Replies

Yeah, I was there and I dont remember doubting the story at the time. Upon reflection I have come to a very different conclusion.

Listen Poobah this ones for you. VFA-81 and VFA-83 were phenomenal squadrons. Do you know HOW they handled SAM sites? They turned off thier ECM and let the SAM sites paint them. Once the SAM site locked on, the pilot would launch a HARM(High speed anti radiation missle, or something like that. :D) and the SAM site went KA-BOOM!!!

They did this HUNDREDS of times and no one else was shot down by a SAM site( I am talking just about the Strike-Fighter squadrons here.) Can you imagine how dangerous that mission was?

Dont you find it odd that a plane at that altitude with functioning ECM would get shot down by one of thier SAM sites, when they could not hit incoming F/A-18s that were getting themselves TARGETED ON PURPOSE!!!

Also, like I said... what if he is alive? When an American Servicemans life is on the line, you demand ABSOLUTE proof?

First of all, Speicher was apparently head-down, getting ready to shoot a HARM, when his plane was hit. Second, the culprit here wasn't a SAM site, it was a MiG-25 shooting an AA-6 Acrid--apparently there was poor coordination between Navy squadrons and Air Force AWACS planes for the first few days of the war, and that allowed an Iraqi plane to get in close.

If he didn't take a head-on missile shot as reported by his squadron mates, then just what DID happen?