98277. Vietnam Unknown Disinterred

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

        ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. -- The Army Band played "Going 
Home" as a joint-service casket team carried the remains of the 
Vietnam Unknown to a waiting hearse.
        The hearse, the final part of the May 14 disinterment ceremony 
here, delivered the remains to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology 
at Walter Reed Army Medical Center nearby in Washington. Scientists 
there hope mitochondrial DNA tests will determine the serviceman's 
identity.
        Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said his decision to disinter 
the Vietnam Unknown from the Tomb of the Unknowns was a tough one. "We 
disturb this hallowed ground with profound reluctance," he said at the 
Tomb. "We take this step only because of our abiding commitment to 
account for every warrior who fought and died to preserve the freedoms 
that we cherish."
        A DoD Senior Working Group recommended Cohen decide to disinter 
the remains. The officials said evidence pointed to the remains being 
one of two men: Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie or Army Capt. 
Rodney Strobridge. Both died May 11, 1972, during combat missions near 
An Loc, South Vietnam, where the remains were later found. Blassie 
flew an A-37; Strobridge piloted a Cobra helicopter.
        Seven other American servicemen were lost within a 25-mile radius 
of An Loc. DoD will include them in scientific tests to determine 
identity, if possible.
        Mitochondrial DNA testing was not available when the Vietnam 
Unknown was buried in 1984. DoD forensic scientists now routinely use 
the test to help determine identities of remains brought back from 
Southeast Asia and Korea. The test is not infallible, officials said, 
but a match lends credence to an identification because mitochondrial 
DNA is inherited only from mothers and doesn't change through the 
generations. The better-known genomic DNA is a random blend of 
millions of genes inherited from both parents.
        A total of 18 family members from five of the nine families 
attended the service. The Blassies, who pushed for disinterment, felt 
they were bringing a family member home. "We are sure those remains 
are of Mike Blassie," said his sister Pat after the ceremony. "Michael 
Blassie is not unknown, and that is why we want to bring him home to 
St. Louis where he belongs."
        David Amesbury of Albany, Ore., said all families of those 
missing in action have "a nagging doubt" about what happened to their 
loved ones. "You want to know what happened," he said. "You are always 
wondering." His father, Air Force Maj. Harry A. Amesbury Jr., was 
command pilot of a C-130 lost near An Loc.
        Amesbury said he was affected by the ceremony. "That's someone's 
father or brother or son who died for his country," he said. "If they 
can have closure through this test, it should be done."
        Cohen took the same position during his remarks. "If advances in 
technology can ease the lingering anguish of even one family, then our 
path is clear," he said. "We yield to the promise of science with the 
hope that the heavy burden of doubt may be lifted from a family's 
heart."
        Arlington workers erected a privacy fence around the Tomb area 
May 13. During the night, workers removed the stonework, and cemetery 
workers exhumed the casket. A specialist from the Army's Central 
Identification Lab in Hawaii placed an evidence seal around the casket 
and workers draped an American flag over it. 
        Arlington Cemetery Superintendent John Metzler Jr. said the 
casket was in good condition. This bodes well for scientists 
attempting to extract DNA from the six bones in the casket.
        By the time the cemetery opened on the morning of May 14, workers 
had replaced the Vietnam Unknown's Tomb stonework and the paving 
stones around it. The casket rested on a green bier directly in front 
of its former burial place. Tomb sentinels from the Army's 3rd 
Infantry Regiment guarded the site.
        On the monumental tomb over the remains of the World War I 
Unknown is inscribed: "Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier 
Known But to God." 
        Army Chaplain (Col.) Leo J. O'Keeffe, in his invocation, evoked 
God's help in the identification process. "If it be your holy will, 
make known the identity of this unknown Vietnam serviceman and bring 
peace to an American family," he said. "But if the answer we seek is 
not ours to know, let us hold fast to our belief that this serviceman 
is known to you, O God."

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Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and Army Maj. Gen. Robert F. Foley, Military District of Washington commander, render honors during the National Anthem at the Vietnam Unknown Disinterment Ceremony May 14. Staff Sgt. Alicia K. Borlik, USA

As the fog lifts over Arlington National Cemetery, the casket holding the Vietnam Unknown remains sits before the Tomb of the Unknowns. The remains were removed from the cemetery during ceremonies May 14. Staff Sgt. Alicia K. Borlik, USA

A joint forces color guard forms up beside the coffin holding the remains of the Vietnam Unknown. DoD disinterred the remains in hopes of identifying the serviceman. (SSgt. Carolyn Ramos, USAF)

A joint service casket team carries the remains of the Vietnam Unknown to a waiting hearse. Forensic specialists will attempt to extract mitochondrial DNA from the remains in an attempt to identify the serviceman. (SSgt. Carolyn Ramos, USAF)

A joint service casket team prepares to carries the remains of the Vietnam Unknown during a disinterment ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns May 14. (SSgt. Carolyn Ramos, USAF)

Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and senior civilian leadership of the services pay their respects during the disinterment ceremony for the Vietnam Unknown at the Tomb of the Unknowns. (SSgt. Carolyn Ramos, USAF)

Family members of the nine Americans lost in Vietnam who could be the Vietnam Unknown watch the disinterment ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns May 14. (SSgt. Carolyn Ramos. USAF)

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen tells spectators he made the decision to disinter the Vietnam Unknown with profound reluctance. "We take this step only because of our abiding commitment to account for every warrior who fought and died to preserve the freedoms that we cherish," he said. (SSgt. Carolyn Ramos, USAF)

A joint casket team carries the remains of the Vietnam Unknown during the Disinterment Ceremony May 14 at Arlington National Cemetery. Staff Sgt. Alicia K. Borlik, USA

"We disturb this hallowed ground with profound reluctance," said Defense Secretary William S. Cohen at the Vietnam Unknown Disinterment Ceremony May 14. Staff Sgt. Alicia K. Borlik, USA

A joint casket team loads the casket carrying the Vietnam Unknown remains into a waiting hearse during the Disinterment Ceremony May 14. Staff Sgt. Alicia K. Borlik, USA