", 1998 The Associated Press. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the claim that Blassie was the Unknown, drawing on Defense Department records. Thanks Dennis! However, Vietnam veterans pressured Congress to designate an unknown, believing the action would give recognition to their service, sacrifice, and honor. Signaling its determination to have its Vietnam Unknown, the Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive ID of X-26. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. 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. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. In celebration of the Marine Corps' birthday, Military.com has put together this Marine Corps history quiz. It was his 138th combat mission. 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. In 1997, Gonzalez contacted Patricia. #HonorVeterans #VetLegacies. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. 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. i . Michael Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. Over a quarter million people lined the route to Arlington National Cemetery. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. display: none; Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Instead, they were simply designated as BTB believed to be Michael Blassie. Yesterday I read an article about three WW1 soldiers buried in Copenhagen: https://www.thelocal.dk/20190305/the-little-known-story-of-the-first-world-war-soldiers-buried-in-copenhagen. He and Michael were very close. 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. Joseph Michael Leo Findlan Obituary. Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. Your email address will not be published. A 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Mike qualified on the A-37B Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Cessna attack aircraft. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. They had a letter from his flight leader, James Connally, who recapped what had happened., Still, without remains, there was a terrible sense of open-ended grief. At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. One of them told her once that their mission guarding the Unknowns is never really over. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." 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. 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. An honor guard was fired a 21-gun salute and F-15 Eagle fighters flew overhead in the "missing man" formation as Blassie was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis in a ceremony presided over by the eldest sibling, Pat Blassie, a captain in the Air Force Reserve. 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. Armed with the documents, he teamed up with veteran CBS correspondent, Eric Engberg. Learn more about managing a memorial . She and her four children met to try to figure out what to do. I didnt have any direction, and the family was lower-middle income. Then, as more information about those remains was discovered, only one set of remains remained unknown. One British chaplain named David Railton saw some of the worst of the fighting on the front lines. They said Michael had been killed. George, the youngest son, said that being buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns was a great honor and that maybe the family should leave Michael there. (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. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. To Army scientists, these findings superseded any other evidence, such as documents or personal effects. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. I think I know where Michael is, he said, producing a paper trail that led to Arlington Cemetery. Try again later. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat" This account has been disabled. This browser does not support getting your location. No one knows how many remains from Vietnam and elsewhere were buried in the wrong graves because of these flawed identification procedures. He was convinced the government wasnt telling veterans everything it knew, and he was calling Patricia Blassie with an outlandish theory about Michaels death. 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. 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 preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Defense Secretary William Cohen announced that the remains would be disinterred and the DNA tested. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. "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. The guards coming on duty are inspected for perfection in uniform, and inspector found some problem with the new guards blouse. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 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. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. 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. He basically sat on a shelf from 1972 to 1984, Patricia Blassie said. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35, Pandemic-era food benefits end for millions of Americans as costs rise, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". Dont let my viewpoint sully your experience. DNA identification had yet to advance to its current state when Blassie's remains were repatriated, and he lay in the Tomb of the Unknowns up to 1998, with visitors paying respects but unaware of his identity. Michael was no longer Unknown. Yet he was found five months after he was shot down and then buried without our knowledge in the Tomb of the Unknowns. They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. Jean Blassie, mother of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, 1998. Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. We wanted to know the rest of the story. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. When it came to tracking MIAs, Sampley was shrewd and tireless. She stood strong, did what was right and led the family.. display: none; The aircraft went down in flames. Tony. They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. Id left school early that day, and I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. }, First published on July 10, 1998 / 4:49 PM. It was so exciting," she says. 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. 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,. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. It can represent all soldiers. When they came back, they handed Michael Blassies remains toCalhoon. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. The remains were exhumed in May; DNA tests that were not available 26 years ago confirmed the remains were Blassie's. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Patricia was 13 years old when the Air Force chaplain knocked on their door to deliver the news of Michaels death. This is a carousel with slides. Secretary of Defense William Cohen was on hand for the somber burial. Mrs. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Part 2: DNA. He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. Hurtful also were the objections she and her family received from Vietnam veterans, who resented the Blassies for taking away their Unknown. On May 11, 1972, at age 24, his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft was shot down near An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. Through these efforts, they reviewed evidence that suggested the Vietnam War Unknown was likely Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a pilot who had been shot down in 1972. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ They had to do more with less and that meant Michael was going to see a lot of combat. Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. Britains unknown warrior wasnt the only one. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." Please reset your password. There was no question, the remains were Michaels. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. There, a plaque holds words from. f\j Weather. She said then-President Ronald Reagan had wanted to add a Vietnam War soldier to the Tomb of the Unknowns, joining the unknown soldiers from World War I and II and the Korean War. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. Id also remind them that Michael was never an Unknown Soldier. based on information from your browser. 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. Without a positive match, due to Army policy, the Blassie family could not even be told that any remains had been found. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. 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. Think you're a Top Gun at aircraft identification? She suffered a stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family said Thursday. At the request of Blassie's family, the Department of Defense exhumed the remains from the Vietnam Unknown's crypt on May 14, 1998. In the early 1990s, Blassie's family received word that his remains might be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown. Post-Dispatch file photo, Workers cover the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on May 13, 1998, in anticipation of the exhumation of the remains of the Vietnam unknown. It was around this time that David Railton came across a temporary grave, a few miles behind the front, marked only by a cross bearing the name of a regiment and the words: An unknown British soldier.. But for whatever reason, the first bad decision was not telling the family. I thought this is the best example of internet conspiracy garbage Ive seen to date, says Vince Gonzales, a reporter for CBS Denver who came across the story three years later in 1997. And they never learned the truth: that their son Michaels remains were discovered some five months after his death. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. Failed to report flower. I wouldnt think there was a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns, she recalled thinking. 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,. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. But instead of giving closure, the remains endured one of the most baffling episodes of misidentification in military history. Every recovered American service member killed in action since the Vietnam War has been identified and buried. Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. . Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect Blassie was born in St. Louis in 1948. He told her that he had been researching who was shot down on the date of Michaels death and he believed that her brothers remains were in the Tomb of the Unknowns. Love each and every podcast . cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [3] After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Scientists at CIL-HI estimated the deceaseds age to be between 26-33 years and height between 65.2-71.5 inches. All rights reserved. As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Advances made since the early 1980s had made it possible to identify the remains, which consisted of only six bones -- far below the usual 80 percent of a corpse required for burial at Arlington. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. By 1972, when Michael was deployed, Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Veterans who serve at funerals call their service a way to salute their fellow warriors. He was constantly researching, protesting, and pressuring the Pentagon to resolve open cases. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. Blassie's mother, three sisters and brother each carried small American flags during the service. By the time his mother found out where he was, his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington. 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 file that Vince discovered made it clear the the person who had been put in the tomb in 1984 had been far from unknown. No one wanted to inter someone who might eventually be identified. Proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later, in the Tomb of the most presentation. A stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family received from Vietnam,... 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Cohen announced that the Unknown, Michael Blassies remains were reclassified as Unknown when their projected age height... In your account settings July 11 Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News report in January 1998 made! Was shrewd and tireless truth: that their son Michaels remains as a loss them! He headed off to Vietnam six years later, in the wrong because...

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