What ever happened to Scott Speicher?

It's been more than 12 years since Captain Scott Speicher was shot down while on a combat mission over Iraq during the first night of Desert Storm, becoming the first American casualty of the war. Initially classified by the Department of Defense as KIA/BNR (killed in action, body not recovered), Captain Speicher made history again in January 2001, when he became the first American service member ever to be switched from a status of KIA to MIA (missing in action).
On October 11, 2002, Scott's status was changed to POW, an acknowledgement by the Department of Defense that he is alive and a prisoner in Iraq.
Pentagon officials did not make the decision to change his status based on a whim�a significant amount of evidence suggests that not only did Captain Speicher most likely eject from his F/A-18 strike fighter, but he also survived the landing. Even more compelling is subsequent evidence that indicates he may be a prisoner of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
HELP HIM NOW!
Here is how you can help:
www.freescottspeicher.com...

Regards
SP

Ok I see nobody is interested in that except ultra_phoenix because he made a post about Scott Speicher too. Are we the only two?

My best is that he was killed a long time ago. Saddam was pretty grumpy after the Gulf War and I hate to say it, but my bet is he was tortured and killed by the bastard.

Although I pray for a different outcome!

_the Wiz

The mystery of the Captains wereabouts is an interesting one. Although i agree the possibilty of him bieng K.I.A. is the most likely explanation, it would be wrong to just write him off as another casualty. His fate deserves serious investigation and his status as MIA must be looked into seriously. He deserves to be brought home to his family and loved ones, he deserves no less than that and a hell of a lot more. After all American POWs were still being reported long after the war in south east Asia. Until all hope is lost the American people should demand that the Mystery of his fate be answered.

Originally posted by RogueTrooper
The mystery of the Captains wereabouts is an interesting one. Although i agree the possibilty of him bieng K.I.A. is the most likely explanation, it would be wrong to just write him off as another casualty. His fate deserves serious investigation and his status as MIA must be looked into seriously. He deserves to be brought home to his family and loved ones, he deserves no less than that and a hell of a lot more. After all American POWs were still being reported long after the war in south east Asia. Until all hope is lost the American people should demand that the Mystery of his fate be answered.

Awesome statements!

You just earned some Insider Appreciation from me!

Bro, i would expect nothing less than that if the Captain had been British, he is an Ally and his fate should be as important to us in britain as it is to the American people, hell id sent George an email myself if i thought it would make a difference. Infact F*** it im going to send a letter anyway! Its time to bring him home!

Originally posted by RogueTrooper
The mystery of the Captains wereabouts is an interesting one. Although i agree the possibilty of him bieng K.I.A. is the most likely explanation, it would be wrong to just write him off as another casualty. His fate deserves serious investigation and his status as MIA must be looked into seriously. He deserves to be brought home to his family and loved ones, he deserves no less than that and a hell of a lot more. After all American POWs were still being reported long after the war in south east Asia. Until all hope is lost the American people should demand that the Mystery of his fate be answered.

AMEN man! We want him back dead or alive, although alive would be better!

I have sent letters to the president and my senators and representative. I too would like to see him come home alive.

"U.S. doubts Iraqis ever held pilot"

www.timesdispatch.com...

BY ROBERT BURNS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Aug 16, 2003

"WASHINGTON U.S. investigators searching in Iraq for clues to the fate of missing Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher, shot down on the opening night of the 1991 Gulf War, have returned to an early hypothesis: that he died at or near the site where his F-18 fighter crashed.

A later theory - that he was captured alive and imprisoned in Baghdad - has been largely dismissed, based on postwar interrogations of Iraqi officials, searches of the prison system and assessments of Iraqi government documents, three defense officials familiar with the search said yesterday.

The idea that Speicher was a prisoner gained currency after intelligence reports in the late 1990s cited claims by Iraqi sources that an American pilot was being held in Baghdad. Upon closer examination since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime those claims have unraveled, officials said.

The three defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators have not abandoned the search in Baghdad or reached any firm conclusion about Speicher's fate. But they have found nothing so far to support the theory that Speicher had been held alive in an Iraqi prison.

This has taken investigators back to the theory that if he survived the shootdown Jan. 17, 1991, over west-central Iraq, then he most likely died there shortly afterward, the officials said.

Some of the documents found since the fall of Baghdad indicate that Iraqi government officials were befuddled by continuing U.S. government inquiries about the possibility of Speicher being held alive.

U.S. investigators deduced from this that the Iraqis had no knowledge of Speicher being held. That is consistent with Iraq's public position from the start.

The Iraqis asserted that Speicher had perished in the crash, but they never produced his remains. In March 1991 the Iraqis returned a small amount of human remains and identified them as a pilot named "Mickel," but laboratory tests revealed that they were not Speicher's.

Speicher, of Jacksonville, Fla., was 33 years old when he was shot down. He held the rank of lieutenant commander at the time; he has since been promoted to captain.

In December 1995 a team of U.S. experts searched the crash site. They found wreckage but no sign of the pilot other than a flight suit. The Navy said the flight suit was of the type and size Speicher would have worn, but tests have not established a firm link.

The site surveyors concluded from evidence available then that Speicher probably survived the shootdown."

I am sure, as long as there is a US military presence over there, they will be watching for signs of Scott. I am confident of that. BUT, I do not believe Scott is alive today. He may very well have been alive as late as the invasion, but let's face it. A Baathist on the run doesn't give a hoot about any prisoners who may have been in their charge. I fear, if he was still alive when we attacked, that he was left in a position that could not have been survived for very long (lack of food, water, etc.)

[Edited on 17-8-2003 by Valhall]