Michael Blassie: Difference between revisions
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m sp, date & link fixes; unlinking common words, replaced: May 28, 1984]] → May 28, 1984, ’s → 's, USS ''Brewton'' → {{USS|Brewton|FF-1086|6}}, United States of America → United States using AWB |
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|death_date= {{death date and age|1972|5|11|1948|4|4}} |
|death_date= {{death date and age|1972|5|11|1948|4|4}} |
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|birth_place= |
|birth_place= |
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|death_place= [[Killed in Action]], near [[An |
|death_place= [[Killed in Action]], near [[An Lộc]], [[South Vietnam]] |
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|placeofburial= initially in the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery<br/>currently [[Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery]] |
|placeofburial= initially in the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery<br/>currently [[Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery]] |
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|placeofburial_label= Place of burial |
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial |
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|caption= Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform |
|caption= Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform |
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|nickname= |
|nickname= |
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|allegiance= |
|allegiance=United States of America |
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|branch= [[United States Air Force]] |
|branch= [[United States Air Force]] |
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|serviceyears= [[USAFA]]: |
|serviceyears= [[USAFA]]: 1966–1970<br/>[[USAF]]: 1970–1972 |
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|rank= [[First Lieutenant#United States|First Lieutenant]] |
|rank= [[First Lieutenant#United States|First Lieutenant]] |
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|commands= |
|commands= |
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First Lieutenant '''Michael Joseph Blassie''' (April 4, 1948—May 11, 1972) was an officer in the [[United States Air Force]]. Prior to identification of his remains, Blassie was the Unknown service member from the [[Vietnam War]] buried at the [[Tomb of the Unknowns]]. |
First Lieutenant '''Michael Joseph Blassie''' (April 4, 1948—May 11, 1972) was an officer in the [[United States Air Force]]. Prior to identification of his remains, Blassie was the Unknown service member from the [[Vietnam War]] buried at the [[Tomb of the Unknowns]]. |
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After graduating from [[St. Louis University High School]], Blassie entered the [[United States Air Force Academy]], from which he graduated in 1970.<ref name="blassie">{{cite web|url=http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs//galleries/cases/blassie.html|title=Michael Blassie unknown no more|date=2006-05-03|publisher=National Institutes of Heath|accessdate=2009-04-01}}</ref> He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. He subsequently qualified as an [[A-37 Dragonfly]] pilot and served as a member of the [[8th Special Operations Squadron]], deployed to Southeast Asia. Blassie died when his [[A-37 Dragonfly|A-37B Dragonfly]] was shot down near [[An |
After graduating from [[St. Louis University High School]], Blassie entered the [[United States Air Force Academy]], from which he graduated in 1970.<ref name="blassie">{{cite web|url=http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs//galleries/cases/blassie.html|title=Michael Blassie unknown no more|date=2006-05-03|publisher=National Institutes of Heath|accessdate=2009-04-01}}</ref> He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. He subsequently qualified as an [[A-37 Dragonfly]] pilot and served as a member of the [[8th Special Operations Squadron]], deployed to Southeast Asia. Blassie died when his [[A-37 Dragonfly|A-37B Dragonfly]] was shot down near [[An Lộc]] in what was then [[South Vietnam]]. |
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==Vietnam Unknown== |
==Vietnam Unknown== |
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Partial skeletal remains were retrieved from the area of the crash five months after his aircraft was shot down, and were initially identified by [[Mortuary Affairs]] as Blassie. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.<ref name="blassie"/> |
Partial skeletal remains were retrieved from the area of the crash five months after his aircraft was shot down, and were initially identified by [[Mortuary Affairs]] as Blassie. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.<ref name="blassie"/> |
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Blassie's remains were designated as the Unknown service member from the Vietnam War by [[Medal of Honor]] recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. [[Allan J. Kellogg]] Jr. during a ceremony at [[Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]] on May 17, 1984,<ref name="chksix">{{cite web|url=http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Blassie-A37B.htm|title=Vietnam's Unknown|date=2011-08-15|publisher=Check-Six.com|accessdate=2011-08-15}}</ref> and were transported aboard the |
Blassie's remains were designated as the Unknown service member from the Vietnam War by [[Medal of Honor]] recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. [[Allan J. Kellogg]] Jr. during a ceremony at [[Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]] on May 17, 1984,<ref name="chksix">{{cite web|url=http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Blassie-A37B.htm|title=Vietnam's Unknown|date=2011-08-15|publisher=Check-Six.com|accessdate=2011-08-15}}</ref> and were transported aboard the {{USS|Brewton|FF-1086|6}} to [[Naval Air Station Alameda]], [[California]]. The remains were then sent to [[Travis Air Force Base]], California on May 24, and arrived at [[Andrews Air Force Base]], Maryland the following day. |
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Many Vietnam veterans and President and Mrs. [[Ronald Reagan]] visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. An Army caisson carried his coffin from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. President Reagan presided over the funeral, and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. The President also acted as next of kin by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. |
Many Vietnam veterans and President and Mrs. [[Ronald Reagan]] visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. An Army caisson carried his coffin from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. President Reagan presided over the funeral, and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. The President also acted as next of kin by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony. |
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[[File:President Reagan during interment ceremony for Unknown Serviceman of Vietnam Era at Tomb of Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, May 28, 1984.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Unknown Service Member from the Vietnam War—later identified as 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie—being buried on May 28, 1984 |
[[File:President Reagan during interment ceremony for Unknown Serviceman of Vietnam Era at Tomb of Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, May 28, 1984.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Unknown Service Member from the Vietnam War—later identified as 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie—being buried on May 28, 1984 |
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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. |
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. |
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A CBS news report in January 1998 claimed the Vietnam unknown was Blassie,<ref name="blassiecnn">{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/1998-01-20/politics/unknown.soldier_1_blassies-larry-greer-unknowns?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS|title=Soldier In Tomb Of Unknowns May Actually Be Known|date=1998-01-20|publisher=[[CNN]]|accessdate=2010-10-30}}</ref> and articles in U.S. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the same claim, drawing on Defense Department records.<ref name=blassiecnn/><ref name="blassieusvet">{{cite web|url=http://www.usvetdsp.com/unknown.htm|title=The Vietnam Unknown Soldier Can Be Identified |date=1994-07|publisher=U.S. Veteran Dispatch|accessdate=2010-10-30}}</ref> |
A CBS news report in January 1998 claimed the Vietnam unknown was Blassie,<ref name="blassiecnn">{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/1998-01-20/politics/unknown.soldier_1_blassies-larry-greer-unknowns?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS|title=Soldier In Tomb Of Unknowns May Actually Be Known|date=1998-01-20|publisher=[[CNN]]|accessdate=2010-10-30}}</ref> and articles in U.S. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the same claim, drawing on Defense Department records.<ref name=blassiecnn/><ref name="blassieusvet">{{cite web|url=http://www.usvetdsp.com/unknown.htm|title=The Vietnam Unknown Soldier Can Be Identified |date=1994-07|publisher=U.S. Veteran Dispatch|accessdate=2010-10-30}}</ref> |
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After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains of Blassie were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Lieutenant Blassie's remains.<ref name="Helton, 2006">Helton, L.M. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Part 2: DNA. In: Spitz, W.U. & Spitz, D.J. (eds): ''Spitz and |
After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains of Blassie were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Lieutenant Blassie's remains.<ref name="Helton, 2006">Helton, L.M. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Part 2: DNA. In: Spitz, W.U. & Spitz, D.J. (eds): ''Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death. Guideline for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigations (Fourth edition)'', Charles C. Thomas, pp.: 226-239; Springfield, Illinois.</ref> On June 30, 1998 the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. On July 10, Blassie's remains arrived home to his family in [[Saint Louis, Missouri]] and were later reinterred at [[Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery]]. |
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Following the removal of Lt. Blassie's remains from the Tomb of the Unknowns, the marker at Arlington was replaced with one that read, "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen." Advances in technology, such as those that allowed the identification of Lt. Blassie, may lead to the eventual identification of all interments marked "unknown" from Vietnam. |
Following the removal of Lt. Blassie's remains from the Tomb of the Unknowns, the marker at Arlington was replaced with one that read, "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen." Advances in technology, such as those that allowed the identification of Lt. Blassie, may lead to the eventual identification of all interments marked "unknown" from Vietnam. |
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{{Portal|United States Air Force}} |
{{Portal|United States Air Force}} |
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*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients]] |
*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients]] |
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*[[An |
*[[An Lộc]] |
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*[[Battle of An |
*[[Battle of An Lộc]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = |
| PLACE OF BIRTH = |
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| DATE OF DEATH =May 11, 1972 |
| DATE OF DEATH =May 11, 1972 |
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| PLACE OF DEATH =[[Killed in |
| PLACE OF DEATH =[[Killed in action]], near [[An Lộc]], [[South Vietnam]] |
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}} |
}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blassie, Michael}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blassie, Michael}} |
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Revision as of 23:09, 14 August 2013
Michael Joseph Blassie | |
|---|---|
| File:MichaelBlassie.jpg Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform | |
| Born | April 4, 1948 |
| Died | May 11, 1972 (aged 24) Killed in Action, near An Lộc, South Vietnam |
| Place of burial | initially in the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery currently Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | USAFA: 1966–1970 USAF: 1970–1972 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam |
First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie (April 4, 1948—May 11, 1972) was an officer in the United States Air Force. Prior to identification of his remains, Blassie was the Unknown service member from the Vietnam War buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
After graduating from St. Louis University High School, Blassie entered the United States Air Force Academy, from which he graduated in 1970.[1] He then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his aeronautical rating as an Air Force pilot in 1971. He subsequently qualified as an A-37 Dragonfly pilot and served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron, deployed to Southeast Asia. Blassie died when his A-37B Dragonfly was shot down near An Lộc in what was then South Vietnam.
Vietnam Unknown
Partial skeletal remains were retrieved from the area of the crash five months after his aircraft was shot down, and were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as Blassie. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie's.[1]
Blassie's remains were designated as the Unknown service member from the Vietnam War by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Allan J. Kellogg Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on May 17, 1984,[2] and were transported aboard the USS Brewton to Naval Air Station Alameda, California. The remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base, California on May 24, and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland the following day.
Many Vietnam veterans and President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan visited Blassie as he lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. An Army caisson carried his coffin from the Capitol to the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 28, 1984. President Reagan presided over the funeral, and presented the Medal of Honor to the Vietnam Unknown. The President also acted as next of kin by accepting the interment flag at the end of the ceremony.
[[File:President Reagan during interment ceremony for Unknown Serviceman of Vietnam Era at Tomb of Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, May 28, 1984.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Unknown Service Member from the Vietnam War—later identified as 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie—being buried on May 28, 1984
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.
A CBS news report in January 1998 claimed the Vietnam unknown was Blassie,[3] and articles in U.S. Veteran Dispatch in 1994 and 1996 had made the same claim, drawing on Defense Department records.[3][4]
After Blassie's family secured permission, the remains of Blassie were exhumed on May 14, 1998. Based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists were able to identify Lieutenant Blassie's remains.[5] On June 30, 1998 the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. On July 10, Blassie's remains arrived home to his family in Saint Louis, Missouri and were later reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Following the removal of Lt. Blassie's remains from the Tomb of the Unknowns, the marker at Arlington was replaced with one that read, "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen." Advances in technology, such as those that allowed the identification of Lt. Blassie, may lead to the eventual identification of all interments marked "unknown" from Vietnam.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Michael Blassie unknown no more". National Institutes of Heath. 2006-05-03. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ "Vietnam's Unknown". Check-Six.com. 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- ^ a b "Soldier In Tomb Of Unknowns May Actually Be Known". CNN. 1998-01-20. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ "The Vietnam Unknown Soldier Can Be Identified". U.S. Veteran Dispatch. 1994-07. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Helton, L.M. (2006): Identification of Human Remains. Part 2: DNA. In: Spitz, W.U. & Spitz, D.J. (eds): Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death. Guideline for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigations (Fourth edition), Charles C. Thomas, pp.: 226-239; Springfield, Illinois.
External links
- "Michael Blassie". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- Disposition of the Medal awarded to the Unknown Soldier from the Vietnam War