| Michael Joseph Blassie | |
|---|---|
Michael Blassie in his Air Force Academy cadet uniform |
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| Born | April 4, 1948 |
| Died | May 11, 1972 (aged 24) Killed in Action, near An Loc, 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/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 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 laid to rest at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
After graduating from St. Louis University High School, Blassie entered the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1970.[1] He then served as a member of the 8th Special Operations Squadron. Blassie died when his A-37B Dragonfly was shot down near An Loc in what was then South Vietnam.
He was the first cousin of professional wrestling star Fred Blassie.
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Partial skeletal remains were retrieved from the area of the crash 5 months after Blassie's aircraft was shot down, and were initially identified by Mortuary Affairs as him. The remains were reclassified as unknown when their projected age and height were judged not to match Blassie.[1]
Blassie was designated 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]
Blassie was then 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. Blassie 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 him 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.
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 finally able to identify Lieutenant Blassie's remains.[5] On June 30, 1998 the Defense Department announced that the Vietnam Unknown had been identified. Blassie's body was returned to his family, and on July 10 Blassie's remains finally arrived home to his family in Saint Louis, Missouri. Blassie was then 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.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hubert Humphrey |
Persons who have lain in state or honor in the United States Capitol rotunda May 25, 1984–May 28, 1984 |
Succeeded by Claude Pepper |