Posted on 03/24/2002 11:49:57 AM PST by codebreaker
Iraq said on Sunday that it is ready to recieve a U.S. delegation to dicuss the fate of an American pilot shot down over iraq in the 1991 Guf War
'Iraq is ready to recieve any American team, accompanied by U.S. media, in order to discuss and document this issue under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross,' a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.
In Washington Vice President Dick Cheney said on CBS 'Face the Nation' that he was unware of the Iraqi offer, and would want to 'see whether or not this is a serious proposition or whether Saddam Hussein is trying to change the subject.'
Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher was lost when his Navy F/A-18 Hornet jet was shot down on January 17, 1991, the first night of the war.
As you might have noticed, this whole thing is because they don't know for SURE that he did NOT eject successfully. They have found evidence which leads them to believe it is *possible* that he did. His canopy was a mile from the wreckage, there was a sighting from a Qatari businessman and "alleged" pictures of his ejection seat. (I say alleged, because I have not seen them, although the Pentagon isn't calling them alleged.) When the search of the site was conducted, the site had been excavated, the canopy had been turned upright, and the ejection seat and cockpit were gone. They also found spent flares, a symbol carved into the ground which might have been from the pilot, and various other items. There was no evidence of blood or any human remains at all, and they have interviewed at least one person, complete with lie detectors, that said they saw him alive afterwards. (I recognize he could still be lying, but do we KNOW?)
The point is, they do not KNOW...and it's time they DID.
Jesseeeee go on a self appointed diplomatic mercy mission WITHOUT the media?? Never happen.
From another documented verified source easily linked from the page I asked you to go to, and I quote: "This shows that the canopy jettison rocket burned evenly indicative of a good ejection."
JAG investigation. C'mon Marine? That is a REMF statement...I can't go in to details here, because I am not a shrink...but my experience has taught me that in debrief, patrol after action, indcident reporting, spot rep, cas reps, pos reps, sit reps, anything that human beings have to talk about after the incredible stress of combat can be less than perfect...10 people within a 5 meter radius of a similar incident...10 different stories....but maybe little tiny peices from each as to what happened.
That said, I don't think there is enough evidence to conduct one...but the best question you have proposed. I don't think an Article 32 was ever done(? UCMJ knowledge is fading..pre JAG investigation). Some poor decisions made were made at all levels by GOOD men with no malice intended in combat!
There are only two (2) facts in this whole mess: Speicher is unaccounted for.
and there is classified evidence which has not been made known to you or I.
Muddle this issue with false conclusions based on meaningless arguments and focus is lost...as it has been by all the other educated derelicts involved for the last 11 years.
And we are asking, demanding that Scott S. be accounted for! That is our duty, not our choice; as a Vet you should understand that?
An emotional issue...you are GD right knuclehead! Should emotions interfere with your critical thinking. NO. Should they be apart of the solution, hell yes..unless you are dead and don't care...but if you didn't you wouldn't be here trying to make points that have been made a 100 times before by better men than you and I will ever be.
Where is Scott Speicher this morning of March 25, 2002? What happened to him? We may never find out...but if we don't keep asking we will definitely NOT ever know.
So what do you want me to do? Put this to bed and move on?
Because you say so? My, my my. If Scott was your son, your brother what would you want? That question is scientific...so be careful.
Go read! Dude....?...jeesh!
This is very good!
Should be put into a memo (if it hasn't been already) and passed around to the decision/policy makers and planners.
Bulls Eye.
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