[6] He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. . or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Jean Blassie, mother of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, 1998. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. They said Michael had been killed. For the Blassie family and the country as a whole, this is a very difficult time. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory. 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. Michael Joseph Blassie was born on April 4, 1948. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. 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. 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. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. They married in 1947 and had five children. On the other, if he destroyed Blassies personal effects, he might condemn Blassies remains to permanent oblivion. Oops, something didn't work. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. When it came to tracking MIAs, Sampley was shrewd and tireless. There was an error deleting this problem. George, the youngest son, said that being buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns was a great honor and that maybe the family should leave Michael there. I think that barring a complete abolition of war, this is a small consolation. 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. A seven-month CBS News investigation has revealed, reported correspondent Eric Engberg, that the identity of the unknown serviceman is almost certainly known, and that some military officials, for whatever reason, knew it all along and tried to hide it.. 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. It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. They were initially classified as belonging to Lt. Blassie. 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. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. We have set your language to This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. They never got updates on recovery efforts. Sorry! Every recovered American service member killed in action since the Vietnam War has been identified and buried. But perhaps Im speaking out of turn. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The file that Vince discovered made it clear the the person who had been put in the tomb in 1984 had been far from unknown. The bones were taken to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, where officials said they were "believed to be" those of Blassie. 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 . Please reset your password. Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. Jean Blassie called the family together for a round-the-table discussion. His remains were finally brought home aboard a C-130 cargo plane Friday in a solemn service befitting a pilot killed in the line of duty in Vietnam. Perhaps they should put up a new plaque at the memorial that talks about the fact that there may never again be an unknown soldier. East wind * around 10 mph. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing . I never dreamed Id never see Michael again., The Blassie siblings, 1961. Sampley was a former Green Beret who had served in Vietnam. Vacant, it will likely remain. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. Theyre too upsetting. 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. He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. After nearly two decades of uncertainty, the family of Blassie can finally reveal the empty crypt in which the men and women who served in Vietnam were buried, as well as the flag that was once flown over it. . By the time the package arrived in Hawaii, the wallet and ID were missing, presumed stolen during storage or transit. The DNA technology that could conclusively identify the remains was just around the corner, but in 1984 they were ordered to prepare X-26 for burial. 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. English Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. "We were all so proud of him. Blassie was buried Saturday with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. In 1983, Congress and the Reagan administration, under pressure from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, agreed to move the remains of X-26 into the Tomb of the Unknown as a healing gesture for a country still traumatized by the Vietnam War. Now that DNA samples are taken from everyone who joins the U.S. Armed Forces, there may never be another American "unknown soldier.". 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. There, a plaque holds words from. President Ronald Reagan bestowed the Medal of Honor upon the Vietnam unknown. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect Find records of Michael Blassie Birth records Marriage records Divorce records If they had, they might have hung up on him. The report triggered a speedy response from the Department of Defense which, after its own investigation, ordered the Tomb to be opened and the Vietnam Unknowns remains to undergo DNA testing at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. ", 1998 The Associated Press. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). At first, there were a lot of Unknowns to work with. William S. Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1998. Jump to: Bio graphy Family Photos Comments Obit uary. Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now #HonorVeterans #VetLegacies. In celebration of the Marine Corps' birthday, Military.com has put together this Marine Corps history quiz. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. 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. The aircraft went down in flames. He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 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 . There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. 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. Secretary of Defense William Cohen was on hand for the somber burial. Try again later. He died on May 11, 1972 at age 24. There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. 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. Dad set up a little memorial in the basement and would go down there all the time and just sit., When something like this happens in a family, [it] can bring a family together or tear it apart. Id left school early that day, and I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam. "This has meant so much to us. Many Vietnam veterans, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. A decade later, however, questions began to arise about the identity of this unknown soldier. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Michael Sorkin is a reporter at the Post-Dispatch. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. In part, because the formula was so easy to follow all that was needed was the body of a single unknown soldier. When they came back, they handed Michael Blassies remains toCalhoon. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this undated 1971 file photo made during flight training. There was a problem getting your location. well, that was simply too much to believe. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. Trending News 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. There, a plaque holds words from the Gettysburg Address: "We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow this ground. Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Michael Blassie (4245)? With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the forefront of forensic technologies. "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. In 1994, over two decades after Michael had been killed, his family received a phone call from a complete stranger named Ted Sampley. The chain of custody began with Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at An Lc. Defense Secretary William Cohen announced that the remains would be disinterred and the DNA tested. Process of elimination might sounded like it could have worked, until you take in account of the 2000+ MIA service members in that war. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Michael Joseph Blassie (1948 - 1972) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days How do we create a person's profile? By 1994, Patricia had risen from Airman Basic to Captain and was working in the Pentagon in Public Affairs. It represents all soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Jean Blassie, center, mother of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, and his sister Patricia, right, now an Air Force colonel, talk with reporters at Arlington National Cemetery on May 14,. Human beings have copies of DNA from each biological parent, stored in the nucleus of every cell. Your email address will not be published. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. She grew bitter and even considered quitting the service. The guards coming on duty are inspected for perfection in uniform, and inspector found some problem with the new guards blouse. 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