michael joseph blassie family

&nbsp11/03/2023

(AP Photo/Brian K. Diggs), In thisJune, 30, 1998, photo,Joan Blassie, right, the mother of the Michael Blassie reacts to the news that the remains in the Tomb of Unknowns were confirmed by DNA testing as belonging to her son Lt. Michael Blassie, who was shot down over Vietnam. After graduating from St. Louis University High School he entered the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1970. The enemy threw up what was described as a murderous hail of fire which prevented any rescue or recovery attempt. 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. "The resting place of Michael was for so long the Tomb of the Unknowns," Rigali said. (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. Yet he was found five months after he was shot down and then buried without our knowledge in the Tomb of the Unknowns. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. 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. 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. #HonorVeterans #VetLegacies. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. & Spitz, D.J. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in St. Louis, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. 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. ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM. He and Michael were very close. I wouldnt think there was a known soldier in the Tomb of the Unknowns, she recalled thinking. Updated: June 21, 2016 . For a while, Patricia struggled with her grievance toward the military establishment to which she had dedicated her career. American serviceman who remained behind were stretched thin. 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. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35, Pandemic-era food benefits end for millions of Americans as costs rise, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". If they had, they might have hung up on him. [6] A hunch told him there might be something to Sampleys claims, and he began his own investigation. The music is an original piece by our talented composer, Sean Real. Defense Secretary William Cohen announced that the remains would be disinterred and the DNA tested. 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. The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. In my 17-year-old mind, that sounded like a good deal.. Jump to: Bio graphy Family Photos Comments Obit uary. Michael Blassies squadron was providing that air support over An Loc. . President Ronald Reagan bestowed the Medal of Honor upon the Vietnam unknown. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Michael Blassie was therefore ruled out as a possible match. It was around this time that David Railton came across a temporary grave, a few miles behind the front, marked only by a cross bearing the name of a regiment and the words: An unknown British soldier.. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. Five months later, during a sweep of the area, a South Vietnamese Army patrol recovered a pelvis, an upper arm bone, and some ribs, as well as the remnants of a flight suit, a life raft, pieces of a parachute, and part of a USAF holster. However, analysis at the time suggested that the remains were not a compelling match to Blassie's age and height. That crypt would remain empty for over a decade. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. 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. She was sad about Michaels death but was happy to have him back, Patricia Blassie said. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 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. Try again later. We've created a quiz to test your ability to recognize military aircraft. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Become a member of the Veterans Breakfast Club for only $36/year! As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. 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. Everything about the war not only the numbers, but the nature of it was dehumanizing, says Robert Poole, author of the book On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery. GREAT NEWS! The president meant to assure families of soldiers with MIA status that their loved ones would not be forgotten, but his words were prescient of the Vietnam unknown's fate. 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. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Blassie's remains. "We write no last chapters, we close no books," Reagan said. It has been watched over day and night since 1937 by a lone guard, forever marching back and forth in front of the tomb. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. I dont know any of them. 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. During my only visit to the Tomb of the Unknowns, during the changing of the guard, I witnessed what may be a rare event. Learn more about managing a memorial . Unlike nuclear DNA, each cell carries more than a hundred copies of mtDNA, since each cell contains many mitochondria but only one nucleus. Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. In 1997, Gonzalez contacted Patricia. Photo by Erik M. Lunsford elunsford@post-dispatch.com. They were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. So they finally took him off the shelf, file X-26, and for that Im thankful. Blassie's unidentified remains were designated as the Vietnam Unknown service member by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. 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. That simple, tragic explanation would be the only one that Blassies parents ever heard for 26 years. There was a problem getting your location. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 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. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. "We put away no final memories.". They were just looking out for him until he could go home. They had to do more with less and that meant Michael was going to see a lot of combat. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. 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. His jet lost a wing, crashed and burned. He died in 1991. Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. 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. Dubbed the "super-tweet . Dont let my viewpoint sully your experience. They said Michael had been killed. He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. 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. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Family members linked to this person will appear here. 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 aircraft went down in flames. USAF Honor Guard with Michael Blassies casket, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (SSgt Scott Seyer/USAF). The discovery of personal effects at the crash site should have converted Michael Blassie from a Vietnam MIA to a KIA, closing his case. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. DNA identification had yet to advance to its current state when Blassie's remains were repatriated, and he lay in the Tomb of the Unknowns up to 1998, with visitors paying respects but unaware of his identity. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. 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. 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. These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. 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. 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. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. He connected the dots for the Blassies over the phone. i . 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. I saluted smartly and put the thought aside. The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. An honor guard was fired a 21-gun salute and F-15 Eagle fighters flew overhead in the "missing man" formation as Blassie was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis in a ceremony presided over by the eldest sibling, Pat Blassie, a captain in the Air Force Reserve. My father went to his grave in 1991 not knowing the rest of his sons story., Meanwhile, Patricia herself joined the Air Force. It was so exciting," she says. In honor of the Coast Guard's birthday, we've put together a quiz on the service's history and traditions. There was no question, the remains were Michaels. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. Twenty-six years after he died, 1st Lt. Michael Blassie came home. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified. 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