DNA science and public databases offer a new way to identify soldiers' remains

DNA science and public databases offer a new way to identify soldiers' remains

In 1994, the remains of 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, an airman killed in the Vietnam War, were identified and confirmed by DNA testing in 1998. He was exhumed and reburied closer to his family. It was welcome news for his family, as Blassie had been missing in action since 1971. It was national news in the United States because, before his remains were identified, Blassie was interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National C…