Tue, Apr 05, 2005
Will Review The Case Of Michael Scott Speicher
His aircraft was hit just minutes
after the beginning of the first war in Iraq and, for the past 14
years, Captain Michael Scott Speicher's fate has been an agonizing
mystery to family and friends. Now, the Navy will convene a special
panel to perhaps change his status once again.
Speicher's status has already been changed more
than once. He was declared missing in action during the first Gulf
War. As ANN reported in 2002, Lt. Speicher's status was changed to
"Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered."
But even as late as October, 2002, there were tantalizing
indications that Speicher was still alive. Navy intelligence
officers decided not only that he ejected, but that he probably
survived the process. A flight suit was found near the crash site
-- one that could have been Speicher's. There was also other
intelligence information that led Navy Secretary Gordon England to
change Speicher's status again just before the Second Gulf War,
declaring him missing in action.
Well, here we go again. Citing new intelligence, England has
decided to convene a special panel that will go over everything
having to do with Speicher's disappearance and decide once again
whether this case should be closed.
The decision isn't necessarily a
popular one. "I'm very disappointed that the Defense Department
after two years doesn't have any evidence on what happened to
Captain Speicher," Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) told the Washington
Times. He's especially upset that the Pentagon has disbanded a
special search team that scoured Iraq for more news on the missing
pilot.
"That's very disappointing because we ought to bring closure for
the family," Nelson told the Times.
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