Jean Blassie lost her son twice. It didnt matter if you wanted to honor all those who served or merely those who died, those who volunteered or those who were drafted, or even whether you were for the war or against it. The DNA testing resulted in a perfect match with the Blassies. 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. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was . Mourners are grateful for their extra effort. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. It was all part of the effort to make sure that the Unknown could represent everyone who ever fought in the war. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. 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. 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. On March 30, 1972, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) launched a massive surprise attack on the South. You have permission to edit this article. He and Michael were very close. There was no question, the remains were Michaels. Eli Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap monthly costs at $35 (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. Vacant, it will likely remain. 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. They never got updates on recovery efforts. That just couldnt be. One British chaplain named David Railton saw some of the worst of the fighting on the front lines. There, a plaque holds words from. The city of An Loc was totally leveled it looked like Hiroshima, says Chris Calhoon who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was opened and the remains of the Vietnam Unknownidentified as X-26were removed. "Mike lived a hero, and he came home a hero," said Emanuel Cassimatis, the Air Force Academy liaison officer who recruited Blassie in 1965. On May 28, 1984, a Third Army Old Guard horse-drawn caisson moved slowly along Constitution Avenue. . . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. As far as she was concerned, the case was closed. On May 11, Communist forces unleashed an all-out assault to take An Lc. 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. They must have never actually been there. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist. Your email address will not be published. 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. So they finally took him off the shelf, file X-26, and for that Im thankful. That they all made the ultimate sacrifice for me. His body wouldnt be coming home. Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. To many Vietnam veterans, Patricia explains, it was pretty upsetting to have the Vietnam Unknown disinterred. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. In honor of the Coast Guard's birthday, we've put together a quiz on the service's history and traditions. Sampley told them that remains had been discovered near Michaels crash site, along with items belonging to an Air Force pilot. 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. I dont know any of them. As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. DNA testing was in its infancy in 1972. In 1997, Gonzalez contacted Patricia. In 1991 the Department of Defense founded the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL). Also pictured is sister Judy Cozad (left). However, analysis at the time suggested that the remains were not a compelling match to Blassie's age and height. Blassie's mother, three sisters and brother each carried small American flags during the service. Failed to delete memorial. 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. . President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the claim that Blassie was the Unknown, drawing on Defense Department records. Articles in U.S. Well, my mom cant get these kinds of phone calls, responded Patricia. Defense Secretary William Cohen announced that the remains would be disinterred and the DNA tested. On May 11, 1972, at age 24, his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft was shot down near An Loc, about 60 miles north of Saigon. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with . 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. 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. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. The pressures of war put a premium on closing cases and moving on, getting the job done even if that meant rushing lab reports. Blassie was killed during the Vietnam war in 1972 and his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns. The last day we took him to the airport, Michael looked back at us and waved. As is standard, all records pertaining to these remains were destroyed. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4245/michael-joseph-blassie. The Air Force told the Blassie family in St. Louis all they knew: their son had been killed in action, but his remains could not be recovered since he went down in enemy-held territory. They interviewed Parnell, by then a retired Colonel living in Florida. GREAT NEWS! On March 21, 1984, Webb reluctantly signed. They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 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.. 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 . 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. No one doubted his commitment to the cause of POW/MIAs. From there, the remains and effects went to Camp Samae San, Thailand, where the US ran a search and recovery center. Verify and try again. 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. 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. But it doesnt make it right that we interred a known soldier, she added. 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. 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. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Blassie, a 24-year-old first lieutenant, had been missing since May 11, 1972, when his A-37 fighter was shot down over An Loc during a bombing run. Thanks for your help! Share this memorial using social media sites or email. It was so exciting," she says. 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. Western reporters called it a mini-Stalingrad, the ugliest kind of siege warfare. Michael, after all, was her first born. But his tactics were confrontational and often involved outrageous claims and conspiracy theories. A system error has occurred. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Blassie, said Ted, I believe your son is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. Patricia was proud also when he headed off to Vietnam six years later. If we were confident enough the remains belonged to a US soldier that we put them in the tomb of the unknown, wouldnt process of elimination lead us to this conclusion? Last chance! Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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