michael joseph blassie familymichael joseph blassie family

On May 14, 1998, the Department of the Defense disinterred the remains of the Vietnam veteran from the Tomb of the Unknowns. Its one of the reasons the tomb has become one of the Washington D.C. areas biggest tourist attractions. There was a problem getting your location. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. 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. Some evidence suggests that the remains ceremonially laid to rest by President Reagan 14 years ago belong to 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a decorated flier still officially listed as missing in . They said Michael had been killed. 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. Still, as hesitant as he was,Gonzales thought maybe there could be more to the story. At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. 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. What is the music played at the end of this podcast? Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. The name he read on the ID card was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. We wanted the entire truth, but they couldnt tell us that., The official designation was KIABNRKilled in Action, Body not Recovered., My father served in Normandy during World War II and he never got over losing Michael, Patricia recalls. We have set your language to For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. When it came to tracking MIAs, Sampley was shrewd and tireless. "We were all so proud of him. US air power was used extensively in defense of the city and five aircraft were lost that day: A-37B-1st Lt Michael J Blassie, 8th SOS, O-2A-Capt, Barry K Allmond, 21st TASS, O-2A, 1st Lt John H Haselton, 21st TASS, AH-1G Cpt . Oops, something didn't work. display: none; Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. Blassie was laid to rest beneath lush bluegrass in the cemetery's oldest section, established in 1826 alongside the original military post. 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. Follow him on Facebook. They were initially classified as belonging to Lt. Blassie. The military is now in the process of using the DNA from the families of missing veterans to identify over 650 sets of unknown remains from the Korean War. The US Air Force responded with aerial counterattacks. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. 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. Om 1992, the Defense Department started collecting and holding blood samples from all inductees for possible future DNA comparisons. "He's still serving today because he now represents those that need to come home," she said. One of them told her once that their mission guarding the Unknowns is never really over. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. Try again later. By the time his mother found out where he was, his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. So they finally took him off the shelf, file X-26, and for that Im thankful. memorial page for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie (4 Apr 1948-11 May 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 4245, citing Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay . When they came back, they handed Michael Blassies remains toCalhoon. The American memorial is especially beautiful. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. If they had, they might have hung up on him. 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. 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 changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. This is a carousel with slides. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. In 1976, they were shipped to Hawaii to be analyzed by the Armys Central Identification Laboratory (CIL-HI). Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 - May 11, 1972) was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. They were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . Jean Frances Adrian grew up in Jennings. 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 It wasnt until World War I that it occurred to anyone to bury a single unknown soldier in a public setting. He was convinced the government wasnt telling veterans everything it knew, and he was calling Patricia Blassie with an outlandish theory about Michaels death. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. In honor of the Coast Guard's birthday, we've put together a quiz on the service's history and traditions. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. . ). Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. One British chaplain named David Railton saw some of the worst of the fighting on the front lines. The six fragments in file X-26 were the exception. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. Defense Secretary William Cohen announced that the remains would be disinterred and the DNA tested. He must have been killed instantly since he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. Please enter valid email address to continue. Pressure began to mount in Washington to place a service member from Vietnam in the tomb of the unknowns, but by 1980 the Blassie remains were the only ones left that hadnt been conclusively identified. Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). Of those, 470 are considered non-recoverable. That is, death has been determined, but no remains can be recovered. But it doesnt make it right that we interred a known soldier, she added. Whatever the case, other aircraft were dispatched to the area to provide cover for an Army chopper rescue team, all for naught. Michael was 24 years old and 72 inches tall when he died. He was made one., Whenever Patricias mother received criticism for requesting Michaels removal from the Tomb of the Unknown, she would simply shrug and say, Hes not your son.. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Hey there beautiful nerd! 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. 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. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Mourners are grateful for their extra effort. Its conceivable that they could soon use the same techniques on the unknown serviceman inside the tomb. 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. I signed up the next day. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. Your email address will not be published. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . The goal was to schedule the ceremony before Election Day 1984, which is why Memorial Day, rather than Veterans Day, was selected. Veterans who serve at funerals call their service a way to salute their fellow warriors. Dubbed the "super-tweet . 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 Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. World War I ushered in an era of total war and mass conscription, in which the combatants on both sides were mostly ordinary citizens, often rendered anonymous amidst the violence of the Western Front. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. 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. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. She suffered a stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family said Thursday. Love your show. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. It can represent all soldiers. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. In 1984, on Memorial Day, Blassie's remains - four ribs, pelvis and the upper part of an arm - were buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. He told her that he had been researching who was shot down on the date of Michaels death and he believed that her brothers remains were in the Tomb of the Unknowns. Jean Blassie dies; she fought to get her son buried at home in 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. In January 1998, CBS Evening News broke the story: The military had hidden pilot Michael Blassies identity from his family and the public. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. After hours of discussion, Jean Blassie looked at her children and said, For 26 years, we have been told that Michael was never found, according to an article in Checkpoints magazine. American serviceman who remained behind were stretched thin. Joseph Michael Leo Findlan Obituary. After the war, Railton advocated for a grave bearing the body of a single soldier to bring the impossibly large tragedy down to a human scale. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Jean Blassie lost her son twice. He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 May 11, 1972) was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. The pressures of war put a premium on closing cases and moving on, getting the job done even if that meant rushing lab reports. In 1994, over two decades after Michael had been killed, his family received a phone call from a complete stranger named Ted Sampley. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. Yesterday I read an article about three WW1 soldiers buried in Copenhagen: https://www.thelocal.dk/20190305/the-little-known-story-of-the-first-world-war-soldiers-buried-in-copenhagen. 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. "Today was a significant day for us," Blassie's brother, George Blassie said during Friday's service. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. . She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. It didnt matter if you wanted to honor all those who served or merely those who died, those who volunteered or those who were drafted, or even whether you were for the war or against it. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. Blassie's unidentified remains were designated as the Vietnam Unknown service member by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. After graduating from St. Louis University High School he entered the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1970. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. [3] After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains were exhumed on May 14, 1998. The next time, the Air Force lost him. At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. The bones were taken to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, where officials said they were "believed to be" those of Blassie. They married in 1947 and had five children. DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. He and Michael were very close. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. 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. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Blassie's remains. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story" DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. Michael Joseph Townsend Sr. Obituary. 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. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. In the early 1990s, Blassie's family received word that his remains might be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown. 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. Trending News On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. 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. [5] On June 30, 1998, the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. And they never learned the truth: that their son Michaels remains were discovered some five months after his death. How much do you know about the founding of the U.S. Army? Michaels plane had crashed deep in North Vietnamese held territory. Western reporters called it a mini-Stalingrad, the ugliest kind of siege warfare. 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. Now that DNA samples are taken from everyone who joins the U.S. Armed Forces, there may never be another American "unknown soldier.". Failed to report flower. With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". Today, there is no body representing Vietnam at the tomb of the unknowns. An Army caisson carried his casket from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. Webb refused. During a memorial service Friday evening at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Blassie was remembered as a courageous young man who fought for peace. Button to close the carousel language to for memorials with more than photo! 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