I want to bring my son home.. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Veterans who serve at funerals call their service a way to salute their fellow warriors. 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. My parents marriage did not survive. 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. In celebration of the Marine Corps' birthday, Military.com has put together this Marine Corps history quiz. Instead, they were simply designated as BTB believed to be Michael Blassie. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Pat Blassie (second from left) points out to her mother Jean Blassie (third from left) and her sister Mary Hart (right) the C-130 Hercules plane as it arrives at Scott Air Force Base with their brother Michael Blassie's remains. The music is an original piece by our talented composer, Sean Real. They may have received last rights, families informed, etc, but the rest of us know little about those individuals. Jean Blassie lost her son twice. Today, there is no body representing Vietnam at the tomb of the unknowns. 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. A 1970 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he served in the Vietnam War as a 1st Lieutenant the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Failed to report flower. On July 11, 1998, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie finally came home to St. Louis. 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. 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. He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. The remains were exhumed in May; DNA tests that were not available 26 years ago confirmed the remains were Blassie's. That's where he fell in love with flying, Pat Blassie said. On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. 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. 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. This shielding of information from the Blassies ended up only compounding their pain. No other MIA or KIA even remotely near the An Lc location would have possessed a life raft, parachute, and pistol holster. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. But Mrs. Blassie also had a hunch. Blassie, said Ted, I believe your son is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. But not all remains can be identified with such methods. 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. Articles in U.S. 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 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. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Try again. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing . Trailing the procession were Vietnam veterans, comparatively disheveled with beards, long hair, and jungle fatigues. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. I thought, What is that? I went into the backyard and waited, I mean, everything seemed so strange. "He's still serving today because he now represents those that need to come home," she said. Blassie was then listed as "killed in action, no body recoverd." 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. Search above to list available cemeteries. Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. St. Louis native Michael Blassie was the picture of an ideal young Air Force officer: tall, handsome, with a hospitable grin and approachable demeanor. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Try again later. They were returned them home for a military burial. Test your knowledge! After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. Then, in January 1972, he joined the 8th Special Operations Squadron of the 377th Air Base Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. The discovery of personal effects at the crash site should have converted Michael Blassie from a Vietnam MIA to a KIA, closing his case. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. memorial page for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie (4 Apr 1948-11 May 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 4245, citing Jefferson Barracks National . Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. France, Romania, Italy everybody at the same time jumped on this idea. It can represent all soldiers. 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. He was shot down and killed while piloting his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft in the vicinity of An Loc, in South Vietnam. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Mourners are grateful for their extra effort. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Blassie's remains. 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. On May 11, 1972, at age 24, his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft was shot down near An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon. Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. 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. Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform. Failed to delete memorial. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid Also pictured is sister Judy Cozad (left). Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day. The body will be cremated and her remains buried at Calvary Cemetery with her parents and grandparents. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on . Your email address will not be published. By 1994, Patricia had risen from Airman Basic to Captain and was working in the Pentagon in Public Affairs. 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie Birth 4 Apr 1948 Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA Death 11 May 1972 (aged 24) Bnh Long, Bnh Phc, Vietnam Memorial Site* National Vietnam Veterans Memorial Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA Show Map * A structure erected in honor of someone whose remains lie elsewhere. Morphological approximation presumed that one could determine personal characteristics like age and height by careful examination of bone fragments. For a while, Patricia struggled with her grievance toward the military establishment to which she had dedicated her career. DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. But the evidence that they were Blassie's was too slim, so the designation was removed in 1979. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." But instead of giving closure, the remains endured one of the most baffling episodes of misidentification in military history. He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. After Years As Vietnam 'Unknown,' Pilot Now Buried At Home. 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,. She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. 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. 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. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). High in t the middle 30s. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). 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.. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." 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. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). But in 1956, one small, seemingly innocent change to the formula of the Unknown would prove problematic: we began to add another set of unidentified remains for every subsequent war. Vacant, it will likely remain. Your donations are vital to keeping us independent and strong! It turns out that, unlike previous wars, the Vietnam War didnt produce many Unknowns. I talked with many of them and they would say, But this is the one honor we received, and the Blassie family is disrupting that honor. I would reply, All the Vietnam Unknowns should be accounted for by the government. I would remind them of that, and Id tell them our family story. He was constantly researching, protesting, and pressuring the Pentagon to resolve open cases. He and Michael were very close. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. This browser does not support getting your location. Its like the reverse of this 99pi story! As far as she was concerned, the case was closed. Remains identification bordered on guesswork. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. We wanted to know the rest of the story. Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. 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. 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. More disturbingly, they also suggested a concerted effort to conceal any links between Blassie and the remains. (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. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? Love your show. The next morning, he handed the package to a helicopter crew, which delivered it to the Saigon Mortuary. 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