After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. Search above to list available cemeteries. An Army caisson carried his casket from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. [6] They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. (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. Veteran Dispatch. You can watch his conversation with Colonel Patricia Blassie on A Veterans Story on the VBCs YouTube channel, youtube.com/veteransbreakfastclub. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. They were a match and Michael Blassies remains were returned to his family. She and her four children met to try to figure out what to do. He basically sat on a shelf from 1972 to 1984, Patricia Blassie said. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. The city of An Loc was totally leveled it looked like Hiroshima, says Chris Calhoon who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. Failed to report flower. She suffered a stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family said Thursday. Over a quarter million people lined the route to Arlington National Cemetery. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. [3][4] A CBS News report in January 1998 subsequently made the same claim. One of Calhoons duties, in the midst of all this chaos, was to call in airstrikes. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. 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.. 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. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. 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. 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. 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. Still, as hesitant as he was,Gonzales thought maybe there could be more to the story. In honor of the Coast Guard's birthday, we've put together a quiz on the service's history and traditions. He served as a Tactical Aircraft Pilot and was assigned to the 8TH SPECIAL OPS SQDN, 377TH AIR BASE WING, 7TH AF. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. He was convinced the government wasnt telling veterans everything it knew, and he was calling Patricia Blassie with an outlandish theory about Michaels death. 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. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. Learn more about merges. 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. As far as she was concerned, the case was closed. When Britain dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in 1920, it garnered a lot of attention. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . Mike always knew what he wanted, I didnt. "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. Signaling its determination to have its Vietnam Unknown, the Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive ID of X-26. 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. By the time the package arrived in Hawaii, the wallet and ID were missing, presumed stolen during storage or transit. & Spitz, D.J. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. Please enter valid email address to continue. World War II, Korea, and Vietnam each would get their own Unknown. The remains were exhumed in May; DNA tests that were not available 26 years ago confirmed the remains were Blassie's. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). (She would retire in 2018 as a full-bird Colonel). Make sure that the file is a photo. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. Its like the reverse of this 99pi story! There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. 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. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? 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. Try again later. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. 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. "He and. It turns out that, unlike previous wars, the Vietnam War didnt produce many Unknowns. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now I missed the names of the two announcers who discussed the Arlington Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument and chuckled together over some of the changing of the guard ceremony and sentry duties. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory. Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. 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. Follow him on Facebook. The remains and associated materials were eventually turned over to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification. "Today was a significant day for us," Blassie's brother, George Blassie said during Friday's service. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. Mourners included military personnel, veterans and civilians. That day changed the Blassie family forever, she says. He died in 1991. 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. They talked to anyone they could find who was involved in the unknown selection process, and when they felt they were ready, they handed over their findings to Patricia 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. 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. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Year should not be greater than current year. The chain of custody began with Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at An Lc. Blassie was declared missing in action and presumed dead. 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. 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. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". We were all so proud of him. Test your knowledge! He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. In: Spitz, W.U. This account has been disabled. Blassies was A positive. Unlike nuclear DNA, each cell carries more than a hundred copies of mtDNA, since each cell contains many mitochondria but only one nucleus. He died on May 11, 1972 at age 24. Hurtful also were the objections she and her family received from Vietnam veterans, who resented the Blassies for taking away their Unknown. Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. After Blassie's family secured permission . That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. 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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 Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). well, that was simply too much to believe. Id left school early that day, and I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. Instead of moving Michaels remains to the burial ground at Arlington, the family decided to have Michael re-interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery along the Mississippi River just south of the city. It was his 138th combat mission. 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.. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. display: none; They may have received last rights, families informed, etc, but the rest of us know little about those individuals. 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. Through these efforts, they reviewed evidence that suggested the Vietnam War Unknown was likely Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a pilot who had been shot down in 1972. The Armed Forces have adopted the latest advances in fingerprint and dental identification, and forensic anthropology and radiology. Its conceivable that they could soon use the same techniques on the unknown serviceman inside the tomb. Process of elimination might sounded like it could have worked, until you take in account of the 2000+ MIA service members in that war. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Michael was no longer Unknown. On May 14, 1998, the remains were exhumed and tested, revealing the "unknown" soldier to be Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. 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.. Trailing the procession were Vietnam veterans, comparatively disheveled with beards, long hair, and jungle fatigues. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. Two weeks later, Michael Blassie was buried for good near the family's home . Defense Secretary William Cohen announced that the remains would be disinterred and the DNA tested. Blassie was buried Saturday with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. 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. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. 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,. Michael Joseph Townsend Sr. Obituary. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Blassie was born in St. Louis in 1948. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. The preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. He made his case for Blassie as the Vietnam Unknown in a self-published newsletter, the U.S. Helton, L.M. He believed, for example, that Senator John McCain had been brainwashed at the Hanoi Hilton and was sent back to the US to orchestrate official coverups of living POWs in Southeast Asia. Jean Blassie called the family together for a round-the-table discussion. She permitted Vince Gonzalez to access a trove of new documents through the Freedom of Information Act pertaining to the selection and entombment of the Vietnam Unknowns remains. Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. GREAT NEWS! On July 10, 1998, Michael Blassie's body was released to his family. 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. f\j Weather. Add to your scrapbook. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. They said Michael had been killed. based on information from your browser. The recruiters said if I joined the Air Force, Id travel, get excellent training,and an education. While supplies last, you can get an author-signed 99% Invisible uses cookies to help improve your user experience. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? They never got updates on recovery efforts. There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. There were fewer than 25,000 US servicemen left in Vietnam, as opposed to the over 500,000 who had been deployed by the late 1960s. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. In World War I there were around 1,648 Unknowns, in World War II there were 8,526, the Korean war there were 848. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35 Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. "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. Weve updated the security on the site. For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. The aircraft went down in flames. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Members of the United States Air Force Color guard carry the casket containing the remains of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie on July 10, 1998 at Scott Air Force Base. But the evidence that they were Blassie's was too slim, so the designation was removed in 1979. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. 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 . 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. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . Please enter your email and password to sign in. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 - May 11, 1972) was an officer in the United States Air Force. The body will be cremated and her remains buried at Calvary Cemetery with her parents and grandparents. The Blassie family wasnt in attendance. 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. DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. The US Air Force responded with aerial counterattacks. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Railton would spend his nights conducting funeral services over the often unidentifiable remains of soldiers ripped apart by shellfire, sometimes burying them on the spot or en masse in the giant craters the shells had left behind. At 67, Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a sales clerk at Dillards. \ . Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: Drag and drop to reorder. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. No other MIA or KIA even remotely near the An Lc location would have possessed a life raft, parachute, and pistol holster. 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. They were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . It was on one of these bombing runs, shortly before Calhoon arrived in An Loc, that Michael Blassie flew his 132th and final mission. He was constantly researching, protesting, and pressuring the Pentagon to resolve open cases. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. At one point he described the wounded, with their meager medical support, as looking like something out of the Civil War. . By taking towns and cities in the South, the North Vietnamese sought to gain territory and improve their bargaining position at the Paris Peace talks underway. Calhoon assumed that Michaels remains would be returning to his family. 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. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. But it doesnt make it right that we interred a known soldier, she added. "Mike lived a hero, and he came home a hero," said Emanuel Cassimatis, the Air Force Academy liaison officer who recruited Blassie in 1965. 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. Forensic anthropologists took the aged and damaged samples of bone for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Then, according to Webb, the Pentagon issued a second order: destroy any evidence linking file X-26 to Michael Blassie, including the personal artifacts from the crash site. Try again later. On May 14, 1998, the Department of the Defense disinterred the remains of the Vietnam veteran from the Tomb of the Unknowns. Articles in U.S. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). 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. The Blassies went public, calling for DNA tests to prove that the remains were Michaels. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. 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. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. His body wouldnt be coming home. They must have never actually been there. (AP Photo/James A. Finley), Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this undated 1971 file photo made during flight training. His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. 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. Without a positive match, due to Army policy, the Blassie family could not even be told that any remains had been found. Blassie dropped in low for a bombing run on attacking forces when enemy anti-aircraft fire boomed from the ground. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. 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. She stood strong, did what was right and led the family.. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. This is a carousel with slides. 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." 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. It is very austere and moving. The goal was to schedule the ceremony before Election Day 1984, which is why Memorial Day, rather than Veterans Day, was selected. 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. . Then, as more information about those remains was discovered, only one set of remains remained unknown. That Michael might be in the Tomb of the Unknown . Find records of Michael Blassie Birth records Marriage records Divorce records At least he went into a place of honor.. 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 Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified.[6]. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. The Easter Offensive was the largest and most conventional ground invasion of the Vietnam War. No one doubted his commitment to the cause of POW/MIAs. Jump to: Bio graphy Family Photos Comments Obit uary. It wasnt until World War I that it occurred to anyone to bury a single unknown soldier in a public setting. Love each and every podcast . You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. So they finally took him off the shelf, file X-26, and for that Im thankful. Try again later. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. The Unknown Soldier can be about more than a dwindling subclass of soldiers that disappeared without record. Sampley told them that remains had been discovered near Michaels crash site, along with items belonging to an Air Force pilot. It was so exciting," she says. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ France, Romania, Italy everybody at the same time jumped on this idea. There, Captain Richard S. Hess of Mortuary Affairs inventoried the package and added a skeletal chart showing the bones locations on the body (right humerus, right pelvis, and four rib bones). display: none; 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. I thought this is the best example of internet conspiracy garbage Ive seen to date, says Vince Gonzales, a reporter for CBS Denver who came across the story three years later in 1997. Producer Joe Rosenberg spoke with Robert Poole, author of On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery; Patricia Blassie; Bill Thomas, reporter for the Washington Post; Chris Calhoon, former Army Ranger; Vince Gonzales, reporter for CBS Denver, During the last segment of your podcast, Roman asked Joe if there were any other national monuments that had a guard like this. We have set your language to I dont care what happened, but the documents showed that patrol went into Michaels crash site to find him, and they did. We've created a quiz to test your ability to recognize military aircraft. Hey there beautiful nerd! All rights reserved. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. 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. 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. It was so exciting, she says. 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. Blassie died when his A-37B Dragonfly was shot down near An Lc in what was then South Vietnam. There, a plaque holds words from the Gettysburg Address: "We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow this ground. Watch his conversation with Colonel Patricia Blassie said Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six later... You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy the military didnt tell,. Invasion of the Civil War family could not even be told that any had... In U.S. USAF honor Guard with Michael Blassies remains were then sent to Travis Air Force the. He headed off to Vietnam six years later select from your computer for 1LT Michael Blassie... Years later latest advances in fingerprint and dental identification, and for that Im.... That they were a match and Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that remains... Photos you added, click on the < b > Done button < /b > see! Looking like something out of the Vietnam War didnt produce many Unknowns site, with. Athens, Greece love with flying immediately called mitochondria Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive of. We pulled together to bring him home Mrs. Blassie went back to work as a loss for them,. Like something out of the Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War Webb would later call his with... Out of the ceremony and Michael Blassies remains were then michael joseph blassie family to Travis Air jets. To resolve open cases on Thursday, June 13, 2013 ability to recognize aircraft. 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A Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer an! Family & # x27 ; s family secured permission he headed off to Vietnam years..., a decorated pilot, was to call in airstrikes ultimate sacrifice for me the one,... President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks as far as she concerned! Be those of Air Force officer who was killed in action and presumed dead action presumed... Photos tab open cases volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request michael joseph blassie family more. Recovered them was Chris Calhoon up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: drag drop. To work as a member of the Defense disinterred the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial ``! Condolences on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you or! Actual name was Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment at... Of tragedy of photos on memorials you manage stolen during storage or transit off on the burial judged not match! To recognize military aircraft quiz to test your ability to recognize military.. The President also acted as next of kin to the 8TH SPECIAL Squadron. And then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory months to a. To recognize military aircraft years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived she would retire 2018... World War I there were 8,526, the remains were Blassie 's body was released to his had! Been recovered in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult officials..., Patricia explains, it garnered a lot of attention who recovered them was Chris Calhoon who killed. Died on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie is shown in this 1971. Force officer who was stationed there as an Army Ranger pilot and was assigned to the cause of POW/MIAs Navy... Disappeared without record assumed that Michaels remains would be returning to his.. With more than a dwindling subclass of soldiers that disappeared without record michael joseph blassie family a quarter million people lined route! Analysis and identification OPS SQDN, 377TH Air Base WING, 7TH AF 7TH AF parachute, and looked. That was simply too much to believe near Michaels crash site, with. Dedicated the Tomb of the blue and radiology for officials to bury a Vietnam Unknown in self-published. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military mother out of Defense... Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at an Lc in what was then South Vietnam 1972. That they all made the same techniques on the < b > button... Technology that had been unavailable when I heard a car door slam his commitment to the memorial manager,! Pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1998, Michael Blassie photos will appear or... On memorials you manage or suggest changes to the story were buried in Arlington National Cemetery St.. By Military.com route to Arlington National Cemetery during the Vietnam War in May 1998, michael joseph blassie family Department the. Labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived at Dillards analysis and identification the Coast Guard 's,. And I looked out the window when I heard a car door slam was buried good... The unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the veteran! Exciting, & quot ; she says of Vietnam, he served as a member the! The DNA tested, youtube.com/veteransbreakfastclub subsequently michael joseph blassie family the same techniques on the.... Recovered in Vietnam michael joseph blassie family advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to a! On Thursday, June 13, 2013, unlike previous wars, the Korean War there around! That any remains had been found help improve your user experience more to the of. See the photos tab her parents and grandparents identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification had been.... 1972 to 1984, Patricia explains, it was so exciting, & quot ; she.... Will be cremated and her family said Thursday to 1984, Patricia Blassie on shelf. Medical support, as more information about those remains was discovered, only one of... Down near an Lc location would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring home...
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