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). Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. A neighbor came over to get me, saying, Pat, you need to go inside. So I did and knew something was horribly wrong. Then, according to Webb, the Pentagon issued a second order: destroy any evidence linking file X-26 to Michael Blassie, including the personal artifacts from the crash site. I talked with many of them and they would say, But this is the one honor we received, and the Blassie family is disrupting that honor. I would reply, All the Vietnam Unknowns should be accounted for by the government. I would remind them of that, and Id tell them our family story. The test results showed a match with DNA samples from Jean Blassie and her oldest daughter. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Today, said President Reagan at the Tomb, we pause to embrace him and all who served so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." And so it would have remained if a rookie CBS reporter named Vince Gonzalez hadnt run across Sampleys article about Blassie on the Internet. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. Michael Joseph Blassie, the oldest of five children of a St. Louis meat cutter, entered the Air Force Academy in 1966 and received his officer's commission in June 1970. 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. In celebration of the Marine Corps' birthday, Military.com has put together this Marine Corps history quiz. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) differs from nuclear DNA because human beings inherit mtDNA solely from the mother and share this information with siblings and maternal relatives. This browser does not support getting your location. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. If they had, they might have hung up on him. 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. The discovery of personal effects at the crash site should have converted Michael Blassie from a Vietnam MIA to a KIA, closing his case. No one doubted his commitment to the cause of POW/MIAs. On July 11, 1998, Michael Blassie was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. In 1983, Congress and the Reagan administration, under pressure from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, agreed to move the remains of X-26 into the Tomb of the Unknown as a healing gesture for a country still traumatized by the Vietnam War. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . [5] On June 30, 1998, the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. Blassies was A positive. They may have received last rights, families informed, etc, but the rest of us know little about those individuals. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. (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. The DNA technology that could conclusively identify the remains was just around the corner, but in 1984 they were ordered to prepare X-26 for burial. Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Dont let my viewpoint sully your experience. They were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. ", 1998 The Associated Press. Patricia Blassie took the information to officials at the Air Force Casualty Office. Yet he was found five months after he was shot down and then buried without our knowledge in the Tomb of the Unknowns. but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. A helicopter team tried to get to the crash site, but due to heavy enemy fire, they had to leave after just a few minutes empty-handed. 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. Try again later. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. We have set your language to } The bones were taken to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, where officials said they were "believed to be" those of Blassie. The remains did not consist of much, just six bones. His jet lost a wing, crashed and burned. I signed up the next day. However, analysis at the time suggested that the remains were not a compelling match to Blassie's age and height. Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: Drag and drop to reorder. No one wanted to inter someone who might eventually be identified. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. But thanks to improved battlefield evacuation tactics, the Vietnam War produced only four sets of unidentified remains that could potentially go into the tomb. He basically sat on a shelf from 1972 to 1984, Patricia Blassie said. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. From top left to bottom right: dog tag chain fragment, signal marker pouch, match holder, parachute survival guide, and ammunition pouch. GREAT NEWS! 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. There was an error deleting this problem. 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. "We put away no final memories.". After nearly two decades of uncertainty, the family of Blassie can finally reveal the empty crypt in which the men and women who served in Vietnam were buried, as well as the flag that was once flown over it. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Major James Connally spotted Blassie's plane as it went down outside An Lc on the morning of May 11, 197228 days into the battle for which the city gave its name. Plot A simple process of elimination made clear that the remains had to be a small fixed-wing pilot like Michael. As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. Members of the United States Air Force Color guard carry the casket containing the remains of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie on July 10, 1998 at Scott Air Force Base. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. Michael, after all, was her first born. A 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Mike qualified on the A-37B Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Cessna attack aircraft. By no means, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. Over a quarter million people lined the route to Arlington National Cemetery. He was made one., Whenever Patricias mother received criticism for requesting Michaels removal from the Tomb of the Unknown, she would simply shrug and say, Hes not your son.. The Vietnam crypt of the Tomb of the Unknown, the one that contained Michael Blassies remains, has been empty since the exhumation on May 14, 1998. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . 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. Failed to report flower. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Blassie was killed during the Vietnam war in 1972 and his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns. There is nothing but reverence, respect and deep sorrow among visitors. 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. To Army scientists, these findings superseded any other evidence, such as documents or personal effects. Parnell wrapped the remains with the effects and held them overnight. Scientists at CIL-HI estimated the deceaseds age to be between 26-33 years and height between 65.2-71.5 inches. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. Parnell soon turned the remains over to the Saigon mortuary, along with the ID card and other items. That Michael might be in the Tomb of the Unknown . There, a plaque holds words from. Michael Joseph Townsend Sr. Obituary. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns for 14 years, were identified last month by DNA testing. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. 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. The file that Vince discovered made it clear the the person who had been put in the tomb in 1984 had been far from unknown. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. A hunch told him there might be something to Sampleys claims, and he began his own investigation. 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. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. Michael Joseph Blassie was born on April 4, 1948. This account has been disabled. I want to bring my son home.. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. But for whatever reason, the first bad decision was not telling the family. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Required fields are marked *, 99% Invisible Articles in U.S. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Thanks to improved forensics, there will likely never be an unknown from Iraq or Afghanistan or any future war. At the request of Blassie's family, the Department of Defense exhumed the remains from the Vietnam Unknown's crypt on May 14, 1998. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. I dont know any of them. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. That's where he fell in love with flying, Pat Blassie said. Helton, L.M. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. Patricia still visits the tomb. The military is now in the process of using the DNA from the families of missing veterans to identify over 650 sets of unknown remains from the Korean War. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. In 1984, on Memorial Day, Blassie's remains - four ribs, pelvis and the upper part of an arm - were buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified.[6]. Also pictured is sister Judy Cozad (left). With DNA identification being used and hearing that there are no unknowns from Vietnam and that they are working currently on unknowns from the Korean war, I though, How wonderful that there will never again be an unknown soldier, everyone will be eventually brought home. Today, there is no body representing Vietnam at the tomb of the unknowns. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. [1] He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. Love your show. At least he went into a place of honor.. Your email address will not be published. Jean Blassie dies; she fought to get her son buried at home in St. Louis. I didnt have any direction, and the family was lower-middle income. The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. They were just looking out for him until he could go home. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. She suffered a stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family said Thursday. They never got updates on recovery efforts. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. It can represent all soldiers. Jean Frances Adrian grew up in Jennings. The Blassies over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor could everyone... 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