After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 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. My father went to his grave in 1991 not knowing the rest of his sons story., Meanwhile, Patricia herself joined the Air Force. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. 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. Britains unknown warrior wasnt the only one. It was so exciting," she says. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Dad set up a little memorial in the basement and would go down there all the time and just sit., When something like this happens in a family, [it] can bring a family together or tear it apart. The next morning, he handed the package to a helicopter crew, which delivered it to the Saigon Mortuary. Through these efforts, they reviewed evidence that suggested the Vietnam War Unknown was likely Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a pilot who had been shot down in 1972. "This has meant so much to us. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." 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. On July 10, Blassie's remains arrived home to his family in Saint Louis, Missouri and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. 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. At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service. She grew bitter and even considered quitting the service. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. She worked until she was 82. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. But it doesnt make it right that we interred a known soldier, she added. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. Yesterday I read an article about three WW1 soldiers buried in Copenhagen: https://www.thelocal.dk/20190305/the-little-known-story-of-the-first-world-war-soldiers-buried-in-copenhagen. Today he comes home.". Helton, L.M. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. . Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. A decade later, however, questions began to arise about the identity of this unknown soldier. Please enter valid email address to continue. Blassie, 24, an Air Force Academy graduate and the oldest of the five children of a St. Louis meat cutter, was flying an A-37 when he was shot down over An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon in South Vietnam, on May 11, 1972. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid Members of the Air Force honor guard carry the casket containing the remains of Lt. Michael Blassie into a hearse at Scott Air Force Base on Friday, July 10, 1998. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. 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. A neighbor came over to get me, saying, Pat, you need to go inside. So I did and knew something was horribly wrong. 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.. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in St. Louis, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. [3] After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains were exhumed on May 14, 1998. After hours of discussion, Jean Blassie looked at her children and said, For 26 years, we have been told that Michael was never found, according to an article in Checkpoints magazine. Resend Activation Email. After Years As Vietnam 'Unknown,' Pilot Now Buried At Home. 99pi keep up the great work. based on information from your browser. 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. 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. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . 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. 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. But perhaps Im speaking out of turn. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. Love each and every podcast . Make sure that the file is a photo. Your email address will not be published. The remains did not consist of much, just six bones. 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. They had no way of knowing the remains so caringly committed to the Tomb were that of their son and brother. #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Blassies was A positive. The first time, he was killed, his aircraft shot down while flying a mission during the Vietnam War in 1972. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. She met George Blassie, a butcher, at a ballroom dance. 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. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Producer Joe Rosenberg spoke with Robert Poole, author of On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery; Patricia Blassie; Bill Thomas, reporter for the Washington Post; Chris Calhoon, former Army Ranger; Vince Gonzales, reporter for CBS Denver, During the last segment of your podcast, Roman asked Joe if there were any other national monuments that had a guard like this. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory. Verify and try again. Michael, after all, was her first born. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. An honor guard was fired a 21-gun salute and F-15 Eagle fighters flew overhead in the "missing man" formation as Blassie was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis in a ceremony presided over by the eldest sibling, Pat Blassie, a captain in the Air Force Reserve. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Its conceivable that they could soon use the same techniques on the unknown serviceman inside the tomb. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. One British chaplain named David Railton saw some of the worst of the fighting on the front lines. Scientists at CIL-HI estimated the deceaseds age to be between 26-33 years and height between 65.2-71.5 inches. In 1997, Gonzalez contacted Patricia. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. Theyre too upsetting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. 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. Out of the fog of war comes another version of the incident, one in which Michaels Dragonfly inverts upside down, and Michael ejects from the stricken aircraft. St. Louis native Michael Blassie was the picture of an ideal young Air Force officer: tall, handsome, with a hospitable grin and approachable demeanor. An Army caisson carried his casket from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. For Pat Blassie, Michael's sister, the once unknown soldier still is a symbol for the country. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing . Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. Think you're a Top Gun at aircraft identification? She was 90 and had been a longtime Florissant resident before moving to Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. 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. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. 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. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. Unlike nuclear DNA, each cell carries more than a hundred copies of mtDNA, since each cell contains many mitochondria but only one nucleus. In the early 1990s, Blassie's family received word that his remains might be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown. Dubbed the "super-tweet . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." On May 11, Communist forces unleashed an all-out assault to take An Lc. Over 130,000 NVA with their tanks and artillery swept into South Vietnam along three separate fronts, from the DMZ to Saigon. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on . On 11 May 1972 the city of An Loc SVN was under attack by North Vietnamese forces during the so-called Spring Offensive. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . Sampley was a former Green Beret who had served in Vietnam. After Blassie's family secured permission . In my 17-year-old mind, that sounded like a good deal.. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. Michaels missions took him all over Vietnam, but the most dangerous was arguably over a place called An Loc, a town about 50 miles north of Saigon. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed 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. Jean Frances Adrian grew up in Jennings. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. If we were confident enough the remains belonged to a US soldier that we put them in the tomb of the unknown, wouldnt process of elimination lead us to this conclusion? cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Michael Blassie and T-38 jet trainer (Blassie family). For 14 years, the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie lay beneath the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington. United States Air Force Vietnam Veteran. Twenty-six years after he died, 1st Lt. Michael Blassie came home. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. Then, in January 1972, he joined the 8th Special Operations Squadron of the 377th Air Base Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. He basically sat on a shelf from 1972 to 1984, Patricia Blassie said. } You need a Find a Grave account to continue. but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. Joseph Michael Leo Findlan Obituary. 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. He had been shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972.. Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. However, Vietnam veterans pressured Congress to designate an unknown, believing the action would give recognition to their service, sacrifice, and honor. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Parnell soon turned the remains over to the Saigon mortuary, along with the ID card and other items. Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform. In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. He knew morphological approximation was a flawed identification technique, and he suspected that someday, X-26 might be identified, especially given the personal effects and documents associated with the bone fragments. 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. Railton would spend his nights conducting funeral services over the often unidentifiable remains of soldiers ripped apart by shellfire, sometimes burying them on the spot or en masse in the giant craters the shells had left behind. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. Sampley told them that remains had been discovered near Michaels crash site, along with items belonging to an Air Force pilot. As is standard, all records pertaining to these remains were destroyed. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. She and her four children met to try to figure out what to do. Weve updated the security on the site. Webb refused. I wouldnt think there was a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns, she recalled thinking. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Michael Blassie (4245)? To use this feature, use a newer browser. This is a carousel with slides. There was no question, the remains were Michaels. Dont let my viewpoint sully your experience. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. As the Medal of Honor was ceremoniously presented to the unidentified remains, it did not transfer to Blassie who did receive four awards, including the Silver Star (see above), on his own merit for documented valor, heroism and achievements during his actions in combat in Vietnam. Immediate recovery attempts were launched, but Blassie had crashed in an area controlled by enemy forces so it was impossible to examine the crash site. In October of 1972, over five months after Blassies plane had disappeared into the jungle, Calhoon assembled a South Vietnamese patrol to enter North Vietnamese territory to find the wreckage. And they never learned the truth: that their son Michaels remains were discovered some five months after his death. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. 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,. 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). Web Policies, Careers, Accessibility, HHS Vulnerability Disclosure NLM, 8600 Rockville Pike Bethesda MD 20894 NIH, HHS, FOIA, NLM Support Center, Last reviewed: 03 December 2014Last updated: 05 June 2014First published: 16 February 2006, Air Force equipment found with Michael Blassie. 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. The guards coming on duty are inspected for perfection in uniform, and inspector found some problem with the new guards blouse. 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. We've created a quiz to test your ability to recognize military aircraft. Blassie was laid to rest beneath lush bluegrass in the cemetery's oldest section, established in 1826 alongside the original military post. I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. #HonorVeterans #VetLegacies. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Try again later. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. The enemy threw up what was described as a murderous hail of fire which prevented any rescue or recovery attempt. Become a member of the Veterans Breakfast Club for only $36/year! How to honor unidentified remains has always been one of the great conundrums of war. English Many Vietnam veterans, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. Morphological approximation presumed that one could determine personal characteristics like age and height by careful examination of bone fragments. The original military post bitter and even considered quitting the service and artillery swept into South Vietnam in 1972 presumed! 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