Cross posted from Maggie’s Notebook
The body of Naval Captain Michael Scott Speicher has been found in Iraq after an 18-year-search.
Michael Scott Speicher
The remains of Captain Speicher were found just days ago in the Anbar Province of Iraq. They have been positively identified as Michael Scott Speicher, who was shot down in his FA-18 Hornet over the the Iraqi desert on the first night of the Persian Gulf War, January 17, 1991. For 18 years his whereabouts were unknown.
Scott, who was 33 years old at the time his plane went down, left behind his wife Joanne, a 3-year-old daughter and 1 year old son; his parents and two siblings now college-students, who were toddlers at the time of his death. The family was notified Saturday that their loved one would finally come home. Captain Speicher considered Orange Park, FL home.
The Navy’s search for Mr. Speicher in Iraq has been unending. Immediately after his plane was reported down, the Pentagon announced the first casualty of the war. Ten years passed with no positive evidence of a death, and officials changed Speicher’s status to “missing in action.” Once the Iraq war started and we had a U.S. presence in the country, the search was stepped up. In October 2002, the Navy again changed the status to “missing/captured.” Yet another review of the case was made in 2008. Navy Secretary Donald Winter made the decision to continue with the “Missing” status, even though there was “compelling evidence” that the pilot did not survive the desert crash.
Following the fall of Baghdad, rumors circulated that Speicher may be alive and held prisoner. Iraqi citizens have been an important part of the search through the years, and finally the chain of locals led the U.S. Marines to Captain Speicher.
Officials said Sunday that they got new information from an Iraqi citizen in early July, leading Marines stationed in Anbar province to a location in the desert which was believed to be the crash site of Speicher’s jet.
The Iraqi said he knew of two other Iraqis who recalled an American jet crashing and the remains of the pilot being buried in the desert.
“One of these Iraqi citizens stated that they were present when Captain Speicher was found dead at the crash site by Bedouins and his remains buried,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
In 2003, the search for Scott Speicher became national news again when the initials “MSS” were found etched into a prison wall in Baghdad, and “Iraqi defectors” claimed sightings of Speicher alive.
A U.S. Army camp in Iraq is named in honor of Captain Speicher, who was promoted to Captain after his plane went down. Camp Speicher is a “Contingency Operating Base,” located near Tikrit in northern Iraq, about 105 miles north of Baghdad. The 42nd Infantry Division and the 101st Airbone have been based at Camp Speicher, along with the headquarters of the Multi-National Division, North during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the reign of Saddam Hussein, the location was known as Al Sahra Airfield.
Joanne Speicher married Scott’s best friend, Buddy Harris, 18 months after the death of her husband. Harris was also a Naval pilot and continued to be active in the search for his close friend. They have two children in addition to Scott’s daughter and son. Mr. Harris remained active in the search.
Here’s the rest of the story: Read the rest at Maggie’s Notebook
I have thought about this man for years and years, and always hoped he had perished in that crash versus something else; I’m glad that this is finally answered for his family.
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