Re: Speicher - Military Has No Hope

Date: April 01, 2004

"Senator: Military Has No Hope Speicher Is Alive

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The U.S. military has given up any hope that a Navy pilot shot down over Iraq more than 13 years ago is still alive, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson said Friday.

Timeline Of Search For Scott Speicher

The two-star general leading the U.S. search for Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher (pictured, right) told Nelson the military has reclassified it from a rescue mission to a recovery mission.

"They have just informed the family in Jacksonville that (there) is no longer any hope that he is alive," Nelson said.

Speicher's F/A-18 Hornet flying off the USS Saratoga was apparently shot down by an Iraqi fighter jet during a bombing run over west-central Iraq on Jan. 16, 1991 -- the first night of the Persian Gulf War. Then Defense Secretary Dick Cheney announced at a press conference that he was killed -- the first American casualty of the war.

Five years later, the Navy changed Speicher's status to "missing in action." Then, two years ago, they changed it again, to "missing/captured."

But 10 years after his jet crashed 125 miles southwest of Baghdad, a senior U.S. military advisor came across the wreckage and evidence that suggested that Speicher had ejected, and, perhaps, survived.

This, combined with a flight suit believed to be Speicher's was found in another part of Iraq, an informant reported a captive American pilot was seen, and the initials MSS were found etched into the wall of a Iraqi prison, gave hope that he could still be alive.

Family and friends who attended Forrest High School with Speicher were hoping that Americans in Iraq for the past year would find Speicher -- or at least answer what happened to him. In June, a team of military experts was assigned to search for the missing pilot.

While a lengthy preliminary report on the result of those efforts has not been made public, Nelson said the results are clear.

"On the one hand, you know, my heart is broken that he's apparently not alive," Nelson said "On the other hand, the family needs closure. They need to know, and have the evidence, how he died, when he died and where he's buried."

"Our best hope is they will be able to find the Bedouin tribe that would have been in the area when he crashed on the first night of the Gulf War 13 years ago, and find out where they buried the body," Nelson said during a visit to Gainesville.

But Nelson said that getting the local tribe's cooperation will be difficult because they fear reprisals for giving information to the United States.

A spokesperson for "Friends of Scott Speicher" told Channel 4's Scott Johns Friday that they weren't surprised that the military will stop their active rescue search for the missing pilot, but are surprised that gave up so quickly.

And they're not giving up. The group just developed a poster with a sketch of what Speicher might look like now (pictured, left) to distribute to U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

"It looks like our next mission is to raise money to offer our own reward, because we are going to proceed with the flier, whether they chance his status or now," Miriam Novelly said.

Previous Stories:
• December 15, 2003: Saddam On Speicher: "We Never Kept Any Prisoners"
• September 19, 2003: POW/MIA Ceremonies Remember Speicher, Others
• August 13, 2003: Source: 'Speicher Died Of His Injuries'
• August 1, 2003: Florida Senator Says Investigators Making Progress On Speicher
• July 11, 2003: Clues To Speicher Reportedly Found
• July 8, 2003: Sen. Nelson 'Optimistic' About Information On Speicher
• July 4, 2003: Speicher Jewelry Selling Nationwide
• April 24, 2003: Former Iraqi Officials Hold Key To Speicher's Fate
• March 24, 2003: Newspaper: Scott Speicher Sighted In Baghdad
• March 19, 2003: War May Determine Scott Speicher's Fate
• October 30, 2002: Asylum Offered To Any Iraqi Who Delivers Speicher
• August 14, 2002: Missing Pilot's Status May Change Again: 'Missing-Captured'
• July 15, 2002: Author: Evidence Shows Pilot Is Alive, Prisoner In Iraq
• May 10, 2002: Missing Pilot's Supporters Launch 'Free Scott' Campaign
• January 16, 2001: Navy Explains Change In Missing Pilot's Status
• January 16, 2001: Iraq Says U.S. Pilot Never Ejected
• January 12, 2001: Clinton Says Speicher Could Be Alive


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