To use this feature, use a newer browser. Blassies was A positive. This is a carousel with slides. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. \ . 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. As far as she was concerned, the case was closed. 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. And he had only been able to find one missing plane that fully matched the planes description: Michael Blassies. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. During my only visit to the Tomb of the Unknowns, during the changing of the guard, I witnessed what may be a rare event. From a computer genius to a popular sitcom star, talented women have made their mark in the U.S. military. The six fragments in file X-26 were the exception. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Follow him on Facebook. 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. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. A fellow airman saw tracer rounds directed toward Mikes A-37. They married in 1947 and had five children. They denied it. 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. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. The remains in the tomb are not even technically referred to as an unknown soldier. No one knows which service theyre from, so instead of soldier or sailor or marine, theyre simply referred to as the Unknown. In fact, anything that narrows the scope of who this person could be including where exactly they were found is purposely withheld from the public in order to make sure that they represent every possible service member. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Try again later. Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. 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. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . "At a moment of great crises in the history of the world, he gave of himself," Archbishop Justin Rigali said to about 350 friends, family members and current and former members of the military. He also added the critical notation: BTB [Believed to Be] Lt. Blassie, Michael Joseph.. Im a former Soldier from Australia, and a Tour Guide around Europe, and i immediately thought of all the different changing of the guards, and unknown Tombs i have visited. On July 11, 1998, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie finally came home to St. Louis. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have hallowed it far above our poor power to add or detract.". You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. "Today was a significant day for us," Blassie's brother, George Blassie said during Friday's service. 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. Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid. The Blassies went public, calling for DNA tests to prove that the remains were Michaels. 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." And so it would have remained if a rookie CBS reporter named Vince Gonzalez hadnt run across Sampleys article about Blassie on the Internet. This browser does not support getting your location. Pilots loved itbecause being that close the ground heightened the sense of flight and speed. 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. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns for 14 years, were identified last month by DNA testing. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. From there, the remains and effects went to Camp Samae San, Thailand, where the US ran a search and recovery center. 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. By 1994, Patricia had risen from Airman Basic to Captain and was working in the Pentagon in Public Affairs. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. In addition, a single strand of hair found in the flight suit yielded an estimated blood type O negative. . It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. Verify and try again. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Many Vietnam veterans, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. Michael, after all, was her first born. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. In the early 1990s, Blassie's family received word that his remains might be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. display: block; That destiny was already in motion. 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. Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. France, Romania, Italy everybody at the same time jumped on this idea. With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Patricia was 13 years old when the Air Force chaplain knocked on their door to deliver the news of Michaels death. Add to your scrapbook. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. By taking towns and cities in the South, the North Vietnamese sought to gain territory and improve their bargaining position at the Paris Peace talks underway. United States Air Force Vietnam Veteran. Hurtful also were the objections she and her family received from Vietnam veterans, who resented the Blassies for taking away their Unknown. In January 1998, CBS Evening News broke the story: The military had hidden pilot Michael Blassies identity from his family and the public. The government does not have the right to keep such information from the family., When I looked into all the documents and from my personal research, it was obvious that improper decisions were being made, and all of sudden Michael is the Unknown representing the missing from the Vietnam War. They interviewed Parnell, by then a retired Colonel living in Florida. At the request of Blassie's family, the Department of Defense exhumed the remains from the Vietnam Unknown's crypt on May 14, 1998. Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. Please enter your email and password to sign in. The dedication alone attracted so many mourners, the line for viewing lasted ten days. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this undated 1971 file photo made during flight training. The recruiters said if I joined the Air Force, Id travel, get excellent training,and an education. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. On the other, if he destroyed Blassies personal effects, he might condemn Blassies remains to permanent oblivion. Parnell soon turned the remains over to the Saigon mortuary, along with the ID card and other items. Plot display: none; In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." 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. English Learn more about managing a memorial . Still, as hesitant as he was,Gonzales thought maybe there could be more to the story. He was unknown no more because of the determination of his mother and siblings. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. She worked until she was 82. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. The Army lab in Hawaii removed the BTB designation and, through a later discredited technique called morphological approximation, declared Michael Blassies remains as belonging to Unknown.. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. On March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) launched a massive surprise attack on the South. See http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BlassieMJ01a.htm read more Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Michael Joseph Blassie (1948 - 1972) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days How do we create a person's profile? But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. Its conceivable that they could soon use the same techniques on the unknown serviceman inside the tomb. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Mrs. 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. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. Michaels plane had crashed deep in North Vietnamese held territory. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. He died in 1991. Id left school early that day, and I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam. #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. We wanted to know the rest of the story. It sits at the top of a hill that overlooks the rest of Arlington Cemetery. The next time, the Air Force lost him. display: none; How much do you know about the founding of the U.S. Army? The pressures of war put a premium on closing cases and moving on, getting the job done even if that meant rushing lab reports. 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. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Twenty-six years after he died, 1st Lt. Michael Blassie came home. Please reset your password. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. Patricia Blassie took the information to officials at the Air Force Casualty Office. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. I know about Ted Sampleys past, he told her, but I believe its true.. (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. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). Ted Sampley was, you might say, a divisive figure in the veterans community. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. But thanks to improved battlefield evacuation tactics, the Vietnam War produced only four sets of unidentified remains that could potentially go into the tomb. That's where he fell in love with flying, Pat Blassie said. 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. I didnt have any direction, and the family was lower-middle income. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. 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. Sampley had come across some second-hand accounts suggesting that Americas only set of unknown remains from Vietnam had been recovered from an aircraft that had been shot down in 1972. The city of An Loc was totally leveled it looked like Hiroshima, says Chris Calhoon who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. Blassie dropped in low for a bombing run on attacking forces when enemy anti-aircraft fire boomed from the ground. Thanks Dennis! The preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. After Blassie's family secured permission . The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: Drag and drop to reorder. On May 14, 1998, the remains were exhumed and tested, revealing the "unknown" soldier to be Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. 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. Every recovered American service member killed in action since the Vietnam War has been identified and buried. Unlike nuclear DNA, each cell carries more than a hundred copies of mtDNA, since each cell contains many mitochondria but only one nucleus. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35 } Blassie was buried Saturday with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. 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. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com. 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. 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. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. CBS Evening News went public with the explosive story in a broadcast on January 19, 1998. I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? I assume now he was meaning in America but i immediately thought to other Countries national Monuments. Even though they were still officially believed to belong to Blassie, the lab was ordered to strip the remains of their believed to be designation, and give them the anonymous designation X-26. Because mtDNA is passed along the maternal line, scientists compared the Unknown Soldier's DNA against two samples submitted by First Lieutenant Blassie's mother and sister and found a match. With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the forefront of forensic technologies. We want the truth, we want to bring him home. How to make the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to for the 99PI newsletter to get 1/week! 8Th special Operations Squadron, Romania, Italy everybody at the Hawaii Laboratory saw identification. 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