Tony. There were fewer than 25,000 US servicemen left in Vietnam, as opposed to the over 500,000 who had been deployed by the late 1960s. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Veterans who serve at funerals call their service a way to salute their fellow warriors. 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. 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. He and Michael were very close. Jean Blassie lost her son twice. Thanks Dennis! Blassie was laid to rest beneath lush bluegrass in the cemetery's oldest section, established in 1826 alongside the original military post. Patricia was 13 years old when the Air Force chaplain knocked on their door to deliver the news of Michaels death. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. 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. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Still, as hesitant as he was,Gonzales thought maybe there could be more to the story. Follow him on Facebook. He must have been killed instantly since he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. Michael Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. The first time, he was killed, his aircraft shot down while flying a mission during the Vietnam War in 1972. 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. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. 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. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified. (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. If they had, they might have hung up on him. It wasnt until World War I that it occurred to anyone to bury a single unknown soldier in a public setting. Another perspective on this issue is that all soldiers are unknown. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. . The aircraft went down in flames. With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the forefront of forensic technologies. By the time his mother found out where he was, his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in St. Louis, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. The military is now in the process of using the DNA from the families of missing veterans to identify over 650 sets of unknown remains from the Korean War. 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. Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. By 1972, when Michael was deployed, Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly. An Army caisson carried his casket from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. 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. . . Then, as more information about those remains was discovered, only one set of remains remained unknown. 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. Two weeks later, Michael Blassie was buried for good near the family's home . His remains were finally brought home aboard a C-130 cargo plane Friday in a solemn service befitting a pilot killed in the line of duty in Vietnam. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. 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. display: none; Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). The remains and associated materials were eventually turned over to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification. 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. Michael Joseph Townsend Sr. Obituary. Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Remains identification bordered on guesswork. A neighbor came over to get me, saying, Pat, you need to go inside. So I did and knew something was horribly wrong. I know about Ted Sampleys past, he told her, but I believe its true.. 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,. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. American serviceman who remained behind were stretched thin. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. In part, because the formula was so easy to follow all that was needed was the body of a single unknown soldier. His body wouldnt be coming home. 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. The ability to match mtDNA between related individuals, and the fact that it does not degrade as rapidly as nuclear DNA, makes it a valuable tool in the identification of human remains. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. The timely and accurate identification of men and women who die while serving in the armed forces has long been a priority for the United States government. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. Calhoon assumed that Michaels remains would be returning to his family,but that wasnt the case. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. 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. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Michael Blassie (4245)? Blassie's mother, three sisters and brother each carried small American flags during the service. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. 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. 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. Joseph Michael Leo Findlan Obituary. We were all so proud of him. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. }, First published on July 10, 1998 / 4:49 PM. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Plot Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Michael Blassies skeletal chart, VBC Happy Hour screenshot, 2021. And they never learned the truth: that their son Michaels remains were discovered some five months after his death. Western reporters called it a mini-Stalingrad, the ugliest kind of siege warfare. I missed the names of the two announcers who discussed the Arlington Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument and chuckled together over some of the changing of the guard ceremony and sentry duties. Add to your scrapbook. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect Verify and try again. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. On July 10, Blassie's remains arrived home to his family in Saint Louis, Missouri and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. High in t the middle 30s. 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. ", 1998 The Associated Press. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. Tonight: Occasional mixed rain and snow. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. My father went to his grave in 1991 not knowing the rest of his sons story., Meanwhile, Patricia herself joined the Air Force. Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist. display: none; 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. 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. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Veteran Dispatch. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was . That was enough for Captain Patricia Blassie. . Today: Cloudy with a chance of sprinkles or flurries. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. "We put away no final memories.". In World War I there were around 1,648 Unknowns, in World War II there were 8,526, the Korean war there were 848. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. It was so exciting, she says. There, a plaque holds words from the Gettysburg Address: "We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow this ground. A hunch told him there might be something to Sampleys claims, and he began his own investigation. Armed with the documents, he teamed up with veteran CBS correspondent, Eric Engberg. It can represent all soldiers. On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. Updated: June 21, 2016 . Over the next month, enemy forces cinched the noose, pounding the city with artillery and attempting to starve out the population. That just couldnt be. Thanks to improved forensics, there will likely never be an unknown from Iraq or Afghanistan or any future war. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. (She would retire in 2018 as a full-bird Colonel). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. They had no way of knowing the remains so caringly committed to the Tomb were that of their son and brother. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Blassie dropped in low for a bombing run on attacking forces when enemy anti-aircraft fire boomed from the ground. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. Blassie was declared missing in action and presumed dead. From a computer genius to a popular sitcom star, talented women have made their mark in the U.S. military. 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. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. 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 . . East wind * around 10 mph. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. Michael Sorkin is a reporter at the Post-Dispatch. But perhaps Im speaking out of turn. Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. She and her four children met to try to figure out what to do. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. Colonel ) bury a single unknown soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us made ultimate. Saw the Identification of Michaels remains were identified samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister person who them., 2021 michael joseph blassie family, Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly, DNA analysis moved the! 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