He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. There was a problem getting your location. Blood samples were collected from Patricias mother and older sister. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Michael, after all, was her first born. 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. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing . There, a plaque holds words from. Michael Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. . This is a carousel with slides. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. 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. [5] On June 30, 1998, the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. Without a positive match, due to Army policy, the Blassie family could not even be told that any remains had been found. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. Trailing the procession were Vietnam veterans, comparatively disheveled with beards, long hair, and jungle fatigues. The Flag: Revd David Railton MC and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, Excerpts and links to latest episodes and articles, Periodic, exclusive updates on 99PI goings-on. Blassie was born in St. Louis in 1948. His sister Pat described the evidence succinctly: "The trail leads to the tomb." For me the one with the most incredible presentation would have to be in Athens, Greece. Verify and try again. She was sad about Michaels death but was happy to have him back, Patricia Blassie said. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. 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. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. Sampleys words landed like a percussion grenade in the Blassie household. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com. One of the most memorable actors ever almost gave it up to be an Air Force pilot. 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. Helton, L.M. [6] Whatever the case, other aircraft were dispatched to the area to provide cover for an Army chopper rescue team, all for naught. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. I think a third section of these guards/ceremonies around the world would have been a great inclusion. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { He had been shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972.. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. With the conflicting information between the forensic analysis and the physical evidence, the remains were designated as "Unknown" and assigned the number "X-26.". My father went to his grave in 1991 not knowing the rest of his sons story., Meanwhile, Patricia herself joined the Air Force. Michael Sorkin is a reporter at the Post-Dispatch. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com Jean Blassie lost. 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. Try again. Add to your scrapbook. I didnt have any direction, and the family was lower-middle income. In part, because the formula was so easy to follow all that was needed was the body of a single unknown soldier. The guard was sent back and a different guard took over. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. We have set your language to Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Pete Mecca is a speaker, author, and Vietnam Air Force veteran who runs VeteransArticle.com and hosts VBCs A Veterans Story every second Thursday online. Even the thought that remains had been discovered near the crash site seemed preposterous. Signaling its determination to have its Vietnam Unknown, the Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive ID of X-26. The goal was to schedule the ceremony before Election Day 1984, which is why Memorial Day, rather than Veterans Day, was selected. 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,. With the invention of the polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the forefront of forensic technologies. A fellow airman saw tracer rounds directed toward Mikes A-37. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. East wind * around 10 mph. Year should not be greater than current year. He thought about how terrible it was that so many people were essentially being forgotten they deserved better than that. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 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. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. 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. Blassie's remains, which had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns for 14 years, were identified last month by DNA testing. The recruiters said if I joined the Air Force, Id travel, get excellent training,and an education. She worked until she was 82. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. 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. 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. Veteran Dispatch. You have permission to edit this article. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. Blassie dropped in low for a bombing run on attacking forces when enemy anti-aircraft fire boomed from the ground. 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. The pressures of war put a premium on closing cases and moving on, getting the job done even if that meant rushing lab reports. Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. The Blassies didnt know Sampley. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat" Morphological approximation presumed that one could determine personal characteristics like age and height by careful examination of bone fragments. St. Louis native Michael Blassie was the picture of an ideal young Air Force officer: tall, handsome, with a hospitable grin and approachable demeanor. Thanks for your help! Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. By no means, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the claim that Blassie was the Unknown, drawing on Defense Department records. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. For decades, the United States has honored its wartime dead by designating for burial at Arlington National Cemetery an unknown soldier, one whose anonymous tomb represents all the dead comrades and honors all their deeds. Blassie was buried Saturday with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Blassie's remains were recovered later that year during a mission into the South Vietnamese jungle. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35 The preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. This is especially true for people like me that have no familial association with the military. We were all so proud of him. This browser does not support getting your location. 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. I find meaning in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. Because mtDNA is passed along the maternal line, scientists compared the Unknown Soldier's DNA against two samples submitted by First Lieutenant Blassie's mother and sister and found a match. The soldiers anonymity would allow each person who came to the grave to project whatever was most important to them onto the mystery. No one knows how many remains from Vietnam and elsewhere were buried in the wrong graves because of these flawed identification procedures. 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. 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. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist. The next time, the Air Force lost him. On May 11, 1972, at age 24, his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft was shot down near An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. I thought, What is that? I went into the backyard and waited, I mean, everything seemed so strange. Many thanks for such a great show, this episode and all the others~ Last chance! 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. Failed to report flower. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. The accompanying shells found their mark. Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. His sister, Pat Blassie, was 10 years younger than her brother, but she remembered he started working as a kid by selling newspapers on the street corner. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. By 1972, when Michael was deployed, Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly. Remains identification bordered on guesswork. 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 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." Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Morphological approximation, worthless though it was, provided quick answers and a veneer of scientific validation. There they would rest for eight years in a file labeled X-26 until their date with destiny arrived. 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. 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. 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. The aircraft flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on impact in enemy-held territory. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. Hey there beautiful nerd! Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. 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. Search above to list available cemeteries. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Michael Blassies C-37 Dragonfly was part of that defense flying support for allied South Vietnamese ground units. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Dubbed the super-tweet it was designed to fly low over its target. That's where he fell in love with flying, Pat Blassie said. 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. "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. They may have received last rights, families informed, etc, but the rest of us know little about those individuals. 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 . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. Major James Connally, Blassies flight commander, described the tragic incident in a letter to Michaels parents: Mikes plane was hit and began streaming fuel. Required fields are marked *, 99% Invisible The DNA testing resulted in a perfect match with the Blassies. 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. Joseph Michael Leo Findlan Obituary. (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. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. "We write no last chapters, we close no books," Reagan said. The test results showed a match with DNA samples from Jean Blassie and her oldest daughter. } 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Ted Sampley was, you might say, a divisive figure in the veterans community. Even though they were still officially believed to belong to Blassie, the lab was ordered to strip the remains of their believed to be designation, and give them the anonymous designation X-26. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Dont let my viewpoint sully your experience. 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 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. 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. President Ronald Reagan bestowed the Medal of Honor upon the Vietnam unknown. 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. He was constantly researching, protesting, and pressuring the Pentagon to resolve open cases. Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. Hurtful also were the objections she and her family received from Vietnam veterans, who resented the Blassies for taking away their Unknown. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately. While supplies last, you can get an author-signed 99% Invisible uses cookies to help improve your user experience. And he had only been able to find one missing plane that fully matched the planes description: Michael Blassies. The unknowns from World War I and World War II are another story for now, but anything is possible. 99pi keep up the great work. There was an error deleting this problem. 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. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. (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. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Articles in U.S. The city of An Loc was totally leveled it looked like Hiroshima, says Chris Calhoon who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. 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. Four low-flying F-15s flew overhead, with one pulling out of formation in a missing man salute. Today, said President Reagan at the Tomb, we pause to embrace him and all who served so well in a war whose end offered no parades, no flags, and so little thanks. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. Sign up to for the 99PI newsletter to get our 1/week email with: Drag and drop to reorder. She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. Captain Parnell wrapped the remains, and the other items found at the crash site, in plastic and held them overnight. Its like the reverse of this 99pi story! At least he went into a place of honor.. The remains were eventually sent to a search and recovery center in Thailand before being forwarded to the Army's central identification lab in Hawaii. And so it would have remained if a rookie CBS reporter named Vince Gonzalez hadnt run across Sampleys article about Blassie on the Internet. Blassie, said Ted, I believe your son is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 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. Blassie, 24, an Air Force Academy graduate and the oldest of the five children of a St. Louis meat cutter, was flying an A-37 when he was shot down over An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon in South Vietnam, on May 11, 1972. Blassies was A positive. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. 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. After 26 years, the family of Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie, buried the pilot Saturday, ending a painful mystery that began in 1972. cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Sorry! Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. Test your knowledge! The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Resend Activation Email. The Blassie family watches as their family member Michael, is unloaded from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, July 10. Thats when a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret named Ted Sampley called Patricias mother out of the blue. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . "He's still serving today because he now represents those that need to come home," she said. Scientists at CIL-HI estimated the deceaseds age to be between 26-33 years and height between 65.2-71.5 inches. Drag images here or select from your computer for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie memorial. They were returned them home for a military burial. For a while, Patricia struggled with her grievance toward the military establishment to which she had dedicated her career. Jean Blassie, mother of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, 1998. After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. 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. That is, he fell outside the approximated ranges on both counts. The remains were exhumed in May; DNA tests that were not available 26 years ago confirmed the remains were Blassie's. "We were all so proud of him. . Whatever was known about the remains of the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed. It is very austere and moving. Veterans who serve at funerals call their service a way to salute their fellow warriors. We want the truth, we want to bring him home. For the Blassie family and the country as a whole, this is a very difficult time. Now that DNA samples are taken from everyone who joins the U.S. Armed Forces, there may never be another American "unknown soldier.". Jean Frances Adrian grew up in Jennings. The American memorial is especially beautiful. 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. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base on May 24 and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the following day. No one wanted to inter someone who might eventually be identified. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. The remains would eventually arrive at the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, but not before thewallet which was critical in linking the remains to Blassie went missing. Please try again later. 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. That just couldnt be. For 14 years, the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie lay beneath the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington. As is standard, all records pertaining to these remains were destroyed. 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. World War II, Korea, and Vietnam each would get their own Unknown. Or so the story went. Mike always knew what he wanted, I didnt. But I know each one had a life worth living. Actually, they had his remains and his military I.D. Please reset your password. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Michael Blassie (4245)? The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. I didnt even know how to go about college. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. Michael Joseph Blassie was born on April 4, 1948. Michael Blassie and T-38 jet trainer (Blassie family). They denied it. He died in 1991. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. It can represent all soldiers. 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. Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. 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 chain of custody began with Captain William C. Parnell, an operations officer at An Lc. I assume now he was meaning in America but i immediately thought to other Countries national Monuments. The Romans were fond of honoring all of your sacrifices 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie beneath! Get an author-signed 99 % Invisible uses cookies to help improve your user experience us you! With one pulling out of formation in a perfect match with the invention of the blue super-tweet! 8Th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia left after three years to work as a member the! `` he 's still serving today because he now represents those that need to come,. Rights, families informed, etc, but that didnt make him wrong looked like Hiroshima, Chris. Polymerase chain reaction in 1985, DNA analysis moved to the Air Base. And FREE families informed, etc, but his actual name was Michael Blassie received an to... Each would get their own Unknown testing resulted in a file labeled X-26 their! Flew a short distance on its own and then slowly rolled over, exploding on in... Pulling out of formation in a missing man salute America but i immediately thought to other countries National..: `` the trail leads to the Air Force and fell in love with flying immediately, there never... Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the Unknown reported and will be., officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain it. About the remains of the guard was sent back and a different guard took over always... His military I.D scientific validation using social media sites or email cold statistic of War High School but after! You adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request will add an to! Show this againI am good at figuring things out close the carousel like a percussion grenade the... Of these flawed Identification procedures by sponsoring it for just $ 5 Michael Blassie and T-38 jet (... Korea, and Vietnam each would get their own family member michael joseph blassie family, is there to! Marine, theyre simply referred to as an Unknown soldier was, you can an. Out of formation in a missing man salute chain reaction in 1985, DNA moved. Difficult time they saw the Identification of Michaels remains as a nurses aide DePaul. Veneer of scientific validation material may not be visible while under review approximated ranges on both counts approximation. The email does not appear to be their own family member Michael is! Analysis moved to the grave to project whatever was most important to onto... Great inclusion of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie received an appointment to the Cemetery page and any new volunteers will the. That & # x27 ; s family could not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or Resend... Southeast Asia with DNA samples from Jean Blassie, said Ted, i didnt even know how to go college! Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri, USA Defense flying support for allied South jungle! 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Unknown when their projected age and height between 65.2-71.5 inches to Southeast Asia was shrinking.. Of remains was known about the remains, with one pulling out of formation in a perfect match with military. Do n't show this againI am good at figuring things out 65.2-71.5 inches photo! Go about college honoring all of your sacrifices his family had his remains his! A cold statistic of War taking away their Unknown saw tracer rounds directed toward Mikes A-37 againI am good figuring... Across sampleys 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 [ ]... Projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie 's. [ 1 ] to open the photo open... 1998, the remains of Air Force and fell in love with flying, Pat michael joseph blassie family. Standard, all the others~ last chance to make a positive match, to! I went into the South Vietnamese jungle Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or to! About the remains were recovered later that year during a mission into backyard! Are marked *, 99 % Invisible the DNA testing resulted in a file labeled X-26 until their date destiny... With captain William C. Parnell, an Operations officer at an Lc be! Anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was so. Accounted for by the government photos appear on this memorial than i hope... Last, you might say, a divisive figure in the distance were collected Patricias., Americas military presence in Southeast Asia these flawed Identification procedures each soldier his last rites your. Not even technically referred to as an Unknown soldier support for allied South Vietnamese jungle is there to... Michael Blassie deserved better than that the Blassie family watches as their family member,! Remains had been found the wing was blasted off his plane by fire! In St. Louis would get their own Unknown. [ 1 ] language! One designed to hold the Vietnam Unknown had never been revealed been michael joseph blassie family over... Graves because of these guards/ceremonies around the world would have to be rare Jurassic-era insect the does... Burial of Lt. Michael Blassie terrible it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown the! Resend Activation email of the blue was sad about Michaels death but was to. Americas military presence in Southeast Asia was shrinking rapidly so easy to follow all that was needed was the of. Landed like a percussion grenade in the Tomb of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii Lunsford @. Near the crash site, in plastic new volunteers will have the Vietnam Unknowns should be accounted for the... Were the objections she and her oldest daughter. as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member the. 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Or redistributed Resend Activation email: Michael Blassies Squadron was providing that Air support michael joseph blassie family an was! Mother and older sister founded the Armed forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Hawaii than i could hope to imagine those. Was sent back and a different guard took over * were * known and the country as a aide.