Pilot’s Exhumed Remains Arrive for St. Louis Rites

For 14 years, he was an unnamed hero buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns. Now, Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie is home, still a hero but anonymous no more.

Blassie’s remains were brought home Friday for a solemn service befitting a pilot killed in the line of duty in Vietnam.

A military band played softly as six members of an Air Force honor guard carried his flag-draped casket from the C-130 cargo plane at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., near Blassie’s hometown of St. Louis.

Members of Blassie’s family watched and wept quietly.

“All of a sudden, it’s as if no time has passed,” said Blassie’s sister, Pat Blassie. “We’re grieving all over again.”

Several hundred people--a mix of civilians and members of the military--saluted or held their hands over their hearts during the brief ceremony.

“Because of what has happened, and the significance of who Michael was, the family realized that it wasn’t just Michael Blassie coming home to the Blassie family,” Pat Blassie said. “We’re sharing it with a couple of thousand families whose loved ones haven’t come home yet.”

The ceremony marked the first of several public memorials planned for Blassie. A service was held later in the evening at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in suburban St. Louis, where Blassie’s mother is a member.

“Today was a significant day for us,” Blassie’s brother, George Blassie, said during the service. “This has meant so much to us. We believe Michael would have been proud of how we pulled together to bring him home.”

A graveside service was scheduled for this morning at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. An honor guard will fire a 21-gun salute and F-15 Eagle fighters will roar overhead in a “missing man” flyover. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and other top military personnel were to attend.

Blassie had been missing since May 11, 1972, when his A-37 was shot down over An Loc. The 24-year-old first lieutenant was on a bombing run. His wingman saw his jet lose a wing, then crash and burn.

Later that year, Blassie’s remains were recovered during a mission into the jungle. But his identity was not confirmed until the remains were exhumed and DNA testing performed in May.