It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. 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. but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ From there, the remains and effects went to Camp Samae San, Thailand, where the US ran a search and recovery center. 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. As is standard, all records pertaining to these remains were destroyed. 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. Jump to: Bio graphy Family Photos Comments Obit uary. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. No one knows how many remains from Vietnam and elsewhere were buried in the wrong graves because of these flawed identification procedures. Add to your scrapbook. I dont know any of them. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in St. Louis, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid There, a plaque holds words from. 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. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. 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. Captain Parnell wrapped the remains, and the other items found at the crash site, in plastic and held them overnight. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story" "We were all so proud of him. GREAT NEWS! Chuck Norris, U.S. military veteran, and martial arts superstar began honing his skills in Korea while serving in the Air Before he went on to fame as B.A. \ . 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. After Years As Vietnam 'Unknown,' Pilot Now Buried At Home. Love your show. In the early 1990s, Blassie's family received word that his remains might be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown. 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. My parents marriage did not survive. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. High in t the middle 30s. Id also remind them that Michael was never an Unknown Soldier. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. 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. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. Today, there is no body representing Vietnam at the tomb of the unknowns. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat" This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. 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,. 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. Blassie's unidentified remains were designated as the Vietnam Unknown service member by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. "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. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Gonzales began filing FOIA requests and eventually got back a thick envelope with military documents showing the entire process of the Unknown Soldier selection process. We want the truth, we want to bring him home. During my only visit to the Tomb of the Unknowns, during the changing of the guard, I witnessed what may be a rare event. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . How much do you know about the founding of the U.S. Army? Helton, L.M. They must have never actually been there. The aircraft went down in flames. Mike always knew what he wanted, I didnt. His body wouldnt be coming home. The pressures of war put a premium on closing cases and moving on, getting the job done even if that meant rushing lab reports. Michael was no longer Unknown. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. For 14 years, the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie lay beneath the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington. 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. Calhoon assumed that Michaels remains would be returning to his family,but that wasnt the case. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). 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. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. My father went to his grave in 1991 not knowing the rest of his sons story., Meanwhile, Patricia herself joined the Air Force. Out of the fog of war comes another version of the incident, one in which Michaels Dragonfly inverts upside down, and Michael ejects from the stricken aircraft. The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. A decade later, however, questions began to arise about the identity of this unknown soldier. Your donations are vital to keeping us independent and strong! We have set your language to On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. In the early 1980s, officials chose the set of remains coded "X-26" to be interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Test your knowledge! After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. 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. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. Resend Activation Email. Webb refused. #HonorVeterans #VetLegacies. The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. And you didnt mention the shoes the specially designed shoes the sentries wear are pretty cool. He was unknown no more because of the determination of his mother and siblings. Jean Blassie lost her son twice. The remains were exhumed in May; DNA tests that were not available 26 years ago confirmed the remains were Blassie's. Michael's younger sister, Patricia Blassie, was seven years old when her big brother with the gentle smile left for the Air Force Academy in 1966. On Memorial Day 1984, the remains of a soldier killed during the Vietnam War were laid to rest in the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery. . This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. They never got updates on recovery efforts. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. (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. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. Even though he knew about the missing wallet, the head of the lab, using now outdated techniques, determined that the remains did not match Michael Blassies physical description. "This shrine was still distant from his house, the soil of Missouri, the banks of the Mississippi. I never dreamed Id never see Michael again., The Blassie siblings, 1961. Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. It was so exciting, she says. On March 21, 1984, Webb reluctantly signed. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. The Unknown Soldier can be about more than a dwindling subclass of soldiers that disappeared without record. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. The city of An Loc was totally leveled it looked like Hiroshima, says Chris Calhoon who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. 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. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. The recruiters said if I joined the Air Force, Id travel, get excellent training,and an education. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? From top left to bottom right: dog tag chain fragment, signal marker pouch, match holder, parachute survival guide, and ammunition pouch. } Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Ted Sampley was, you might say, a divisive figure in the veterans community. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. The next morning, he handed the package to a helicopter crew, which delivered it to the Saigon Mortuary. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. 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. But not all remains can be identified with such methods. By the time the package arrived in Hawaii, the wallet and ID were missing, presumed stolen during storage or transit. . ). Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. 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. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was . A hunch told him there might be something to Sampleys claims, and he began his own investigation. East wind * around 10 mph. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. 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. No other MIA or KIA even remotely near the An Lc location would have possessed a life raft, parachute, and pistol holster. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. 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. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. In January 1998, CBS Evening News broke the story: The military had hidden pilot Michael Blassies identity from his family and the public. 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. 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. 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? I know about Ted Sampleys past, he told her, but I believe its true.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed 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. The Armed Forces have adopted the latest advances in fingerprint and dental identification, and forensic anthropology and radiology. She and her four children met to try to figure out what to do. "He and. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. The American memorial is especially beautiful. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". Required fields are marked *, 99% Invisible 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. The year after Michael Blassies death, Congress directed the Department of Defense to select the remains of an Unknown Vietnam servicemember to be interred in Arlington National Cemeterys Tomb of the Unknown. Over the next month, enemy forces cinched the noose, pounding the city with artillery and attempting to starve out the population. 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