News-Info-Alerts

Re: Speicher: Roberts Seeks Facts From Iraq

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: January 21, 2003

"Roberts seeks facts from Iraq

The senator is among of growing number of U.S. officials who think a Navy pilot once listed as killed in the Gulf War is alive and being held captive.

BY ALAN BJERGA
Eagle Washington bureau

WASHINGTON - For years it seemed that Michael Scott Speicher would go down in history as the first U.S. death in the Persian Gulf War.

But history can change.

Capt. Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet went down over western Iraq the night of Jan 17, 1991.

That much is known.

That much was enough for the U.S. government to declare him dead the next day.

But it wasn't enough to explain details that surfaced later. The DNA the Iraqis returned after the war, presumably Speicher's, didn't match his samples. U.S. military investigators found Speicher's flight suit at his crash site, meaning he probably ejected from his plane.

Since then, there have been sightings, recent tips that Speicher is held by Iraqis who move him from place to place. In October, the U.S. Navy changed his classification from killed to "missing/captured." Friends and family believe he's alive.

So does Sen. Pat Roberts, who has sought Speicher investigations since 1997 and hopes to pursue the mystery further on a trip to the Persian Gulf.

The prospect of a second Gulf War presents opportunity -- and danger -- in the case.

If Speicher is alive, new warfare could free him or condemn him. If he's dead, perhaps new evidence can solve the 12-year mystery.

"We'll deal with whatever card we get," said Cindy Laquidera, a lawyer who knew Speicher and now represents his family for free. The family -- his since-remarried wife Joanne and two children just entering their teens -- live in Jacksonville, Fla.

They believe Speicher is alive and held captive.

Checking the facts

Suspicions surrounding Speicher's disappearance arose slowly. He was declared dead quickly, even though no body was recovered.

The Pentagon assumed his plane was demolished by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile, and it took years and evidence to change that way of thinking.

Roberts gained interest shortly after he joined the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

He believes the pilot is alive.

"It is frustrating," said Roberts, who has accused the Defense Department of foot-dragging in the case. "There was almost an arrogance at first. Intelligence on Scott Speicher was ignored."

But that has changed in recent years, he said, as more pieces fall into the jigsaw puzzle. Now head of the committee, he's hoping to leverage that authority into more aggressive pursuit of information about Speicher's fate.

Earlier this month, Roberts sent a letter to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appealing for Baghdad's help.

Roberts doesn't know how likely that would be, but it sets the stage for any diplomatic resolution of Speicher's case.

Saddam has freed prisoners in the past, Roberts said, referring to a case in which Saddam freed an Iranian pilot held captive for 17 years to defuse tensions between those two countries.

It sounds strange to Americans, Roberts said, but in some ways "Saddam fancies himself to be quite a humanitarian."

Baghdad maintains that Speicher is dead and last year invited the U.S. government to send investigators to look for him. The Bush Administration refused, instead asking for more information.

Growing belief, disbelief

While the number of people who believe he may be alive is growing -- and now includes President Bush--theories on Speicher's fate still bring sharp disagreement.

Harlan Ullman spent 20 years in the Navy and is now a senior associate in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a leading think tank in Washington, D.C.

He said he doesn't believe Speicher is alive. It makes no sense for the Iraqis to hold him, he said.

"It makes a great story" for the media, and it makes sense for the Navy to change Speicher's status if they can't conclusively prove he's dead, he said, but none of that means he is living.

Reports of POW sightings in Vietnam were common in the 1980s, and those were never proven. Belief in such reports reflects lingering anger about the war as much as anything, he said.

If Speicher survived his crash, he was probably killed by Iraqis. "Why they would keep him, I don't know," since doing so would only provoke the United States.

"I see zero chance that he's alive."

The military once said the same thing, but the Pentagon is now hedging its bets and on the lookout for leads.

"The case is one that is always close" to the Navy, said spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Pauline Storum. "However, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details."

Getting another chance

As Speicher investigations continue, so does the U.S. troop buildup. Soon, pilots could be flying where Speicher flew, and undoubtedly, some of them will also crash.

Roberts calls this period a window of opportunity for Speicher.

Laquidera said Speicher's friends and family see now as perhaps the last, best chance for the pilot, who would now be 45, to come home.

"Immediately prior to war we have the best chance for a humanitarian gesture," she said. "If we go to war, we won't stop hoping," she said.

"We are all very hopeful."

Reach Alan Bjerga at (202) 383-6055 or abjerga@krwashington.com. "