See http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BlassieMJ01a.htm read more Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. 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. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member from the Vietnam War buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Verify and try again. There was an error deleting this problem. The president meant to assure families of soldiers with MIA status that their loved ones would not be forgotten, but his words were prescient of the Vietnam unknown's fate. Id also remind them that Michael was never an Unknown Soldier. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Hundreds, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen and House minority leader Richard Gephardt, attended the ceremony. He died in 1991. Helton, L.M. The remains and associated materials were eventually turned over to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification. In: Spitz, W.U. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid Check out member benefits and perks . Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. His body wouldnt be coming home. Everything about the war not only the numbers, but the nature of it was dehumanizing, says Robert Poole, author of the book On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery. On March 21, 1984, Webb reluctantly signed. Michael Blassie and T-38 jet trainer (Blassie family). Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. Try again later. With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the forefront of forensic technologies. Over a quarter million people lined the route to Arlington National Cemetery. 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. Jean Blassie, center, mother of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, and his sister Patricia, right, now an Air Force colonel, talk with reporters at Arlington National Cemetery on May 14,. But Mrs. Blassie also had a hunch. DNA tests determined that the remains in the tomb were those of Blassie. Post-Dispatch file photo, Workers cover the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on May 13, 1998, in anticipation of the exhumation of the remains of the Vietnam unknown. On 11 May 1972 the city of An Loc SVN was under attack by North Vietnamese forces during the so-called Spring Offensive. Pressure began to mount in Washington to place a service member from Vietnam in the tomb of the unknowns, but by 1980 the Blassie remains were the only ones left that hadnt been conclusively identified. 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. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? 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. They were completely cut off from the rest of the world. Patricia is on Michaels right (Blassie family). "This shrine was still distant from his house, the soil of Missouri, the banks of the Mississippi. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified. But in 1956, one small, seemingly innocent change to the formula of the Unknown would prove problematic: we began to add another set of unidentified remains for every subsequent war. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. By the time the package arrived in Hawaii, the wallet and ID were missing, presumed stolen during storage or transit. On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . Michael Blassie The Final Mission. Dubbed the "super-tweet . . Revealing the Unknown: The Mystery of Michael Blassie | Missouri Historical Society 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was killed in action during the Vietnam War, but his remains were unrecovered because the fighting was so intense in the area where his plane crashed. Signaling its determination to have its Vietnam Unknown, the Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive ID of X-26. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . The Pentagon had kept them in the dark, probably with the good intention of not getting the familys hopes up until Michaels identity could be confirmed. On July 11, 1998, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie finally came home to St. Louis. France, Romania, Italy everybody at the same time jumped on this idea. After graduating from St. Louis University High School he entered the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1970. But it doesnt make it right that we interred a known soldier, she added. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." Mourners are grateful for their extra effort. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Blassie was declared missing in action and presumed dead. You can watch his conversation with Colonel Patricia Blassie on A Veterans Story on the VBCs YouTube channel, youtube.com/veteransbreakfastclub. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. 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. Part 2: DNA. Hurtful also were the objections she and her family received from Vietnam veterans, who resented the Blassies for taking away their Unknown. I want to bring my son home.. The year after Michael Blassies death, Congress directed the Department of Defense to select the remains of an Unknown Vietnam servicemember to be interred in Arlington National Cemeterys Tomb of the Unknown. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Michael's younger sister, Patricia Blassie, was seven years old when her big brother with the gentle smile left for the Air Force Academy in 1966. Though discovered in South Vietnam at the crash site, along with personal effects and survival gear, the remains of US Air Force pilot 1st Lt. Michael Blassie got labeled Unknown. It took the hard work of an eccentric Vietnam veteran activist, an investigative reporter, and the Blassie family to cut through years of bureaucratic bungling, official stonewalling, and government deceit to rescue Blassie from the Tomb and bring him home. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. This browser does not support getting your location. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. . We want the truth, we want to bring him home. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. Veteran Dispatch. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. Morphological approximation, worthless though it was, provided quick answers and a veneer of scientific validation. . (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Pat Blassie (second from left) points out to her mother Jean Blassie (third from left) and her sister Mary Hart (right) the C-130 Hercules plane as it arrives at Scott Air Force Base with their brother Michael Blassie's remains. He was shot down and killed while piloting his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft in the vicinity of An Loc, in South Vietnam. One British chaplain named David Railton saw some of the worst of the fighting on the front lines. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. They had no way of knowing the remains so caringly committed to the Tomb were that of their son and brother. Morphological approximation presumed that one could determine personal characteristics like age and height by careful examination of bone fragments. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. But I know each one had a life worth living. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. The next time, the Air Force lost him. A fellow airman saw tracer rounds directed toward Mikes A-37. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Your email address will not be published. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Mrs. It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. 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. Vacant, it will likely remain. Whatever the case, other aircraft were dispatched to the area to provide cover for an Army chopper rescue team, all for naught. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. He told her that he had been researching who was shot down on the date of Michaels death and he believed that her brothers remains were in the Tomb of the Unknowns. There was a problem getting your location. In addition, a single strand of hair found in the flight suit yielded an estimated blood type O negative. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. After Blassie's family secured permission . Blassie died when his A-37B Dragonfly was shot down near An Lc in what was then South Vietnam. #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { It can represent all soldiers. They talked to anyone they could find who was involved in the unknown selection process, and when they felt they were ready, they handed over their findings to Patricia Blassie. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The next morning, he handed the package to a helicopter crew, which delivered it to the Saigon Mortuary. Armed with the documents, he teamed up with veteran CBS correspondent, Eric Engberg. 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. ). The US Air Force responded with aerial counterattacks. Calhoon assumed that Michaels remains would be returning to his family. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. The chain of custody began with Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at An Lc. As far as she was concerned, the case was closed. Please reset your password. From top left to bottom right: dog tag chain fragment, signal marker pouch, match holder, parachute survival guide, and ammunition pouch. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Joseph Michael Leo Findlan (Amelia, Ohio), who passed away on February 24, 2022, at the age of 71, leaving to mourn family and friends. Theyre too upsetting. Placing a Medal of Honor on X-26s flag-draped casket, the President concluded, Thank you, dear son, and may God cradle you in his loving arms.. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 May 11, 1972) was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, as of this writing, there are still 1,584 US service members unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. By no means, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. The recruiters said if I joined the Air Force, Id travel, get excellent training,and an education. East wind * around 10 mph. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Oops, something didn't work. It was so exciting," she says. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. She grew bitter and even considered quitting the service. Those vacuum-sealed samples now number some 8 million, sitting ready for a self-reference analysis in case of battlefield death. He died on May 11, 1972 at age 24. Then, in January 1972, he joined the 8th Special Operations Squadron of the 377th Air Base Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Forensic anthropologists took the aged and damaged samples of bone for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service. DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. "The resting place of Michael was for so long the Tomb of the Unknowns," Rigali said. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. Gonzales began filing FOIA requests and eventually got back a thick envelope with military documents showing the entire process of the Unknown Soldier selection process. With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Thanks Dennis! Pete Mecca is a speaker, author, and Vietnam Air Force veteran who runs VeteransArticle.com and hosts VBCs A Veterans Story every second Thursday online. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. He was convinced the government wasnt telling veterans everything it knew, and he was calling Patricia Blassie with an outlandish theory about Michaels death. Chuck Norris, U.S. military veteran, and martial arts superstar began honing his skills in Korea while serving in the Air Before he went on to fame as B.A. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. For the past year, Pat Blassie crusaded for the disinterment, convinced that recent evidence - including Blassie's wallet and dog tags found near the crash site - suggested the remains were those of her brother. American serviceman who remained behind were stretched thin. She was 90 and had been a longtime Florissant resident before moving to Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. CBS Evening News went public with the explosive story in a broadcast on January 19, 1998. Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. 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