By the time the package arrived in Hawaii, the wallet and ID were missing, presumed stolen during storage or transit. The date, location of the crash, bone fragments from the body and remnants of his flight suit and parachute led to the conclusion that it was Michael. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. Learn more about merges. Try again later. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Im curious how the remains werent identifiable as Michael Blassie if he was the only remaining unidentified serviceman from the war. The enemy threw up what was described as a murderous hail of fire which prevented any rescue or recovery attempt. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. 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. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect 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. 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.. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. 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. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. Webb refused. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. A 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Mike qualified on the A-37B Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Cessna attack aircraft. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. With DNA identification being used and hearing that there are no unknowns from Vietnam and that they are working currently on unknowns from the Korean war, I though, How wonderful that there will never again be an unknown soldier, everyone will be eventually brought home. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on . Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. 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. With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the forefront of forensic technologies. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service. 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. . Four low-flying F-15s flew overhead, with one pulling out of formation in a missing man salute. Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: Drag and drop to reorder. He died on May 11, 1972 at age 24. Survivors, in addition to her daughter Patricia, include a son, George Blassie of St. Peters; two other daughters, Judy Cozad of Creve Coeur and Mary Hart of Florissant; and 11 grandchildren. Test your knowledge! World War II, Korea, and Vietnam each would get their own Unknown. The timely and accurate identification of men and women who die while serving in the armed forces has long been a priority for the United States government. 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. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. 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. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. [1] He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. 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. They were completely cut off from the rest of the world. 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. Thanks Dennis! I think that barring a complete abolition of war, this is a small consolation. She grew bitter and even considered quitting the service. Also pictured is sister Judy Cozad (left). On May 11, Communist forces unleashed an all-out assault to take An Lc. Michael Blassie and T-38 jet trainer (Blassie family). She was 90 and had been a longtime Florissant resident before moving to Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. Id left school early that day, and I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam. It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. At least he went into a place of honor.. "This has meant so much to us. The Air Force told the Blassie family in St. Louis all they knew: their son had been killed in action, but his remains could not be recovered since he went down in enemy-held territory. Learn more about managing a memorial . Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 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. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . They were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . Weve updated the security on the site. Find records of Michael Blassie Birth records Marriage records Divorce records The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. 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 Pilots loved itbecause being that close the ground heightened the sense of flight and speed. Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. They never got updates on recovery efforts. United States Air Force Vietnam Veteran. I think I know where Michael is, he said, producing a paper trail that led to Arlington Cemetery. Blassies was A positive. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Blassie was laid to rest beneath lush bluegrass in the cemetery's oldest section, established in 1826 alongside the original military post. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. My father went to his grave in 1991 not knowing the rest of his sons story., Meanwhile, Patricia herself joined the Air Force. Id also remind them that Michael was never an Unknown Soldier. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. Hey there beautiful nerd! A neighbor came over to get me, saying, Pat, you need to go inside. So I did and knew something was horribly wrong. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. ). Patricia still visits the tomb. 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. Maj. Allan J. Kellogg Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on May 17, 1984,[2] and were transported aboard the USSBrewton to Naval Air Station Alameda. Hurtful also were the objections she and her family received from Vietnam veterans, who resented the Blassies for taking away their Unknown. "Mike lived a hero, and he came home a hero," said Emanuel Cassimatis, the Air Force Academy liaison officer who recruited Blassie in 1965. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Michael Joseph Townsend Sr. of Snow Hill, Maryland, born in Salisbury, Maryland, who passed away on February 23, 2023, at the age of 72, leaving to mourn family and friends. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . On May 14, 1998, the Department of the Defense disinterred the remains of the Vietnam veteran from the Tomb of the Unknowns. The aircraft went down in flames. His jet lost a wing, crashed and burned. There is nothing but reverence, respect and deep sorrow among visitors. Morphological approximation, worthless though it was, provided quick answers and a veneer of scientific validation. The DNA testing resulted in a perfect match with the Blassies. . For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Hundreds, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen and House minority leader Richard Gephardt, attended the ceremony. They must have never actually been there. One of them told her once that their mission guarding the Unknowns is never really over. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. 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. There, a plaque holds words from the Gettysburg Address: "We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow this ground. DNA samples were taken from Michaels mother Jean and his sister Judy and tested against the remains. The remains did not consist of much, just six bones. I never dreamed Id never see Michael again., The Blassie siblings, 1961. f\j Weather. English They were returned them home for a military burial. He was shot down and killed while piloting his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft in the vicinity of An Loc, in South Vietnam. Blassie was born in St. Louis in 1948. Veteran Dispatch. It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. East wind * around 10 mph. So they finally took him off the shelf, file X-26, and for that Im thankful. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the . Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com Jean Blassie lost. We wanted to know the rest of the story. Failed to delete memorial. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). It sits at the top of a hill that overlooks the rest of Arlington Cemetery. Armed with the documents, he teamed up with veteran CBS correspondent, Eric Engberg. On Friday, Family and friends gathered to welcome his return at Scott Air Force Base, near Blassie's hometown of Florissant, Mo., a St. Louis suburb. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. How much do you know about the founding of the U.S. Army? Blassie's unidentified remains were designated as the Vietnam Unknown service member by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. He thought about how terrible it was that so many people were essentially being forgotten they deserved better than that. 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. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this undated 1971 file photo made during flight training. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. The Unknown Soldier can be about more than a dwindling subclass of soldiers that disappeared without record. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. 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. Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. I know about Ted Sampleys past, he told her, but I believe its true.. They said Michael had been killed. 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." 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