Blassie was born in St. Louis in 1948. 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. "We were all so proud of him. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. 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. & Spitz, D.J. Sampleys words landed like a percussion grenade in the Blassie household. It wasnt until World War I that it occurred to anyone to bury a single unknown soldier in a public setting. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. But not all remains can be identified with such methods. 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. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. At least he went into a place of honor.. i . 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.. (She would retire in 2018 as a full-bird Colonel). 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. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified. Dubbed the "super-tweet . US air power was used extensively in defense of the city and five aircraft were lost that day: A-37B-1st Lt Michael J Blassie, 8th SOS, O-2A-Capt, Barry K Allmond, 21st TASS, O-2A, 1st Lt John H Haselton, 21st TASS, AH-1G Cpt . They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. Some evidence suggests that the remains ceremonially laid to rest by President Reagan 14 years ago belong to 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a decorated flier still officially listed as missing in . He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. She stood strong, did what was right and led the family.. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. Try again later. 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. Just to eliminate doubt, Patricia traveled to the Air Force Casualty Office at Randolph AFB in San Antonio to ask if there might be any truth to Sampleys claims. I wouldnt think there was a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns, she recalled thinking. based on information from your browser. He and Michael were very close. Try again later. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. I think I know where Michael is, he said, producing a paper trail that led to Arlington Cemetery. For Mrs. Blassie, the fight to recover her sons remains took a dramatic turn during a family meeting in November 1997 at her apartment in Florissant. Instead, they were simply designated as BTB believed to be Michael Blassie. Follow him on Facebook. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Blassie died when his A-37B Dragonfly was shot down near An Lc in what was then South Vietnam. They may have received last rights, families informed, etc, but the rest of us know little about those individuals. 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. 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. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. The date, location of the crash, bone fragments from the body and remnants of his flight suit and parachute led to the conclusion that it was Michael. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. I think a third section of these guards/ceremonies around the world would have been a great inclusion. 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. Your email address will not be published. Your donations are vital to keeping us independent and strong! Learn more about managing a memorial . Your email address will not be published. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. 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). The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. Tony. One of them told her once that their mission guarding the Unknowns is never really over. On July 11, 1998, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie finally came home to St. Louis. #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { ). Required fields are marked *, 99% Invisible On March 21, 1984, Webb reluctantly signed. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. The six fragments in file X-26 were the exception. When it came to tracking MIAs, Sampley was shrewd and tireless. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. That's where he fell in love with flying, Pat Blassie said. [1] He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. From top left to bottom right: dog tag chain fragment, signal marker pouch, match holder, parachute survival guide, and ammunition pouch. So were dozens of Michaels old friends, classmates, and comrades in arms, along with thousands of others, including Vietnam veterans, who came to commemorate the return of a lost brother. On March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) launched a massive surprise attack on the South. They were just looking out for him until he could go home. The remains and associated materials were eventually turned over to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification. 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. Visit the digital memorial page of Veteran Michael Joseph Blassie where you can share stories, photos, biographies, obituaries, tributes and more. After the war, Railton advocated for a grave bearing the body of a single soldier to bring the impossibly large tragedy down to a human scale. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, as of this writing, there are still 1,584 US service members unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. We wanted to know the rest of the story. Michael, after all, was her first born. 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. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. You have permission to edit this article. And so it would have remained if a rookie CBS reporter named Vince Gonzalez hadnt run across Sampleys article about Blassie on the Internet. The test results showed a match with DNA samples from Jean Blassie and her oldest daughter. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. 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? 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. He basically sat on a shelf from 1972 to 1984, Patricia Blassie said. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day. 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. Another perspective on this issue is that all soldiers are unknown. [6] But perhaps Im speaking out of turn. The Flag: Revd David Railton MC and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, Excerpts and links to latest episodes and articles, Periodic, exclusive updates on 99PI goings-on. 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. He had written an article he said proved that her brother had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery on May 28, 1984. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? "Today was a significant day for us," Blassie's brother, George Blassie said during Friday's service. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. The saga of the Vietnam crypt of the Tomb of the Unknown is perhaps the darkest chapter of the US Department of Defenses long-running effort to account for POW/MIAs. They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. This browser does not support getting your location. These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. well, that was simply too much to believe. Webb refused. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. World War I ushered in an era of total war and mass conscription, in which the combatants on both sides were mostly ordinary citizens, often rendered anonymous amidst the violence of the Western Front. After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains of Blassie were exhumed on May 14, 1998. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. We wanted the entire truth, but they couldnt tell us that., The official designation was KIABNRKilled in Action, Body not Recovered., My father served in Normandy during World War II and he never got over losing Michael, Patricia recalls. 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. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. In January 1998, CBS Evening News broke the story: The military had hidden pilot Michael Blassies identity from his family and the public. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. On May 11, 1972, at age 24, his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft was shot down near An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon. My parents marriage did not survive. Major James Connally, Blassies flight commander, described the tragic incident in a letter to Michaels parents: Mikes plane was hit and began streaming fuel. 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. The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. They were initially classified as belonging to Lt. Blassie. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Webb devised an ingenious solution: hide the crash-site artifacts where no one would ever find them, in the casket with the remains of X-26. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. By the time his mother found out where he was, his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington. I never dreamed Id never see Michael again., The Blassie siblings, 1961. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. She was 90 and had been a longtime Florissant resident before moving to Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. By no means, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. Blassie, a 24-year-old first lieutenant, had been missing since May 11, 1972, when his A-37 fighter was shot down over An Loc during a bombing run. Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 May 11, 1972) was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. Im curious how the remains werent identifiable as Michael Blassie if he was the only remaining unidentified serviceman from the war. They were returned them home for a military burial. East wind * around 10 mph. Love each and every podcast . Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. He was unknown no more because of the determination of his mother and siblings. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. For the Blassie family and the country as a whole, this is a very difficult time. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. "He and. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. And he had only been able to find one missing plane that fully matched the planes description: Michael Blassies. "This has meant so much to us. Patricia was 13 years old when the Air Force chaplain knocked on their door to deliver the news of Michaels death. It was so exciting," she says. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. That destiny was already in motion. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. 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. In addition, a single strand of hair found in the flight suit yielded an estimated blood type O negative. Learn more about merges. 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. Think you're a Top Gun at aircraft identification? At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. Mike always knew what he wanted, I didnt. In honor of the Air Force's birthday, we've put together this Air Force history quiz. 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. In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. They never got updates on recovery efforts. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. Its one of the reasons the tomb has become one of the Washington D.C. areas biggest tourist attractions. 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. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Blassie's remains. Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. 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. She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. The first time, he was killed, his aircraft shot down while flying a mission during the Vietnam War in 1972. All Rights Reserved. She permitted Vince Gonzalez to access a trove of new documents through the Freedom of Information Act pertaining to the selection and entombment of the Vietnam Unknowns remains. American serviceman who remained behind were stretched thin. Five months later, during a sweep of the area, a South Vietnamese Army patrol recovered a pelvis, an upper arm bone, and some ribs, as well as the remnants of a flight suit, a life raft, pieces of a parachute, and part of a USAF holster. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Today he comes home.". 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. High in t the middle 30s. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns for 14 years, were identified last month by DNA testing. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. This account has been disabled. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. 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. We were all so proud of him. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified.[6]. Secretary of Defense William Cohen was on hand for the somber burial. English 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. 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. 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. Unidentified remains from that war had been analyzed over a decade and a half. The Blassies didnt know Sampley. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? They had to do more with less and that meant Michael was going to see a lot of combat. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. A virtual Cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print third section of these guards/ceremonies around the would... Much to believe the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie finally came home to St. Louis was simply too to! Described the wounded, with the most incredible presentation would have remained if a rookie CBS named. 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