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SPEICHER, MICHAEL SCOTT Name: Michael Scott Speicher Rank at Loss/Branch: Lt.Cdr./US Navy Rank in 2002: Commander Unit: USS SARATOGA Age at Loss: 33, Born: March 1958 Age in 2002: 44 Home City of Record: Jacksonville FL Date of Loss: 17 January 1991 Country of Loss: Unknown Loss Coordinates: Original Status: Missing in Action Status Changed to KIA/BNR May 1991 Status changed BACK to MIA 01/10/01 The U.S. Navy has changed the status of Gulf War pilot Scott Speicher from missing in action to missing-captured 10/11/2002 Acft/Vehicle/Ground: FA18 |
In the book "No One Left Behind" written
by Amy Waters Yarsinske on page 280 and 281 are the following statements.
"On March 20,
2002, a special session of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence was
held, chaired by Senator Pat Roberts. Perhaps frustrated at the Pentagon's
beginning to circle the wagons and deny the leaking intelligence about the
Speicher case being reported in the press throughout the beginning of the
year, Roberts called in CIA Director George Tenet and DIA Director Vice
Admiral Tom Wilson to testify yet again on the Speicher case. Roberts was
making no bones about the situation. He wanted an answer for the record, and
would brook no ambiguity in the matter.
Directing his oratory at Tenet and Wilson, he pointedly asked the question
that was on everyone's lips: "Given all the information in your
possession, Is Scott Speicher alive today? Tell us all now," he demanded.
There
was silence. Tenet and Wilson paused. Roberts waited. "Yes, he is they
replied."
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Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing) Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 09 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK. REMARKS: OPERATION DESERT STORM SYNOPSIS: Scott Speicher was raised in Kansas City. When he was in high school, the Speicher family moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Scott continued his education at Florida State University, receiving a degree in accounting and management. Speicher went on to join the U.S. Navy and receive flight training. During the Mid-East Crisis, Speicher was one of 2,500 airmen assigned to the USS SARATOGA in the Red Sea. Speicher was part of a fighter squadron and flew the F18 "Hornet" fighter/bomber. On January 18, 1991, Speicher's aircraft was hit by an Iraqi SAM (surface-to-air missile) and crashed during the first Coalition offensive of the war dubbed "Operation Desert Storm." Initial reports by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney stated that Speicher had been killed. One military source said reports indicated the aircraft had "exploded to bits" in the sky, apparently having suffered a direct SAM hit. Iraqi officials soon announced the capture of American pilots. It was originally believed the chances of Speicher's ejection were slim, but the books were not closed on Speicher. He was the first American to be listed Missing in Action. Most recent media reports indicate that he was probably "confirmed killed." Although Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney has said Speicher was killed, he is still officially listed missing in action. The Methodist church in Florida where Scott Speicher has been a Sunday School teacher has held prayer and candlelight vigils for his safety. They have not given up hope that he is still alive. In the first days of March, 1991, 21 American POWs were released by the Iraqis. Scott Speicher has not yet been released. Those who recall the abandonment of American POWs in World War II, Korea and Vietnam are watching carefully, determined that men like Speicher will be returned alive, or fully accounted for, before American troops leave the Middle East when hostilities cease. Scott Speicher and his wife Joanne have two children, a daughter, age 3, and a son, age 1. All live in Jacksonville, Florida. Speicher's father, Wallace Speicher, was a Navy pilot in World War II. As of July 2005, Michael Speicher is still unaccounted for. Although the USG has excavated what they believe to have been the plane's crash site, no remains were found. The USG also stated, prior to the excavation, that all men were accounted for. ================================== Navy Board Suggests New Speicher SearchAssociated Press July 8, 2005 WASHINGTON - A new Navy review of efforts to determine the fate of missing pilot Capt. Michael Scott Speicher is recommending that the U.S. government undertake an intensified search in Iraq and that his status be affirmed as "missing-captured," Sen. Bill Nelson wrote in a letter to the Navy's top civilian. "I urge you to accept the board's recommendation regarding Capt. Speicher's status. I also encourage you to work to implement the board's recommendation regarding an intensified search effort," the Florida Democrat wrote to Navy Secretary Gordon England, who also is the acting deputy defense secretary. Speicher, of Jacksonville, Fla., was shot down over central Iraq in an F/A-18 on Jan. 17, 1991, opening night of the Gulf War. Some aircraft wreckage was later found but his remains were never recovered. Speculation arose over the years - including during the months leading up to the latest Iraq war - that he was being held by the Iraqis. The Iraqi government under President Saddam Hussein maintained from the start that Speicher perished at the crash site. No evidence to contradict that has surfaced since the fall of Baghdad more than two years ago, but the new Navy inquiry concluded there was no credible evidence of his death, either. In response to Nelson's statements regarding the board of inquiry's recommendations, the Navy public affairs office said the inquiry is not complete and therefore it would not comment directly on the board's findings. The board of inquiry met and reached its conclusions last week, the officials said. The Navy has changed its position on Speicher's status over the years. Hours after his plane went down, the Pentagon declared him killed in action. Ten years later, the Navy changed his status to MIA, citing an absence of evidence that he had died. In October 2002, the Navy switched his status to "missing-captured," although it has never said what evidence it had that he was in captivity. "Over the years we've learned a great deal, but I am not satisfied we have fulfilled our responsibility to Capt. Speicher or to his family - or to all members of our military," Nelson wrote in his letter. He said some areas of Iraq that remain dangerous due to insurgent activity should be searched for possible additional evidence, and former Iraqi government officials in U.S. custody may have more information. "Other witnesses have been identified but not yet located or brought in for interrogation," Nelson said. A Pentagon team assigned to search for evidence of Speicher after the fall of Baghdad completed its efforts in May 2004. In congressional testimony shortly afterward, Marine Brig. Gen. Joseph J. McMenamin, who led the search team, said all in-country leads regarding the pilot's fate had been exhausted. McMenamin also said, however, that some leads could not be fully pursued because of the security threat from the Iraq insurgency. Another problem, he said, was that nomadic Bedouin tribesmen who may have information of value are difficult to find. And some who might have information about Speicher may be intimidated by the threat of retribution by members of the former Saddam regime who are still at large. ============================= Navy: Iraqis know missing pilot's whereaboutsWASHINGTON (AP) -- A Navy pilot shot down over Iraq in January 1991 may have been captured by Iraqi forces, and members of the former Iraqi government "know the whereabouts" of the officer, the Navy has concluded. A Navy board of inquiry concluded that there is no credible evidence that Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher is dead, and it reaffirmed his official status as "missing/captured," according to the board's final report. The board also recommended that the Pentagon work with the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the Iraqi government to "increase the level of attention and effort inside Iraq" to resolve the question of Speicher's fate. Navy Secretary Gordon England approved the report on Wednesday, according to Lt. Erin Bailey, a Navy spokeswoman. The Iraqi government under President Saddam Hussein maintained from the start that Speicher perished at the site where his F/A-18 fighter jet crashed in the desert. No evidence to contradict that has surfaced since the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, but the new Navy inquiry concluded there was no credible evidence of his death, either. "In view of the above findings, the board concludes as to the current whereabouts and status of the person that the person missing/captured," the report said. A copy of the report was provided to The Associated Press. After the fall of Baghdad, a team of U.S. investigators searched for evidence of Speicher's fate, but reported finding nothing conclusive. The board of inquiry noted that years after the shootdown, which happened on the opening night of the 1991 Gulf War, the Iraqi government turned over a flight suit and other items associated with Speicher's aircraft. That fact "leads us to conclude that elements of the former Iraqi regime know the whereabouts of Captain Speicher," the report said. The board of inquiry also said that a March 2005 U.S. intelligence report on the Speicher case contained unanswered questions, and it recommended that a POW/MIA analytical cell continue its efforts to resolve those questions. It did not provide details on this, noting that the March report is classified secret. The Navy has changed its position on Speicher's status over the years. Hours after his plane went down, the Pentagon declared him killed in action. Ten years later, the Navy changed his status to MIA, citing an absence of evidence that he had died. In October 2002, the Navy switched his status to "missing-captured," although it has never said what evidence it had that he was in captivity. A Pentagon team assigned to search for evidence of Speicher after the fall of Baghdad completed its efforts in May 2004. In congressional testimony shortly afterward, Marine Brig. Gen. Joseph J. McMenamin, who led the search team, said all in-country leads regarding the pilot's fate had been exhausted. McMenamin also said, however, that some leads could not be fully pursued because of the security threat from the Iraq insurgency. Another problem, he said, was that nomadic Bedouin tribesmen who may have information of value are difficult to find. And some who might have information about Speicher may be intimidated by the threat of retribution by members of the former Saddam regime who are still at large. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ====================================== November 23, 2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- There are at least eight avenues to explore in
the stepped-up search for information for missing Gulf War Navy pilot Scott
Speicher, Sen. Bill Nelson said Tuesday.
Speicher, a former resident of Jacksonville suburb Orange Park, has been missing since January 1991, when his FA-18 Hornet was shot down on the first night of the Gulf War. Speicher may have ejected and may have been captured by Iraqi forces. His status is currently listed as "missing in action/captured" by the Navy. Nelson learned of the developments in letters he received last week from Gen. George W. Casey, the Army's top general in Iraq, and a U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad, according to a release from Nelson's office. Details of what the military officials call the "eight unanswered questions" surrounding the Speicher case remain highly classified, Nelson said. The search for Speicher recently led investigators to excavate a potential grave site in Baghdad on Sept. 19, but searchers found nothing linking the site to Speicher's disappearance. "... I assure you that we will continue to develop and pursue every lead regarding Capt. Speicher," Casey's letter said. David Satterfield, an embassy official, wrote that finding Speicher is a top priority. Nelson said the letters indicate the military is continuing to aggressively pursue all leads in the case and it appears to be taking the search seriously. "I'm going to make sure the search continues to receive attention from the military and the U.S. government until the Speicher family has some answers," Nelson said. Cindy Laquidara, a spokeswoman for Speicher's family, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment on Nelson's news release. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=47870
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