Board Says Evidence Doesn't Warrant Changing Airman's Status

At a hearing held last week to evaluate the status of a missing US pilot, a Navy review board agreed with family members, concluding that the government needs to do more to find out what actually happened, before changing the airman's status again.

In 1991, US Navy Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher (shown at right) was the pilot of an F/A-18 Hornet, the first US plane shot down in the first Persian Gulf War. His status, initially listed as "killed in action" just hours after his plane went down, was changed 10 years later to "missing/captured" when a review board revealed there was no evidence of his demise.

In fact, some evidence supported the conclusion he had ejected from his stricken plane, was captured and still alive, such as reported sightings of the airman and the initials "MSS" found written on the wall of a Baghdad prison.

After Baghdad fell to US-led forces in 2005, another review board recommended an intensified effort in the case, requesting cooperation between the Pentagon, the US State Department, the US Embassy in Baghdad, and the Iraqi government.

Navy spokesman Cmdr. Cappy Surette said recently that "Capt. Speicher's status remains a top priority for the Navy and the U.S. government. The recent intelligence community assessment reflects exhaustive analysis of information related to Capt. Speicher's case."

The latest report in the case was released last fall by the Defense Intelligence Agency. It contained information Speicher's family believed would lead Navy Secretary Donald Winter to change Speicher's status back to "killed in action," a decision the family said they would oppose.

The case, along with the board's recommendations and the family's comments, now go to Navy Secretary Donald Winter for a final decision, the Virginia-Pilot said.

FMI: www.navy.mil