Part 2: DNA. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. By the time the package arrived in Hawaii, the wallet and ID were missing, presumed stolen during storage or transit. Revealing the Unknown: The Mystery of Michael Blassie | Missouri Historical Society 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was killed in action during the Vietnam War, but his remains were unrecovered because the fighting was so intense in the area where his plane crashed. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. "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. They married in 1947 and had five children. "The resting place of Michael was for so long the Tomb of the Unknowns," Rigali said. 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. "We put away no final memories.". Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform. Verify and try again. A system error has occurred. The US Air Force responded with aerial counterattacks. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. Remains identification bordered on guesswork. Patricia is on Michaels right (Blassie family). Michael, after all, was her first born. In honor of the Air Force's birthday, we've put together this Air Force history quiz. Process of elimination might sounded like it could have worked, until you take in account of the 2000+ MIA service members in that war. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ Find records of Michael Blassie Birth records Marriage records Divorce records It can represent all soldiers. Id also remind them that Michael was never an Unknown Soldier. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. DNA tests determined that the remains in the tomb were those of Blassie. The Army lab in Hawaii removed the BTB designation and, through a later discredited technique called morphological approximation, declared Michael Blassies remains as belonging to Unknown.. Thanks Dennis! You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. 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? 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. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. The recruiters said if I joined the Air Force, Id travel, get excellent training,and an education. And so it would have remained if a rookie CBS reporter named Vince Gonzalez hadnt run across Sampleys article about Blassie on the Internet. "My father, who served in Normandy during World War II, never got over losing Michael," says Patricia Blassie, who was 13 years old when her brother, the oldest of five siblings, died. East wind * around 10 mph. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. 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. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. But thanks to improved battlefield evacuation tactics, the Vietnam War produced only four sets of unidentified remains that could potentially go into the tomb. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. In October of 1972, over five months after Blassies plane had disappeared into the jungle, Calhoon assembled a South Vietnamese patrol to enter North Vietnamese territory to find the wreckage. Your email address will not be published. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. 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. Its conceivable that they could soon use the same techniques on the unknown serviceman inside the tomb. Scientists at CIL-HI estimated the deceaseds age to be between 26-33 years and height between 65.2-71.5 inches. However, analysis at the time suggested that the remains were not a compelling match to Blassie's age and height. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. i . There, a plaque holds words from. President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. 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. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. A decade later, however, questions began to arise about the identity of this unknown soldier. . . They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. Over the next month, enemy forces cinched the noose, pounding the city with artillery and attempting to starve out the population. Armed with the documents, he teamed up with veteran CBS correspondent, Eric Engberg. The remains did not consist of much, just six bones. . An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. Weve updated the security on the site. The body will be cremated and her remains buried at Calvary Cemetery with her parents and grandparents. That just couldnt be. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. I want to bring my son home.. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. They never got updates on recovery efforts. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. The accompanying shells found their mark. 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. Blassie, said Ted, I believe your son is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. As far as she was concerned, the case was closed. I dont care what happened, but the documents showed that patrol went into Michaels crash site to find him, and they did. Of those, 470 are considered non-recoverable. That is, death has been determined, but no remains can be recovered. For the past year, Pat Blassie crusaded for the disinterment, convinced that recent evidence - including Blassie's wallet and dog tags found near the crash site - suggested the remains were those of her brother. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Blassie dropped in low for a bombing run on attacking forces when enemy anti-aircraft fire boomed from the ground. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. Michaels younger sister, Patricia Blassie, was seven years old when her big brother with the gentle smile left for the Air Force Academy in 1966. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. But I know each one had a life worth living. 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,. The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. In addition, a single strand of hair found in the flight suit yielded an estimated blood type O negative. In World War I there were around 1,648 Unknowns, in World War II there were 8,526, the Korean war there were 848. Webb refused. They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. Test your knowledge! I think a third section of these guards/ceremonies around the world would have been a great inclusion. 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. Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. Oops, something didn't work. To use this feature, use a newer browser. 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. From top left to bottom right: dog tag chain fragment, signal marker pouch, match holder, parachute survival guide, and ammunition pouch. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Blassie's remains. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Michael Blassie and T-38 jet trainer (Blassie family). The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. 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. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 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. Instead, they were simply designated as BTB believed to be Michael Blassie. They were completely cut off from the rest of the world. (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. 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. . The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. The American memorial is especially beautiful. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 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. But the evidence that they were Blassie's was too slim, so the designation was removed in 1979. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. Your donations are vital to keeping us independent and strong! He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. Even the thought that remains had been discovered near the crash site seemed preposterous. They denied it. The first time, he was killed, his aircraft shot down while flying a mission during the Vietnam War in 1972. Michael was 24 years old and 72 inches tall when he died. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this undated 1971 file photo made during flight training. 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. And you didnt mention the shoes the specially designed shoes the sentries wear are pretty cool. His sister, Pat Blassie, was 10 years younger than her brother, but she remembered he started working as a kid by selling newspapers on the street corner. (She would retire in 2018 as a full-bird Colonel). Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. English The preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. CBS Evening News went public with the explosive story in a broadcast on January 19, 1998. A 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Mike qualified on the A-37B Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Cessna attack aircraft. In 1976, they were shipped to Hawaii to be analyzed by the Armys Central Identification Laboratory (CIL-HI). 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. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? 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