Helton, L.M. The guards coming on duty are inspected for perfection in uniform, and inspector found some problem with the new guards blouse. They were returned them home for a military burial. 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.. 99pi keep up the great work. He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. She met George Blassie, a butcher, at a ballroom dance. Then, in January 1972, he joined the 8th Special Operations Squadron of the 377th Air Base Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. On July 11, 1998, 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was buried with full military honors in Jefferson National Cemetery, Missouri, near his hometown, in the same cemetery as his father. Mourners are grateful for their extra effort. 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.. I wouldnt think there was a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns, she recalled thinking. Mrs. Your email address will not be published. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. 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. Michael Joseph Blassie was born on April 4, 1948. Please try again later. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. I think I know where Michael is, he said, producing a paper trail that led to Arlington Cemetery. 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. 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. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. 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. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. They had no way of knowing the remains so caringly committed to the Tomb were that of their son and brother. And you didnt mention the shoes the specially designed shoes the sentries wear are pretty cool. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Morphological approximation, worthless though it was, provided quick answers and a veneer of scientific validation. 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. [1] He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. Thanks for your help! In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was . Ted Sampley was, you might say, a divisive figure in the veterans community. On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. 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. DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. Five months after the shoot down an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) patrol inspected the crash site and retrieved partial skeletal remains, an ID card, dog tags, a wallet containing a family picture, part of a flight suit, and the remnant of a pistol holster. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. I know about Ted Sampleys past, he told her, but I believe its true.. Check out member benefits and perks . Hundreds, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen and House minority leader Richard Gephardt, attended the ceremony. They were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . They had to do more with less and that meant Michael was going to see a lot of combat. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." Include gps location with grave photos where possible. After Years As Vietnam 'Unknown,' Pilot Now Buried At Home. A decade later, however, questions began to arise about the identity of this unknown soldier. 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. Your email address will not be published. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. based on information from your browser. Remains identification bordered on guesswork. Failed to report flower. Blassie was killed during the Vietnam war in 1972 and his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns. On the other, if he destroyed Blassies personal effects, he might condemn Blassies remains to permanent oblivion. Blassie was declared missing in action and presumed dead. He and Michael were very close. After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. 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 . We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. When Britain dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in 1920, it garnered a lot of attention. As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. 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. Hey there beautiful nerd! One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. In honor of the Air Force's birthday, we've put together this Air Force history quiz. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ There are no volunteers for this cemetery. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. 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. No one wanted to inter someone who might eventually be identified. I think that barring a complete abolition of war, this is a small consolation. Dad set up a little memorial in the basement and would go down there all the time and just sit., When something like this happens in a family, [it] can bring a family together or tear it apart. Scientists at CIL-HI estimated the deceaseds age to be between 26-33 years and height between 65.2-71.5 inches. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. "This has meant so much to us. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on . Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. They interviewed Parnell, by then a retired Colonel living in Florida. This browser does not support getting your location. On July 10, Blassie's remains arrived home to his family in Saint Louis, Missouri and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. His jet lost a wing, crashed and burned. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Joseph Michael Leo Findlan (Amelia, Ohio), who passed away on February 24, 2022, at the age of 71, leaving to mourn family and friends. On May 11, 1972, at age 24, his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft was shot down near An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. Follow him on Facebook. Jean Blassie lost her son twice. Though discovered in South Vietnam at the crash site, along with personal effects and survival gear, the remains of US Air Force pilot 1st Lt. Michael Blassie got labeled Unknown. It took the hard work of an eccentric Vietnam veteran activist, an investigative reporter, and the Blassie family to cut through years of bureaucratic bungling, official stonewalling, and government deceit to rescue Blassie from the Tomb and bring him 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 last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. 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 remains were eventually sent to a search and recovery center in Thailand before being forwarded to the Army's central identification lab in Hawaii. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. 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. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns for 14 years, were identified last month by DNA testing. How much do you know about the founding of the U.S. Army? Without a positive match, due to Army policy, the Blassie family could not even be told that any remains had been found. Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 - May 11, 1972) was an officer in the United States Air Force. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. Then, according to Webb, the Pentagon issued a second order: destroy any evidence linking file X-26 to Michael Blassie, including the personal artifacts from the crash site. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. Please reset your password. 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." . Michael was no longer Unknown. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. Blassie was laid to rest beneath lush bluegrass in the cemetery's oldest section, established in 1826 alongside the original military post. The next time, the Air Force lost him. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. But Mrs. Blassie also had a hunch. It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. Michael Blassie and T-38 jet trainer (Blassie family). On May 14, 1998, the remains were exhumed and tested, revealing the "unknown" soldier to be Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. The goal was to schedule the ceremony before Election Day 1984, which is why Memorial Day, rather than Veterans Day, was selected. The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. An Army caisson carried his casket from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. 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. They must have never actually been there. Calhoon assumed that Michaels remains would be returning to his family,but that wasnt the case. For Pat Blassie, Michael's sister, the once unknown soldier still is a symbol for the country. It sits at the top of a hill that overlooks the rest of Arlington Cemetery. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. I want to bring my son home.. Pete Mecca is a speaker, author, and Vietnam Air Force veteran who runs VeteransArticle.com and hosts VBCs A Veterans Story every second Thursday online. 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 . I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. By 1994, Patricia had risen from Airman Basic to Captain and was working in the Pentagon in Public Affairs. They were just looking out for him until he could go home. (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. Jean Blassie called the family together for a round-the-table discussion. It turns out that, unlike previous wars, the Vietnam War didnt produce many Unknowns. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. The accompanying shells found their mark. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. No other MIA or KIA even remotely near the An Lc location would have possessed a life raft, parachute, and pistol holster. He was constantly researching, protesting, and pressuring the Pentagon to resolve open cases. Those vacuum-sealed samples now number some 8 million, sitting ready for a self-reference analysis in case of battlefield death. They were completely cut off from the rest of the world. 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. He died on May 11, 1972 at age 24. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. We want the truth, we want to bring him home. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. He knew morphological approximation was a flawed identification technique, and he suspected that someday, X-26 might be identified, especially given the personal effects and documents associated with the bone fragments. 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. 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