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| Iraq |
| Navy: Captain Speicher Found |
| 2009-08-02 |
| 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. Some reports had him wandering around with the Bedu for years, other had him in Iraqi prisons. It would appear that neither was correct. Then again, who knows? Although the remains handed over by the Iraqis after the 1991 ceasefire were clearly not his. 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. |
| Posted by:Plastic Snoopy |
| #6 Dreadnaught, Thank you for the background info - that was stuff I was unaware of. I hate the idea though that he or his remains may have been used as a bargaining chip. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-08-02 20:25 |
| #5 Sorry about the duplicate item. Mike, when I said "who knows?" -- the though had occurred to me that this would be the logical place to dispose of him if the Iraqi government had in fact held him in captivity for a time. Or perhaps the Bedu just decided to keep him. I certainly hope that's not the case, but I'm not sure we'll ever hear about it if it was. I do remember from that series of articles in the Virginia Pilot that someone had actually searched the wreckage area after the war. Did they miss the grave? Or was he only buried later? All we really know is that the Iraqi government handed over a box that they said contained Speicher's remains in 1991. Subsequent DNA testing proved that it wasn't him, and, added on to the other circumstances, he was reclassified as "missing" and later "missing-captured." Now we finally have him and I'm greatful. |
| Posted by: Plastic Snoopy 2009-08-02 18:55 |
| #4 Mike, I think that what was probably in play was the Iraqis instantly sensed how important CAPT Speicher was to us and fed information to gullible investigators to curry favor, monetary advantage, etc. I worked on projects with the Iraqi Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs, and I was usually called in on cases where a team had gotten bamboozled by some ingratiating minor bureaucrat who had blown his importance completely out of proportion and had gotten some minor project of his hooked up with some major league funding. Nevertheless, I'm glad CAPT Speicher has been returned home where he belongs. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2009-08-02 18:52 |
| #3 ...On the one hand, I am gratified beyond words that Captain Speicher is coming home. On the other hand, I have some serious questions for the US military investigators who kept finding traces of him someplace he never was. I do not doubt their motivation for a second - but I am concerned they were under pressure to come up with something so that the Government in general and the DOD in particular could not be accused of leaving anyone behind this time. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-08-02 13:23 |
| #2 Rest easy. Good to see the last of my brothers in arms from ODT/ODS is home. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2009-08-02 12:37 |
| #1 Rest in peace, sir, and thank you for your service. |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2009-08-02 11:21 |