Posted on 08/02/2009 4:08:02 AM PDT by mware
Breaking on Fox. Body now in US for further confirmation.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Awaiting further DNA test.
I thought it read;
Remains of First Ammmendment Lost in Persian Gulf War Found.
Seems people are more interested in that damn birth cert than a true American hero.
The Navy says remains of the first American lost in the 1991 Persian Gulf War have been found in Iraq. They were found in the Anbar province, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
Officials say the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology positively identified the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher, whose disappearance has bedeviled investigators since his jet was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the war.
"This is a testament to how the Navy never stops looking for one of its own. No matter how long it takes," Commander Cappy Surette, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy, told FOX News.
Officials say they got new information from Iraqi citizens last month that led them to a place in the desert believed to be the crash site — and there they found the remains.
The Pentagon initially declared him killed, but uncertainty led officials over the years to change his official status a number of times to "missing in action" and "missing-captured."
FOX News' Jennifer Griffin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
I’m not sure it needs to be an either/or situation. But do let’s hope this brings some sense of completion for this warrior’s family. For them it has been a long wait.
At least now the family has closure.
Very sad, but more than time. May his family finally find closure.
Yeah they do
Wow. Michael “Scott” Speicher found?!
That would be a great thing for his family after all this time of not knowing.
R.I.P
“Eternal Father Strong to Save” - The Navy Hymn
Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid’st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked’st on the foaming deep,
and calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe’er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
I would like to say that it’s great that this is finally over for the family, the Navy and the nation.
I hope that he died quickly as a result of combat. I remember reading articles based on heresay and conjecture that he was in fact alive for years in Iraq shuttled about and tortured. Something like a real life Chuck Norris MIA movie.
R.I.P. Captain (He’s been promoted.) Speicher
I heard an early report that these civilians saw a Bedouin burying the body of Scott near his crash site.
RIP.
“Seems people are more interested in that damn birth cert than a true American hero.”
***
This is one of few areas where I can multi-task. The Birth certificate is important to me, but so is this soldier.
At the very least, the loved ones will have a body to bury. It’s not “closure” to use that overused phrase, but at least now the family knows.
Rest in peace and may the perpetual light of the Lord shine upon you, Scott. And may the Lord in His infinite grace provide comfort and strength to those you have left behind.
Capt. Michael “Scott” Speicher... welcome home. You can sleep in peace now.
amen
Suddenly difficult to see the screen and my keyboard. Whence tears cometh for a fallen brother?
I'll light a candle for Scott's repose.
RIP Captain Speicher. Be with God, Sir.
(SALUTE)
There is never good news like this, but this is better than not knowing.
I am glad for the family this all over. Also, I happy that he wasn’t tortured or shoved into some dungeon.
RIP
Good there is closure for the family and the nation.
 |
Statement from the Navy:
Remains Identified as Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher
Story Number: NNS090802-01
Release Date: 8/2/2009 5:52:00 AM
From the Department of the Navy
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) has positively identified remains recovered in Iraq as those of Capt. Michael Scott Speicher.
Speicher was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet over west-central Iraq Jan. 17, 1991 during Operation Desert Storm.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Captain Speicher’s family for the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country,” said Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy. “I am also extremely grateful to all those who have worked so tirelessly over the last 18 years to bring Captain Speicher home.”
“Our Navy will never give up looking for a shipmate, regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be,” said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations.
“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us.”
Acting on information provided by an Iraqi citizen in early July, U.S. Marines stationed in Al Anbar Province went to a location in the desert which was believed to be the crash site of Speicher’s jet. The Iraqi citizen stated he knew of two Iraqi citizens who recalled an American jet impacting the desert and the remains of the pilot being buried in the desert. One of these Iraqi citizens stated that they were present when Speicher was found dead at the crash site by Bedouins and his remains buried. The Iraqi citizens led U.S. Marines to the site who searched the area. Remains were recovered over several days during the past week and flown to Dover Air Force Base for scientific identification by the AFIP’s Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner.
The recovered remains include bones and multiple skeletal fragments. Positive identification was made by comparing Speicher’s dental records with the jawbone recovered at the site. The teeth are a match, both visually and radiographically.
While dental records have confirmed the remains to be those of Speicher, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology DNA Lab in Rockville, Md., is running DNA tests on the remains recovered in Iraq and comparing them to DNA reference samples previously provided by family members. Results will take approximately 24 hours.
Web link here: http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=47359
What a relief to know he was not captured and tortured...That will be of comfort to his loved ones.
Sad ping
Those Bedouins also saved his dead body from being dragged through the streets and paraded around.
RIP Scott.
There has been a stone memorial located near the entrance of the church he and the family attended on the west side of Jacksonville. This is Scott’s hometown and we all have kept him and his family in our prayers since we first got the news the day after the intial start of the air campaign.
Our prayers will continue for the family of this hometown hero as we know Scott is with our Lord and Savior.
Ping, to you.
I hate to put a damper on this, but will the family do their own DNA test??
Don’t flame me, but I am waiting for the Bush couldn’t do it spin.
Before DNA was reliable, the best thing used was dental records. The fact that they are a visual and radiological match will most likely be accepted.
Salute 
How could I forget the possibility of that also.
I am grateful to those who buried him, grateful he was found and the family may know at last.
RIP
I am just wondering about the timing. I am not questioning that they found “remains”. Unless you are a forsenic pathologist, how do you know that the tests are real?
I now no longer trust anything put out by this administration. They need a boost and a distraction. A little August surprise?
May I mention one thing: It took 6 years after the invasion for the US to find this grave in Iraq. It may also take a long time to find Saddam’s WMD. It does not mean that they didn’t exist.
It will take at least 4, possibly 8 more years to find the WMD. We will have to invade, Iran, Syria, or NK. maybe Russia
Good point, but I think they went to Syria and/or Iran.
“It will take at least 4, possibly 8 more years to find the WMD. We will have to invade, Iran, Syria, or NK. maybe Russia”
Oh Lord. We’re not going to invade any of those nations. Might as well invade the North Pole looking for Santa Claus!
Rest in Peace, Captain.
Tatt
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