of a parachute, and part of a USAF holster. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The six fragments in file X-26 were the exception. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. In honor of the Coast Guard's birthday, we've put together a quiz on the service's history and traditions. Michael Blassie was therefore ruled out as a possible match. Oops, something didn't work. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. "He and. France, Romania, Italy everybody at the same time jumped on this idea. For decades, the United States has honored its wartime dead by designating for burial at Arlington National Cemetery an unknown soldier, one whose anonymous tomb represents all the dead comrades and honors all their deeds. The date, location of the crash, bone fragments from the body and remnants of his flight suit and parachute led to the conclusion that it was Michael. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. But I know each one had a life worth living. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. Two weeks after the offensive began, combined NVA and Viet Cong forces laid siege to the provincial capital of An Lc, located 100km north of Saigon. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. "This shrine was still distant from his house, the soil of Missouri, the banks of the Mississippi. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect Hundreds, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen and House minority leader Richard Gephardt, attended the ceremony. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. The remains would eventually arrive at the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, but not before thewallet which was critical in linking the remains to Blassie went missing. He believed, for example, that Senator John McCain had been brainwashed at the Hanoi Hilton and was sent back to the US to orchestrate official coverups of living POWs in Southeast Asia. On March 21, 1984, Webb reluctantly signed. After the Civil War, the Union buried 2,111 soldiers in a mass grave in Arlington that they purposely built in the middle of Robert E. Lees rose garden. The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. So were dozens of Michaels old friends, classmates, and comrades in arms, along with thousands of others, including Vietnam veterans, who came to commemorate the return of a lost brother. For the Blassie family and the country as a whole, this is a very difficult time. I want to bring my son home.. The remains were exhumed in May; DNA tests that were not available 26 years ago confirmed the remains were Blassie's. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Helton, L.M. During a memorial service Friday evening at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Blassie was remembered as a courageous young man who fought for peace. There, a plaque holds words from. Om 1992, the Defense Department started collecting and holding blood samples from all inductees for possible future DNA comparisons. Whatever the case, other aircraft were dispatched to the area to provide cover for an Army chopper rescue team, all for naught. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. Perhaps they should put up a new plaque at the memorial that talks about the fact that there may never again be an unknown soldier. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. Blassie's mother, three sisters and brother each carried small American flags during the service. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . Try again later. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. Just to eliminate doubt, Patricia traveled to the Air Force Casualty Office at Randolph AFB in San Antonio to ask if there might be any truth to Sampleys claims. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in St. Louis, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. DNA identification had yet to advance to its current state when Blassie's remains were repatriated, and he lay in the Tomb of the Unknowns up to 1998, with visitors paying respects but unaware of his identity. He had written an article he said proved that her brother had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery on May 28, 1984. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. "Today was a significant day for us," Blassie's brother, George Blassie said during Friday's service. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. Resend Activation Email. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. Patricia is on Michaels right (Blassie family). Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. Over a quarter million people lined the route to Arlington National Cemetery. Failed to report flower. After the war, Railton advocated for a grave bearing the body of a single soldier to bring the impossibly large tragedy down to a human scale. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. Sampleys words landed like a percussion grenade in the Blassie household. 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