}, First published on July 10, 1998 / 4:49 PM. Try again later. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. But perhaps Im speaking out of turn. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. Blassie was killed during the Vietnam war in 1972 and his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns. There was no question, the remains were Michaels. Love each and every podcast . The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. My parents marriage did not survive. That just couldnt be. 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. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. Family members linked to this person will appear here. 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. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. In 1994, over two decades after Michael had been killed, his family received a phone call from a complete stranger named Ted Sampley. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. 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. 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. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. We have set your language to i . If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. By 1972, when Michael was deployed, Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. Please reset your password. However, analysis at the time suggested that the remains were not a compelling match to Blassie's age and height. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Or so the story went. Vacant, it will likely remain. These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service. 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. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. Patricia still visits the tomb. They were initially classified as belonging to Lt. Blassie. He was unknown no more because of the determination of his mother and siblings. I dont know any of them. The Air Force told the Blassie family in St. Louis all they knew: their son had been killed in action, but his remains could not be recovered since he went down in enemy-held territory. Instead of moving Michaels remains to the burial ground at Arlington, the family decided to have Michael re-interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery along the Mississippi River just south of the city. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. In honor of the Air Force's birthday, we've put together this Air Force history quiz. Blassie was then listed as "killed in action, no body recoverd." Oops, we were unable to send the email. Maj. Allan J. Kellogg Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on May 17, 1984,[2] and were transported aboard the USSBrewton to Naval Air Station Alameda. Failed to report flower. Patricia is on Michaels right (Blassie family). Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. 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. Weve updated the security on the site. Your email address will not be published. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. Dont let my viewpoint sully your experience. 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. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). The six fragments in file X-26 were the exception. But Mrs. Blassie also had a hunch. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. well, that was simply too much to believe. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. (eds): Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 18:50, "Soldier In Tomb Of Unknowns May Actually Be Known", "The Vietnam Unknown Soldier Can Be Identified", "Defense.gov News Article: Vietnam Unknown's Medal of Honor Transfer Denied", "The Evolution of the Tomb of the Unknowns", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Blassie&oldid=1139961298, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 18:50. 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. They had no way of knowing the remains so caringly committed to the Tomb were that of their son and brother. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Process of elimination might sounded like it could have worked, until you take in account of the 2000+ MIA service members in that war. She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. Mike always knew what he wanted, I didnt. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Jean Frances Adrian grew up in Jennings. 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). Those vacuum-sealed samples now number some 8 million, sitting ready for a self-reference analysis in case of battlefield death. display: block; The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. 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. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. He was shot down and killed while piloting his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft in the vicinity of An Loc, in South Vietnam. I didnt even know how to go about college. Ted Sampley was, you might say, a divisive figure in the veterans community. He died in 1991. Mrs. Webb would later call his grappling with that order the struggle of my life. On the one hand, hed risk court-martial by not destroying the evidence. Id left school early that day, and I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed On 11 May 1972 the city of An Loc SVN was under attack by North Vietnamese forces during the so-called Spring Offensive. Four low-flying F-15s flew overhead, with one pulling out of formation in a missing man salute. . If they had, they might have hung up on him. It was so exciting, she says. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. It was so exciting," she says. The body will be cremated and her remains buried at Calvary Cemetery with her parents and grandparents. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. Tony. } His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. The American memorial is especially beautiful. Updated: June 21, 2016 . 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. 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 May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. 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. & Spitz, D.J. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The discovery of personal effects at the crash site should have converted Michael Blassie from a Vietnam MIA to a KIA, closing his case. By no means, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. After Years As Vietnam 'Unknown,' Pilot Now Buried At Home. Dubbed the "super-tweet . 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. Today: Cloudy with a chance of sprinkles or flurries. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory. 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. "He and. [6] They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. But I know each one had a life worth living. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. "X-26" remained in Arlington with his unknown comrades, watched by the solemn Old Guard, until 1998, when new questions about Blassie's whereabouts surfaced. And so it would have remained if a rookie CBS reporter named Vince Gonzalez hadnt run across Sampleys article about Blassie on the Internet. Following the removal of Blassie's remains from the Tomb of the Unknowns, the slab marking "Vietnam" over the crypt that once held his remains was replaced with one that read "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen",[7] as it was decided that the Vietnam crypt would remain a vacant cenotaph. They married in 1947 and had five children. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. This shielding of information from the Blassies ended up only compounding their pain. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . His jet lost a wing, crashed and burned. 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. 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. Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . It turns out that, unlike previous wars, the Vietnam War didnt produce many Unknowns. To Army scientists, these findings superseded any other evidence, such as documents or personal effects. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Add to your scrapbook. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Western reporters called it a mini-Stalingrad, the ugliest kind of siege warfare. Major James Connally, Blassies flight commander, described the tragic incident in a letter to Michaels parents: Mikes plane was hit and began streaming fuel. Please try again later. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. . The remains were eventually sent to a search and recovery center in Thailand before being forwarded to the Army's central identification lab in Hawaii. Secretary of Defense William Cohen was on hand for the somber burial. After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. Without a positive match, due to Army policy, the Blassie family could not even be told that any remains had been found. The Vietnam unknown was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, beneath the headstone that reads, "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God." The aircraft went down in flames. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. 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. 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. She grew bitter and even considered quitting the service. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. Every recovered American service member killed in action since the Vietnam War has been identified and buried. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. Trending News The dedication alone attracted so many mourners, the line for viewing lasted ten days. 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. On May 14, 1998, the remains were exhumed and tested, revealing the "unknown" soldier to be Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. "Mike lived a hero, and he came home a hero," said Emanuel Cassimatis, the Air Force Academy liaison officer who recruited Blassie in 1965. Make sure that the file is a photo. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. She said then-President Ronald Reagan had wanted to add a Vietnam War soldier to the Tomb of the Unknowns, joining the unknown soldiers from World War I and II and the Korean War. Test your knowledge! Over a quarter million people lined the route to Arlington National Cemetery. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. No one knows how many remains from Vietnam and elsewhere were buried in the wrong graves because of these flawed identification procedures. East wind * around 10 mph. 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. 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. Part 2: DNA. 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. Instead, they were simply designated as BTB believed to be Michael Blassie. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Michael Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. She stood strong, did what was right and led the family.. She was sad about Michaels death but was happy to have him back, Patricia Blassie said. Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. This account has been disabled. "We were all so proud of him. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Michaels plane had crashed deep in North Vietnamese held territory. 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. His sister, Pat Blassie, was 10 years younger than her brother, but she remembered he started working as a kid by selling newspapers on the street corner. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. On the other, if he destroyed Blassies personal effects, he might condemn Blassies remains to permanent oblivion. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. That Michael might be in the Tomb of the Unknown . They interviewed Parnell, by then a retired Colonel living in Florida. Former GOP Candidate's Military Records Improperly Shared with Democratic Group, Why DARPA Banned the First-Ever First Person Shooter Video Game, Navy Renaming USS Chancellorsville to Honor Union Army Hero, Statesman Who Was Born into Slavery, 2 Commanders Among 6 Fired from Jobs at Minot Air Force Base, Morgan Freeman Turned Down an Acting Scholarship to Join the Air Force. 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. He must have been killed instantly since he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. The chain of custody began with Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at An Lc. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. But they had also brought back other evidence: an uninflated raft, a parachute, part of Michaels flight suit, and critically: his wallet with pictures of him and his family. The first time, he was killed, his aircraft shot down while flying a mission during the Vietnam War in 1972. 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. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. On March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) launched a massive surprise attack on the South. f\j Weather. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat" 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.

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