May 11, 1972 - 42 years-ago today, Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Blassie, a native of Florissant, was flying his A-37B Dragonfly when he was shot down & killed near An Loc, Vietnam, 60 miles North of Saigon. After attending St. Louis University High School, Blassie entered the United States Air Force Academy, from which he graduated in 1970. After flight school, he was sent to Vietnam, where he flew more than 130 missions prior to Operation Linebacker, when he was shot down. Because of the large number of enemy forces in the area, his remains were considered unrecoverable. Years later, they would be recovered, but remain unidentified. Blassies 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 and were transported aboard the USS Brewton to Naval Air Station Alameda, in 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. On Memorial Day, 1984, Michael was interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns, with President Ronald Reagan representing all who served our Nation during the Vietnam War. But in 1994, Ted Sampley, a POW/MIA activist, determined that the remains of the Vietnam Unknown were likely those of Blassie. Sampley published an article in his newsletter and contacted Blassies family, who attempted to pursue the case with the Air Forces casualty office without result. In January 1998 CBS News broadcast a report based on Sampleys investigation which brought political pressure to support the identification of the remains. The body was exhumed on May 14, 1998, & based on mitochondrial DNA testing, Department of Defense scientists confirmed the remains were those of Blassie. The identification was announced on June 30, 1998, and due to the persistence of Michaels mother, Jean Blassie, his remains were brought home to his family on July 10, & he was reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on July 11. The crypt that once held the remains of the Vietnam Unknown has been replaced. The original inscription of Vietnam and the dates of the conflict has been changed to Honoring and Keeping Faith with Americas Missing Servicemen. as a reminder of the commitment of the Armed Forces to fullest possible accounting of missing service members.
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 19:19:18 +0000
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