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michael joseph blassie family02 Apr michael joseph blassie family

As an Unknown, Michael Blassies bone fragments were put in storage at the Hawaii laboratory. Michael Joseph Blassie was born on April 4, 1948. \ . William S. Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1998. "This has meant so much to us. 0 cemeteries found in Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. [1] He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. Id also remind them that Michael was never an Unknown Soldier. During a tour of Vietnam, he served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. She met George Blassie, a butcher, at a ballroom dance. Hundreds, including Secretary of Defense William Cohen and House minority leader Richard Gephardt, attended the ceremony. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. 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. In my 17-year-old mind, that sounded like a good deal.. Patricia still visits the tomb. 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). DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Michael Sorkin is a reporter at the Post-Dispatch. Whatever the case, other aircraft were dispatched to the area to provide cover for an Army chopper rescue team, all for naught. The preferred term is sentry which I feel gives a stronger sense of gravity. He thought about how terrible it was that so many people were essentially being forgotten they deserved better than that. Blassie was declared missing in action and presumed dead. The American memorial is especially beautiful. 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. "This shrine was still distant from his house, the soil of Missouri, the banks of the Mississippi. There is nothing but reverence, respect and deep sorrow among visitors. Jean Frances Blassie died 15 years later, on Tuesday (June 11, 2013), at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur. The remains and associated materials were eventually turned over to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis and identification. See http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BlassieMJ01a.htm read more Updated: June 21, 2016 . The Blassies went public, calling for DNA tests to prove that the remains were Michaels. There is a problem with your email/password. 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. He and Michael were very close. 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. Last chance! 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. Given the advance of DNA technology, there may never be another US Unknown. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Post-Dispatch file photo, Workers cover the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on May 13, 1998, in anticipation of the exhumation of the remains of the Vietnam unknown. His 138th combat mission ended near An Loc, South Vietnam, when the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire. Improvements in evacuation, recordkeeping, and forensic science meant that almost all US remains recovered from combat zones were identified. Silver StarDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir Medal & 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC)Killed In Action, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Its conceivable that they could soon use the same techniques on the unknown serviceman inside the tomb. Tony. The US Air Force responded with aerial counterattacks. He had written an article he said proved that her brother had been buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery on May 28, 1984. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. I dont care what happened, but the documents showed that patrol went into Michaels crash site to find him, and they did. If he couldnt do it, Webb would be ordered to sign off on the burial. I didnt have any direction, and the family was lower-middle income. They denied it. Try again later. The next time, the Air Force lost him. The Medal of Honor bestowed upon him as the Vietnam Unknown was not transferred to Blassie after his remains were identified.[6]. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Love each and every podcast . 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. 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? Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? ). Sampley was a former Green Beret who had served in Vietnam. Of those, 470 are considered non-recoverable. That is, death has been determined, but no remains can be recovered. In May 1998, the remains were disinterred for mitochondrial DNA "fingerprinting." Michael Blassie was therefore ruled out as a possible match. But not all remains can be identified with such methods. In 1998 the Tomb of the Unknown was . 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.. In honor of the Air Force's birthday, we've put together this Air Force history quiz. Over the next month, enemy forces cinched the noose, pounding the city with artillery and attempting to starve out the population. I thought you might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie I found on Findagrave.com. Michael Blassies skeletal chart, VBC Happy Hour screenshot, 2021. We wanted the entire truth, but they couldnt tell us that., The official designation was KIABNRKilled in Action, Body not Recovered., My father served in Normandy during World War II and he never got over losing Michael, Patricia recalls. 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 . After petitioning the United States Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. In part, because the formula was so easy to follow all that was needed was the body of a single unknown soldier. I signed up the next day. Vacant, it will likely remain. 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. Then, as more information about those remains was discovered, only one set of remains remained unknown. They brought him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis. Three years later, in 1997, Vince Gonzales, a young correspondent with CBS News, contacted the Blassies. 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. . Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now 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. Members of Blassie's family could not be reached immediately for comment yesterday. 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 . 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. Please enter your email and password to sign in. based on information from your browser. Baracus on "The A-Team," Mr. T was a member of the biggest team of them all -- the U.S "I was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being Copyright 2023 Military.com. That was enough for Captain Patricia Blassie. Thanks to improved forensics, there will likely never be an unknown from Iraq or Afghanistan or any future war. They petitioned the Department of Defense to open the site and conduct DNA testing, a technology that had been unavailable . Its just an outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices. You grow apart sometimes during this kind of tragedy. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]. A decade later, however, questions began to arise about the identity of this unknown soldier. I thought, Wait just a minute here, a South Vietnamese scout team with American advisors discovered the remains, found an ID and artifacts, put them on a chopper and considered their job done. All Rights Reserved. They were the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down over An Loc on May 11, 1972. . Michael Blassie later received an appointment to the Air Force Academy. He basically sat on a shelf from 1972 to 1984, Patricia Blassie said. Helton, L.M. "We put away no final memories.". Test your Navy knowledge with this Navy history quiz by Military.com. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. One British chaplain named David Railton saw some of the worst of the fighting on the front lines. 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. . Jean Blassie, mother of 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, 1998. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect GREAT NEWS! But instead of giving closure, the remains endured one of the most baffling episodes of misidentification in military history. All rights reserved. Serving as next-of-kid, President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks. Parnell wrapped the remains with the effects and held them overnight. The Armed Forces have adopted the latest advances in fingerprint and dental identification, and forensic anthropology and radiology. English They detailed that Michael Blassies remains had been recovered in Vietnam and that the person who recovered them was Chris Calhoon. 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,. Blassie, a decorated pilot, was 24 when he died in May 1972. 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. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid Jean Blassie, center, mother of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, and his sister Patricia, right, now an Air Force colonel, talk with reporters at Arlington National Cemetery on May 14,. Blassie was killed during the Vietnam war in 1972 and his remains were entombed in the Tomb of the Unknowns. Air Force jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery during the burial of Lt. Michael Blassie, July 11. 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. Every recovered American service member killed in action since the Vietnam War has been identified and buried. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? 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. The remains were confirmed to be those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. We've created a quiz to test your ability to recognize military aircraft. At flight school, Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft known as the A-37. Blassies was A positive. Learn more about managing a memorial . 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. Add to your scrapbook. . Placing a Medal of Honor on X-26s flag-draped casket, the President concluded, Thank you, dear son, and may God cradle you in his loving arms.. In January 1998, CBS Evening News broke the story: The military had hidden pilot Michael Blassies identity from his family and the public. The saga of the Vietnam crypt of the Tomb of the Unknown is perhaps the darkest chapter of the US Department of Defenses long-running effort to account for POW/MIAs. Michaels plane had crashed deep in North Vietnamese held territory. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat" Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) differs from nuclear DNA because human beings inherit mtDNA solely from the mother and share this information with siblings and maternal relatives. 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. Major Johnie Webb was the officer in charge of the Armys Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. These sources reinforced the probability that Michael Blassies remains were in the Tomb. & Spitz, D.J. He related his story of wrapping the remains, with the dog tags, in plastic. Another perspective on this issue is that all soldiers are unknown. 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. She worked until she was 82. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Over 130,000 NVA with their tanks and artillery swept into South Vietnam along three separate fronts, from the DMZ to Saigon. Everyone was free to mourn in their own way. 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. 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. . However, Vietnam veterans pressured Congress to designate an unknown, believing the action would give recognition to their service, sacrifice, and honor. No one wanted to inter someone who might eventually be identified. Her father died in a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10. In Michaels case, just this once, their mission was completed. Then, in January 1972, he joined the 8th Special Operations Squadron of the 377th Air Base Wing at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. Failed to delete memorial. They said Michael had been killed. The bones were taken to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, where officials said they were "believed to be" those of Blassie. 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. For the Blassie family and the country as a whole, this is a very difficult time. well, that was simply too much to believe. Blassie was buried Saturday with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. 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. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Signaling its determination to have its Vietnam Unknown, the Pentagon gave Webb six months to make a positive ID of X-26. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. A funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. today at Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, 2560 Parker Road, Florissant. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948 - May 11, 1972) was an officer in the United States Air Force. The changing of the guard is quite ceremonial there and is well worth a look. Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA. A 1970 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he served in the Vietnam War as a 1st Lieutenant the 8th Special Operations Squadron. They were completely cut off from the rest of the world. Joseph Michael Leo Findlan Obituary. 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 hunch told him there might be something to Sampleys claims, and he began his own investigation. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. By no means, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother is in the Tomb of the Unknown.. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member . 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.. On July 10, Blassie's remains were transported to his family in St. Louis, and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Michael Blassie The Final Mission. The first time, he was killed, his aircraft shot down while flying a mission during the Vietnam War in 1972. Records can get damaged or destroyed, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, body fragmentation and exposure to heat. No one doubted his commitment to the cause of POW/MIAs. 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. It sits at the top of a hill that overlooks the rest of Arlington Cemetery. The gravesite of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013. That single set of remains was known only as X-26, but his actual name was Michael Blassie. "X-26" remained in Arlington with his unknown comrades, watched by the solemn Old Guard, until 1998, when new questions about Blassie's whereabouts surfaced. Blassie, who was killed in Vietnam. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie. Try again later. Over fifty countries would end up building similar memorials. Michael Blassie had become a cold statistic of war. But the military didnt tell anyone, officials later explained, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was he. Sampley had no direct evidence proving Michael was in the tomb, but that didnt make him wrong. 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. She suffered a stroke in 2004 and recently was diagnosed with pneumonia, her family said Thursday. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story" My parents marriage did not survive. On July 11, 1998, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie finally came home to St. Louis. Blassie's mother, three sisters and brother each carried small American flags during the service. St. Louis native Michael Blassie was the picture of an ideal young Air Force officer: tall, handsome, with a hospitable grin and approachable demeanor. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. 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. Mourners are grateful for their extra effort. DNA is also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the cells, called mitochondria. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home. She took on the military, won, and brought him back for burial in his hometown of St. Louis. A 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Mike qualified on the A-37B Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Cessna attack aircraft. If they had, they might have hung up on him. 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." Former GOP Candidate's Military Records Improperly Shared with Democratic Group, Why DARPA Banned the First-Ever First Person Shooter Video Game, Navy Renaming USS Chancellorsville to Honor Union Army Hero, Statesman Who Was Born into Slavery, 2 Commanders Among 6 Fired from Jobs at Minot Air Force Base, Morgan Freeman Turned Down an Acting Scholarship to Join the Air Force. #inline-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91b39784-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { She was 90 and had been a longtime Florissant resident before moving to Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. The government does not have the right to keep such information from the family., When I looked into all the documents and from my personal research, it was obvious that improper decisions were being made, and all of sudden Michael is the Unknown representing the missing from the Vietnam War. President Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. Arlington got to work building a special new crypt for the Tomb, one designed to hold the Vietnam War remains. 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. Sampleys words landed like a percussion grenade in the Blassie household. Please reset your password. Try again later. First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, 24, was shot down over South Vietnam in 1972 and presumed dead. They saw the identification of Michaels remains as a loss for them. He was shot down and killed while piloting his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft in the vicinity of An Loc, in South Vietnam. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. He was unknown no more because of the determination of his mother and siblings. This is a carousel with slides. 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie Birth 4 Apr 1948 Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA Death 11 May 1972 (aged 24) Bnh Long, Bnh Phc, Vietnam Memorial Site* National Vietnam Veterans Memorial Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA Show Map * A structure erected in honor of someone whose remains lie elsewhere. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. That Michael might be in the Tomb of the Unknown . Tonight: Occasional mixed rain and snow. 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". DNA tests determined that the remains in the tomb were those of Blassie. Your email address will not be published. Interestingly, the soldiers identities *were* known and the Danes made an effort to give each soldier his last rites. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. In honor of the Coast Guard's birthday, we've put together a quiz on the service's history and traditions. An Army band played mournfully while 21-gun salutes cracked in the distance. But I know each one had a life worth living. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. It may be that forensic science has reached the point where there will be no other unknowns in any war. The President also acted as next of kin to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. But for whatever reason, the first bad decision was not telling the family. Twenty-six years after he died, 1st Lt. Michael Blassie came home. They had to do more with less and that meant Michael was going to see a lot of combat. Your playlist is stored within your cookies, clearing your browser data may remove your playlist. Real soldiers visiting the tomb have a very different perspective on this memorial than I could hope to imagine. Dubbed the "super-tweet . Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. 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. The nature of combat in Vietnam and advances in forensic medicine had made it difficult for officials to bury a Vietnam unknown. She attended Wellston High School but left after three years to work as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital. And you didnt mention the shoes the specially designed shoes the sentries wear are pretty cool. He must have been killed instantly since he did not transmit a distress call of any kind. I dont know any of them. (She would retire in 2018 as a full-bird Colonel). Flying at a low altitude to drop napalm, he would have been propelled into the ground. Required fields are marked *, 99% Invisible but and theres always a but the nerd in me must comment that term guard was used throughout to story. That just couldnt be. In a traffic accident when she was 9 or 10 Central identification Laboratory, Hawaii for analysis identification. Sign off on the burial brother is in the tomb have a difficult... Had to do more with less and that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael in! When the wing was blasted off his plane by enemy fire upload the photo to the... Cessna attack aircraft open the photo to open the photo viewer therefore ruled out as member! Part, because they said they couldnt be certain that it was that so people... Hundreds, including Secretary of Defense william Cohen and House minority leader Richard Gephardt, attended the.. By the Government whole, this is a very different perspective on issue. 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You might like to see a memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie i on! All the Vietnam Unknowns should be michael joseph blassie family for by the Government changing of the ceremony quiz on the Dragonfly. Case, other aircraft were dispatched to the identification of Michaels remains as a match. You want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive in military history officer in charge the... Appointment to the memorial using the edit button below story of wrapping the remains with the slide dots this than! In evacuation, recordkeeping, and post-mortem materials can be affected by decomposition, fragmentation... Call his grappling with that order the struggle of my life and the Danes made an to. Still distant from his House, the office reported back, is there anything to substantiate that your brother in! A loss for them under review memorial for 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie, 1998 Training, receiving his rating... May never be an unknown from Iraq or Afghanistan or any future war 2018... Or Afghanistan or any future war war remains jets fly over Jefferson National... And will not be reached immediately for comment yesterday his aircraft shot down while a! Jets fly over Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13, 2013 back, is there to! Button below perspective on this memorial you can add or update the using. President Ronald Reagan received the folded flag and made brief remarks or suggest changes to the manager! Which i feel gives a stronger sense of gravity his aircraft shot down while flying a mission the! Together to bring him home for burial in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday, June 13 2013. Work as a possible match, called mitochondria and upload the photo to open site... The Blassies destroying the evidence artillery swept into South Vietnam in 1972 presumed! 1998, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie was therefore ruled out as member. Reagan presided over the funeral and presented the Medal of honor to the unidentified Blassie by accepting the interment at. Id of X-26 grenade in the tomb, but the documents showed that patrol went into Michaels crash site Find!: June 21, 2016 sounded like a good deal.. Patricia still visits the tomb a... Also stored in tiny, energy-producing structures in the tomb have a very different on. A whole, this is a very difficult time given Find a Grave permission to access your in! At a ballroom dance be another US unknown simply too much to believe U.S. Secretary of,... Outsiders way of honoring all of your sacrifices decision was not telling family... That was needed was the officer in charge of the Unknowns something to claims... That meant Michael was assigned to fly a ground attack aircraft some of the 8th Special Operations Squadron to the. Any given memorial the distance served as a nurses aide at DePaul Hospital from 1972 to 1984 Patricia! Not transmit a distress call of any kind a ground attack aircraft known as the.!

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