Posted on 09/02/2002 3:59:23 PM PDT by knighthawk
WASHINGTON: Lt Michael Speicher, a US Navy pilot whose plane was downed in Iraq in 1991, was dead, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said yesterday.
The pilot's fate after the downing of his F18 on January 16 1991 has been the subject of conflicting reports.
The Washington Post, quoting US Senate investigation sources, said in June he was still alive.
"An American team in [the] mid-'90s came with the help of the Iraqi authorities and with the presence of the Red Cross," Mr Aziz told CNN yesterday.
"They checked the site where his plane crashed, and they concluded that he was killed in that crash."
Agreed. Didnt someone find the crash site in 94 and the fuse was fairly intact? Might just be an internet rumor.
"Scott Speicher was raised in Kansas City. When he was in high school, the Speicher family moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Scott continued his education at Florida State University, receiving a degree in accounting and management.
Speicher went on to join the U.S. Navy and receive flight training. During the Mid-East Crisis, Speicher was one of 2,500 airmen assigned to the USS SARATOGA in the Red Sea. Speicher was part of a fighter squadron and flew the F18 "Hornet" fighter/bomber.
On January 18, 1991, Speicher's aircraft was hit by an Iraqi SAM (surface-to-air missile) and crashed during the first Coalition offensive of the war dubbed "Operation Desert Storm." Initial reports by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney stated that Speicher had been killed. One military source said reports indicated the aircraft had "exploded to bits" in the sky, apparently having suffered a direct SAM hit.
Iraqi officials soon announced the capture of American pilots. It was originally believed the chances of Speicher's ejection were slim, but the books were not closed on Speicher. He was the first American to be listed Missing in Action. Most recent media reports indicate that he was probably "confirmed killed." Although Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney has said Speicher was killed, he is still officially listed missing in action.
The Methodist church in Florida where Scott Speicher has been a Sunday School teacher has held prayer and candlelight vigils for his safety. They have not given up hope that he is still alive.
In the first days of March, 1991, 21 American POWs were released by the Iraqis. Scott Speicher has not yet been released.
Those who recall the abandonment of American POWs in World War II, Korea and Vietnam are watching carefully, determined that men like Speicher will be returned alive, or fully accounted for, before American troops leave the Middle East when hostilities cease.
Scott Speicher and his wife Joanne have two children, a daughter, age 3, and a son, age 1. All live in Jacksonville, Florida. Speicher's father, Wallace Speicher, was a Navy pilot in World War II."
Aziz is full of crap. Examination of the crash site indicated that Speicher more than likely ejected and survived. The Iraqis have even claimed that Speicher was eaten by wolves. DNA testing of the "remains" that the Iraqis returned indicated they didn't belong to Speicher.
Examination of the crash and statements by pilots on the same mission indicate that Speicher's plane was shot down by an air-to-air missile, not a SAM.
Here's a link to Amazon on the book: No One Left Behind
Here are some FR threads on the subject.
Where are his remains asshole?
That's good to know, for I was very impressed with her in the interview this afternoon. Thanks for all those links -- I fear that should we start something in Iraq, Lt. Cmdr. Speicher may never come home, either alive or dead.
Thought we'd learned this lesson of political shenanigans/war cover-ups long ago.
In December 1993, a US F/A-18 crash site in Southwestern Iraq was located and US authorities were notified. The wreckage was confirmed to be that of LCDR Speicher's aircraft. The site was located on imagery in April 1994, using US U-2 imagery taken in 1991. On 14 February 1995, the ICRC, at the request of the USG, contacted Iraq about the US plan to excavate an F/A-18 crash site in Iraq. Baghdad delayed the matter until late October 1995 when Iraqi permission for the team's entry was obtained.
From April 1994 till Feb 1995 the military tried to send in a covert mission to investigate the crash site. Instead the Clinton Administration didn't want to risk it and contacted Iraq, stopping us from getting to the truth.
MississippiDeltaDawg, ao98's link is well worth looking over.
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