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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 Search
Associated 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.
Two officials who have seen the inquiry's findings and recommendations confirmed
to The Associated Press that Nelson accurately portrayed the outcome. They spoke
on condition of anonymity because of the information's confidentiality and
because England has not yet seen it.
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.
=============================
09/08/2005
Navy: Iraqis know missing pilot's whereabouts
WASHINGTON (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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Navy to consider closing case of missing pilot
By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer Ben
Evans, Associated Press Writer � Sat Jan 3,
12:14 pm ET
Featured Topics:
WASHINGTON � The family of a Navy pilot missing since his plane
wwas shot down during the first
Gulf war isn't ready to give up hope that he is alive and say they
will oppose any decision to declare him killed in action.
The Navy has scheduled a review board hearing for Monday on the status of
Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher, who has been missing since January
1991, when his FA-18 Hornet was shot down in Iraq
on the first night of the Persian
Gulf War.
The hearing comes several months after the Navy received a fresh
intelligence report on Speicher from Iraq.
Speicher's family, which has seen the latest information, believes Navy
Secretary Donald Winter is moving toward changing Speicher's status from
missing/captured to killed, according to family spokeswoman and attorney
Cindy Laquidara.
The family � including two college-age children who were toddlerss
when Speicher went missing � believes the Pentagon
should do more to determine definitively what happened, Laquidara said. They
see the outcome as setting a standard for future missing-in-action
investigations, she said.
"This really is a precedent for every other captive serviceman or
woman and it needs to be done right," Laquidara said. "We've
looked at the information that's going to be presented to the board and we
feel pretty confident that it's not time under the standards that they've
set to change the status. There are things that need to be done before one
can be certain."
Speicher, who had lived in the area of Jacksonville, Fla., was the first
American lost in the war.
Some believe Speicher ejected from the plane and was captured by Iraqi
forces, and potential clues later emerged that he might have survived: The
initials "MSS" were found scrawled on a prison wall in Baghdad,
for example, and there were reports of sightings.
The Pentagon has
changed Speicher's status several times. He was publicly declared killed in
action hours after his plane went down. Ten years later, the Navy changed
his status to missing in
action, 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 ever in captivity.
Another review was done in 2005 with information gleaned after Baghdad
fell in the U.S.-led invasion
of Iraq, which allowed U.S. officials to search inside Iraq.
The review board recommended then 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.
The Defense Intelligence
Agency, which tracks missing-soldier cases and works with other intelligence
agencies, submitted its latest report last fall.
"Capt. Speicher's status remains a top priority for the Navy and the
U.S. government," Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman, said recently.
"The recent intelligence community assessment reflects exhaustive
analysis of information related to Capt. Speicher's case."
The final decision
on changing Speicher's status must come from the secretary
of the Navy; the review board's decision is only a recommendation,
said Lt. Sean Robertson, another Navy spokesman.
Robertson said that once the board meets, it has up to 30 days to
complete its report. The family would then have up to 30 days to comment on
the board's recommendation before it is forwarded to the secretary for
decision.
The board will be composed of three officers, including one who is
experienced in F/A-18 aircraft. The board has a legal adviser assigned and
Speicher will also be represented by legal counsel to look after the
interests of him and his family, Robertson said.
Laquidara said family members would attend the hearing.
"It's really easy to put out a yellow
ribbon but not so easy to allocate resources to find a missing
serviceman or woman," she said. "If Scott's not alive now, he was
for a very long time, and that could happen to somebody else."
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Continue
Speicher Probe, Panel Says
January
09, 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A U.S. Navy review board says the Defense
Department ![[]](image001837.jpg) should
continue investigating what happened to a fighter pilot who was the first
American lost in the Gulf War almost 20 years ago, saying it is not yet time to
close the case.
The board made the recommendation Thursday after four days of hearings,
according to Buddy Harris, who has represented the family of missing Capt.
Michael "Scott" Speicher. It now goes to the Navy secretary, who has
the final decision.
"They feel that the body of evidence suggests as much that he's alive"
as that he was killed, said Harris, a former Navy commander and close friend of
Speicher's who has since married Speicher's ex-wife.
Speicher has been missing since 1991, when his FA-18 Hornet was shot down in Iraq
on
the first night of the Gulf War.
The Pentagon initially declared him killed. Dick Cheney, then the defense
secretary, went on television and announced the
U.S.
had suffered its first casualty of the war.
But Speicher's remains were never found, leading some to believe the Pentagon
gave up too quickly and he was captured by Iraqi forces.
The Navy later changed his status to missing in action, and finally to
"missing/captured," although it has never cited any evidence that he
was in captivity.
Speicher's family has pressed to continue searching and feared the Pentagon was
preparing to close the case by declaring him killed. Harris said the family -
including two college-age children who were toddlers when Speicher disappeared -
believes more evidence will surface as
Iraq
becomes more stable.
"There are people that know," Harris said. "It's just a matter of
getting to them."
Navy Secretary Donald Winter ordered the latest review after requesting and
receiving an update from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the case.
The intelligence memo, in essence, said investigators had exhausted all current
leads on who to talk to and where to look, said one official briefed on the
document. Another official said Friday that it contained no new intelligence on
the case. They both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to discuss intelligence on the record.
Winter - or his successor - could overrule the recommendation of the board,
which was made up of three officers. But he would face strong resistance,
including from Capitol Hill, where Speicher's family has won support from
lawmakers.
"The fact is, the
U.S.
government walked away from a downed pilot - mistakenly the secretary of
defense declared him dead," Nelson said earlier this week. "It is our
obligation to keep looking."
In a visit to
Iraq
, Nelson personally saw what he said were the initials "MSS" scratched
into the wall of a prison shortly after the 2003 invasion to overthrow Saddam
Hussein - one of a number of clues the government has found.
The search also led investigators to excavate a potential grave site in
Baghdad
in 2005, track down Iraqis said to have information about Speicher and make
numerous other inquiries in what officials say has been an exhaustive search.
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