Testing underway to determine if they are his; questions linger as to how he died

The Pentagon has announced that the remains of a body have been found in Iraq and that are being tested to determine if they are those of Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher, of Jacksonville (FL), whose aircraft was reported missing more than a decade ago during the Gulf War. Speicher's family has been notified.

The results of the testing are expected to take several weeks to complete, and until then the family has decided not to speculate or make any statements as to whether or not they think Speicher's remains have actually been found.

Speicher, whose call sign was "Spike," was last seen taking off from the USS Saratoga, station in the Red Sea at the time, on his very first mission in actual combat. He took off at 0100 on January 17, on the very first mission flown over Iraqi soil. The mission was deemed a success, and all the aircraft returned, except Speicher's.

Soon after, the Pentagon announced that Speicher had been KIA in a mid-air explosion, even though his fellow pilots believed he had ejected and survived. Based on this assessment, it was decided that no recovery mission would be attempted. However, in 1993, US intelligence operatives found Speicher's aircraft in much better condition than a mid-air explosion should have left it. They also found the aircraft's canopy some distance away, suggesting that Speicher had indeed punched out and survived the crash. No body was ever found at the crash site.

Based on the reports that Speicher's aircraft had been found and positively identified, the Pentagon changed his status from KIA to MIA -- Missing in Action. Later they changed it yet again, to Missing Captured. Soon after the second Gulf War began, the initials "M.S.S." were found in a Baghdad prison after coalition forces took over. Speculation was rampant that the government was not being forthcoming about information they might have proving that Speicher might have been held at the prison. However, DNA testing on the scratch marks proved inconclusive.

The remains being tested were found in another part of Iraq. Now, just short of the fourteenth anniversary of Speicher's disappearance, the family once again waits for news that may provide them with the closure they have sought for over a decade.

FMI: www.dod.gov, www.freescottspeicher.com