michael joseph blassie family

That just couldnt be. They must have never actually been there. 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. Plot It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. Without a positive match, due to Army policy, the Blassie family could not even be told that any remains had been found. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com. She met George Blassie, a butcher, at a ballroom dance. So they finally took him off the shelf, file X-26, and for that Im thankful. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. He must have been killed instantly since he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. Updated: June 21, 2016 . On May 11, Communist forces unleashed an all-out assault to take An Lc. She says shes not sure why she does it, but it means that shes gotten to know some of the guards. Patricia Blassie took the information to officials at the Air Force Casualty Office. On the other, if he destroyed Blassies personal effects, he might condemn Blassies remains to permanent oblivion. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. 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. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. By 1994, Patricia had risen from Airman Basic to Captain and was working in the Pentagon in Public Affairs. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. She grew bitter and even considered quitting the service. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. 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. The preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Michael Joseph Blassie (1948 - 1972) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days How do we create a person's profile? Part 2: DNA. The remains did not consist of much, just six bones. The report triggered a speedy response from the Department of Defense which, after its own investigation, ordered the Tomb to be opened and the Vietnam Unknowns remains to undergo DNA testing at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. In addition, a single strand of hair found in the flight suit yielded an estimated blood type O negative. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Check out member benefits and perks . Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. We were all so proud of him. 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). President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Try again later. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Weve updated the security on the site. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. I think a third section of these guards/ceremonies around the world would have been a great inclusion. \ . They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day. The chain of custody began with Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at An Lc. The remains and associated materials were eventually turned over to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story" GREAT NEWS! A helicopter team tried to get to the crash site, but due to heavy enemy fire, they had to leave after just a few minutes empty-handed. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? The enemy threw up what was described as a murderous hail of fire which prevented any rescue or recovery attempt. Blassie was buried Saturday with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. 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. But instead of giving closure, the remains endured one of the most baffling episodes of misidentification in military history. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. 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. After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains of Blassie were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Jean Blassie lost her son twice. 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." Webb refused. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. President Ronald Reagan bestowed the Medal of Honor upon the Vietnam unknown. . The bones were taken to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, where officials said they were "believed to be" those of Blassie. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. 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. 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. Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified. After Blassie's family secured permission . Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Patricia was 13 years old when the Air Force chaplain knocked on their door to deliver the news of Michaels death. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. "He and. Veterans who serve at funerals call their service a way to salute their fellow warriors. After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. 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. After graduating from St. Louis University High School he entered the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1970. Blassie, said Ted, I believe your son is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. 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. A 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Mike qualified on the A-37B Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Cessna attack aircraft. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ In celebration of the Marine Corps' birthday, Military.com has put together this Marine Corps history quiz. "We put away no final memories.". Two weeks after the offensive began, combined NVA and Viet Cong forces laid siege to the provincial capital of An Lc, located 100km north of Saigon. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. France, Romania, Italy everybody at the same time jumped on this idea. 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.. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. He had been shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972.. Search above to list available cemeteries. Love your show. Michael Blassies skeletal chart, VBC Happy Hour screenshot, 2021. Instead, they were simply designated as BTB believed to be Michael Blassie. In order for the X-26 remains to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknown, Webb had to sign a statement confirming that they would never be identified. Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Dubbed the "super-tweet . There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. 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. We've created a quiz to test your ability to recognize military aircraft. He died in 1991. Over 130,000 NVA with their tanks and artillery swept into South Vietnam along three separate fronts, from the DMZ to Saigon. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. Signaling its determination to have its Vietnam Unknown, the Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive ID of X-26. A simple process of elimination made clear that the remains had to be a small fixed-wing pilot like Michael. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. 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? The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. Jean Blassie, mother of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, 1998. Michael Joseph Blassie Collection: U.S. Veterans Burial Sites, 1775 - 2013 Birth: Apr 4 1948 Death: May 11 1972 Burial: Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 2900 Sheridan Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63125, USA View the Record Michael Joseph Blassiein Vietnam Casualties, 1956 - 1998 Michael Joseph Blassie In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. f\j Weather. Every recovered American service member killed in action since the Vietnam War has been identified and buried. During my only visit to the Tomb of the Unknowns, during the changing of the guard, I witnessed what may be a rare event. Major James Connally, Blassies flight commander, described the tragic incident in a letter to Michaels parents: Mikes plane was hit and began streaming fuel. Visit the digital memorial page of Veteran Michael Joseph Blassie where you can share stories, photos, biographies, obituaries, tributes and more. Veteran Dispatch. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. William S. Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1998. 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. We have set your language to Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. She worked until she was 82. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this undated 1971 file photo made during flight training. That was enough for Captain Patricia Blassie. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. Trending News Britains unknown warrior wasnt the only one. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. That destiny was already in motion. 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. Its like the reverse of this 99pi story! . Armed with the documents, he teamed up with veteran CBS correspondent, Eric Engberg. 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. Michael Blassie was therefore ruled out as a possible match. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." Also pictured is sister Judy Cozad (left). (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. Parnell wrapped the remains with the effects and held them overnight. Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. 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. 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. There was a problem getting your location. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. It was a South Vietnamese Army patrol that scoured the crash site and came back with six bone fragments, a Beacon radio, two compasses, an American flag, a parachute, remnants of a pistol holder, a one-man life raft, fragments of a flight suit, a wallet with family pictures, and an ID that read: 1st Lt. Blassie, Michael Joseph., Air Force equipment found with Michael Blassie: dog tag chain fragment, signal marker pouch, match holder, parachute survival guide, and ammunition pouch (Blassie family). [6] 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. The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. 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,. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect By 1972, when Michael was deployed, Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. 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. No one doubted his commitment to the cause of POW/MIAs. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified.[6]. The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. A hunch told him there might be something to Sampleys claims, and he began his own investigation. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." 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. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. We want the truth, we want to bring him home. Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. They had to do more with less and that meant Michael was going to see a lot of combat. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. He was convinced the government wasnt telling veterans everything it knew, and he was calling Patricia Blassie with an outlandish theory about Michaels death. My parents marriage did not survive. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). 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. He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. DNA samples were taken from Michaels mother Jean and his sister Judy and tested against the remains. 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. 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. Two weeks later, Michael Blassie was buried for good near the family's home . I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. . 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. I thought, What is that? I went into the backyard and waited, I mean, everything seemed so strange. Sampley was a former Green Beret who had served in Vietnam. display: block; Unlike nuclear DNA, each cell carries more than a hundred copies of mtDNA, since each cell contains many mitochondria but only one nucleus. All rights reserved. On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. (AP Photo/Brian K. Diggs), In thisJune, 30, 1998, photo,Joan Blassie, right, the mother of the Michael Blassie reacts to the news that the remains in the Tomb of Unknowns were confirmed by DNA testing as belonging to her son Lt. Michael Blassie, who was shot down over Vietnam. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Another perspective on this issue is that all soldiers are unknown. "He's still serving today because he now represents those that need to come home," she said. He also added the critical notation: BTB [Believed to Be] Lt. Blassie, Michael Joseph.. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. Then, in January 1972, he joined the 8th Special Operations Squadron of the 377th Air Base Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Michael Blassie (4245)? #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { As is standard, all records pertaining to these remains were destroyed. She was 90 and had been a longtime Florissant resident before moving to Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? But I know each one had a life worth living. "This shrine was still distant from his house, the soil of Missouri, the banks of the Mississippi. 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. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. How to honor unidentified remains has always been one of the great conundrums of war. 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. He and Michael were very close. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. 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. I wouldnt think there was a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns, she recalled thinking. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35 Thanks for your help! But not all remains can be identified with such methods. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. By taking towns and cities in the South, the North Vietnamese sought to gain territory and improve their bargaining position at the Paris Peace talks underway. And you didnt mention the shoes the specially designed shoes the sentries wear are pretty cool. Over the next month, enemy forces cinched the noose, pounding the city with artillery and attempting to starve out the population. No one wanted to inter someone who might eventually be identified. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. 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. 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. In World War I there were around 1,648 Unknowns, in World War II there were 8,526, the Korean war there were 848.

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