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. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. 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 were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . 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. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. 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.. 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. Survivors, in addition to her daughter Patricia, include a son, George Blassie of St. Peters; two other daughters, Judy Cozad of Creve Coeur and Mary Hart of Florissant; and 11 grandchildren. memorial page for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie (4 Apr 1948-11 May 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 4245, citing Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay . Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. No other MIA or KIA even remotely near the An Lc location would have possessed a life raft, parachute, and pistol holster. He was unknown no more because of the determination of his mother and siblings. . Western reporters called it a mini-Stalingrad, the ugliest kind of siege warfare. 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. 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. }, First published on July 10, 1998 / 4:49 PM. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Institute staff later reported their surprise when they opened the casket to retrieve the DNA and saw the crash-site artifacts Major Johnie Webb had enclosed with the remains back in 1984. On July 11, 1998, Michael Blassie was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. 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. Over 130,000 NVA with their tanks and artillery swept into South Vietnam along three separate fronts, from the DMZ to Saigon. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). Patricia still visits the tomb. He must have been killed instantly since he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. 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. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. [6] 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie Birth 4 Apr 1948 Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA Death 11 May 1972 (aged 24) Bnh Long, Bnh Phc, Vietnam Memorial Site* National Vietnam Veterans Memorial Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA Show Map * A structure erected in honor of someone whose remains lie elsewhere. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. 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. Failed to remove flower. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. He was constantly researching, protesting, and pressuring the Pentagon to resolve open cases. World War II, Korea, and Vietnam each would get their own Unknown. 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. I signed up the next day. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. Love your show. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. Try again later. 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. [3] After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains were exhumed on May 14, 1998. 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. On the other, if he destroyed Blassies personal effects, he might condemn Blassies remains to permanent oblivion. Those vacuum-sealed samples now number some 8 million, sitting ready for a self-reference analysis in case of battlefield death. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. 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. In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. Vacant, it will likely remain. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. A seven-month CBS News investigation has revealed, reported correspondent Eric Engberg, that the identity of the unknown serviceman is almost certainly known, and that some military officials, for whatever reason, knew it all along and tried to hide it.. 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. He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. 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. The remains did not consist of much, just six bones. The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. Articles in U.S. 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. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: Drag and drop to reorder. And you didnt mention the shoes the specially designed shoes the sentries wear are pretty cool. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. There was a problem getting your location. 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. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. How much do you know about the founding of the U.S. Army? They interviewed Parnell, by then a retired Colonel living in Florida. The accompanying shells found their mark. American serviceman who remained behind were stretched thin. "My father, who served in Normandy during World War II, never got over losing Michael," says Patricia Blassie, who was 13 years old when her brother, the oldest of five siblings, died. His jet lost a wing, crashed and burned. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. 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. 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. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. But I know each one had a life worth living. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com Jean Blassie lost. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. The music is an original piece by our talented composer, Sean Real. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. An Army caisson carried his casket from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. You have permission to edit this article. He believed, for example, that Senator John McCain had been brainwashed at the Hanoi Hilton and was sent back to the US to orchestrate official coverups of living POWs in Southeast Asia. Try again later. 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. Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. Part 2: DNA. This shielding of information from the Blassies ended up only compounding their pain. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. The Blassie family in St. Louis didnt know Michael had been misidentified because they were never told thered been remains and effects recovered in the first place. 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. Whatever the case, other aircraft were dispatched to the area to provide cover for an Army chopper rescue team, all for naught. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. "This has meant so much to us. Patricia Blassie, today a colonel with the Air Force Reserve who lives in Georgia, told her family of a phone call she had received in 1994 from a former Army Green Beret. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Learn more about merges. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. The six fragments in file X-26 were the exception. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . 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. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. Blassie was killed during the Vietnam war in 1972 and his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns. From a computer genius to a popular sitcom star, talented women have made their mark in the U.S. military. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. They were completely cut off from the rest of the world. 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,. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. 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. Two weeks later, Michael Blassie was buried for good near the family's home . When Britain dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in 1920, it garnered a lot of attention. The ARVN turned the remains and the other crash site items over to Captain William C. Parnell, who was then serving as an operations officer at An Loc. By 1994, Patricia had risen from Airman Basic to Captain and was working in the Pentagon in Public Affairs. Parnell wrapped the remains with the effects and held them overnight. Trailing the procession were Vietnam veterans, comparatively disheveled with beards, long hair, and jungle fatigues. 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