Unknown by Man, But Known by God

On May 28, 1984, President Ronald Reagan presided over a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring an unknown American soldier killed during the Vietnam War.  
 
This unidentified serviceman was laid to rest in the tom of the Unknowns beside unidentified soldiers from WWI and WWII and the Korean War.  The ceremony was attended by thousands, including veterans, military families and national leaders, as Americans paused to remember those who gave their lives in service and sacrifice for our nation to maintain our freedom.  
 
President Reagan called the unknown soldier a “symbol of all the unnamed heroes who gave their lives defending the freedoms we enjoy.”  For years, the identity of the Vietnam Unknown remained a mystery.  
 
Then in 1988, advances in DNA testing revealed that the solider was actually Air Force Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, whose aircraft had been shot down in Vietnam in 1972.  After being identified, his remains were returned to his family in Missouri and buried with full military honors near his hometown.  
 
Today the crypt that once held the Vietnam Unknown remains empty – serving as a reminder that advances in science now make identification far more possible that in generations past.  But the deeper meaning of the memorial remains unchanged:  

To honor every man and woman who sacrificed their life in service to America – whether known or unknown.  History reminds us that Freedom comes with a very high and personal cost.