Michael Joseph Blassie
First Lieutenant, U.S. Air Force

Michael Joseph Blassie was born on 4 April 1948.

Blassie, a 1970 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, served in the Vietnam War as a First Lieutenant in the 8th Special Operations Squadron. He was shot down and killed while piloting his A-37B Dragonfly aircraft in the vicinity of An Loc, in South Vietnam.

His remains were buried in Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of The Unknowns as an unidentified soldier from the Vietnam War. After petitioning the U.S. Government for permission, his family had his body exhumed. DNA tests confirmed that the previously unknown soldier was, in fact, Michael Blassie.

Medals and Awards

Silver Star Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal (5 Awards)

Death and Burial

First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie died on 11 May 1972 in South Vietnam. He was interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery from 28 May 1984 to 14 May 1996. He is now buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.