“Are the tombs of the unknown soldier, no longer feasible?”?

Question

The case of Lt Michael Blassie in 1998 grabbed national headlines. Blessie an Air Force pilot was interred in the Vietnam War memorial, but enough artifact and record evidence existed along with the availability of a family mtDNA reference sample, were enough to persuade the DoD to exhume the remains and perform a test. The results confirmed his ID and therefore no longer an unknown Warrior. The case set a precedent, leaving Vietnam vets in a vacuum, how could any sets of remains fill the unknown soldier space when some evidence might surface later to ID them. With all the advances in science how can any future tombs for unknowns be used. In future the only unknowns will be service personnel never recovered then you would have an empty tomb. Your thoughts? Is it now a defunct practice? Need for something different?

Answer 1

Hi Paddy,

In times past the occupant of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was picked from a set of remains recovered off a battlefield or from a temporary grave marked "Unknown".

While in Modern times there is a chance to id remains with the help of DNA this cannot be done with remains that have no decedents DNA to work with, in the case of Lt. Blassie they had DNA samples taken from family and relatives and worked backwards to arrive at an identification.

This cannot be used to identify all remains as the condition of the remains might not provide a viable DNA sample.

At some point in time all future casualties in future conflicts might have a 99% chance of being identified it all depends on the circumstances in which the death loss of soldier occurs.

The buildings / Tombs of the unknown soldier will remain because of regardless of who is inside its represents the many hundreds of thousands of soldiers who remain missing from past conflicts.

It can also provide a focus the same way as a name engraved on a memorial plaque to a soldier who is known to have died, but has no known burial place.

Point of example: the Ossary in Verdun the cellars are filled with the bones of the unidentified, and each year are added to as more remains are found in the old battlefield area.

Answer 2

The Joint Lab in Hawaii just finished the ID of an air crew lost in World War Two in the Pacific, as well as those mortal remains recovered in Indochina and Korea. Given the state of DNA technology, only the orphans who die without known familial relatives will remain unknown.

Answer 3

I think future tombs for future unknown soldiers will still be feasible, because modern warfare is so violent and some soldiers are merely atomized completely (they essentiall disappear), or small groups of them (most soldiers in modern warfare fight alone or in small groups) are blown apart and their remains intertwined, creating perhaps a dozen DNA profiles all mashed together. And besides, to trace DNA you need surviving near relatives, and some soldiers do not have any to speak of.

Answer 4

It would seem that they will be no more.

Certainly, I am happy that loved ones can now ID and retain their loved ones, but it is also sad that the soldiers laid within those tombs and for who all our hearts cried out, have gone the way of technology.

Answer 5

It's not who is in the tomb, it's what it represents.
Witnessing a Changing of the Guards is amazing and gut wrenching.

Answer 6

We should be thankful that there need no longer be an Unknown Soldier.

Answer 7

Pretty much yes...the Vietnam War tomb was proved to be a farce..since all GI's now give a DNA sample its pretty much a dead issue

Answer 8

scientifically speaking you may have a point...i think it's the idea of honoring those that have fallen in combat that is important...if you ever get a chance to visit, do so, it's very humbling