scott speicher found
August 2, 2009
i never forgot him. did you? i always had just a wee bit of hope that somehow when our troops went into baghdad this time, we would find captain scott speicher alive.
captain scott speicher
he was a 33 yo navy pilot of the FA-18 hornet fighter bomber. scott speicher was lost on january 17,1991, the first night of the gulf war, after his aircraft was hit by an iraqi surface-to-air missile. marines, working on a tip from a local iraqi, found his remains in the desert of al anbar province. scott left behind a wife and 2 children who were 1 and 3 years old at the time. he also left behind many other family members and friends who loved him and never forgot about him these last 18 years.
leave no one behind. welcome home scott speicher and job well done.
Posted in freedom, heroes, iraq, military, patriotism
'a wise man's heart directs him toward the right but a foolish man's heart directs him toward the left'
ecclesiastes 10:2
content rss
facebook
twitter
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
No Kate, I never forgot him either. I’m glad he’s coming home. Hey btw, lots of fruits and nuts on the last thread (on both sides of the issue). I stayed out of it.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:12 am
I never forgot him either. My thoughts and prayers to his family.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:44 am
Welcome home, Scott Speicher!!! NO one is ever forgotten. He is still alive in his children, and all the memories with his beloved family and friends!!!!
Thank you for your dedicated service!
Your legend lives on………in everyone..
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:53 am
What an amazing story.
Welcome home, Captain, and God bless you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:17 am
Oh I never forgot Scott either. I have thought about him often over the years. As a current Blue Star Mother I worry about all of our military in harms way. I had hoped for a different outcome for Scott too.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:32 am
I’ll admit, I forgot. I have nothing to add to that, that wouldnt sound pathetic.
Its all kinda bittersweet, but I’m glad everyone can rest now.
Thank you so much Scott. I put my hands together for you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:43 am
Thank God Captain Speicher was found. I pray he didn’t suffer and now he’s coming home where he belongs.
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:29 am
No I never forgot him either. I was a kid from a Navy family when he went missing. I was also in OIF and when we were in Kuwait as the first wave of Marines, waiting to cross into Iraq, some of us talked about him and what it would be like if we actually found him alive in one of Saddam’s hell holes. Of course we never did but we were always looking. He was in the back of our minds.
God Speed Captain Speicher.
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
jack thanks for saying that. i always wondered (and hoped) our military was actively looking for him. i am so glad you were!
thanks for your service and please visit the blog again.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 am
I am not that Paul up there ^. I am the regular Paul. I think the Speicher case shows the incompetence of the DOD. His status changed so many times, giving false hope to his family with every little wiff of a rumor of a siting on him. Of course the family holds out hope that he is alive. But for the DOD not to do more, (and get if right sooner) about this case for 18 fricken years is shameful.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:43 am
Paul
Considering that there was 8 years that Clinton could be held accountable I sure hope this wasnt an attempt on your part to bash either Bush Sr. or Jr.
With that said I think our DOD has always been more competent when under a republican administration.
Did you know that Clinton lost more troops in 8 years of peace time than we did in Iraq from the initial invasion up til 08 ? The DOD is only as competent as the administration running it. And if Obama had anything to do with Scotts rescue my hats off to him on this one. Then again, Afghanistan has just recently become more deadly for our troops than it ever was before, hmm…
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Welcome home Captian Scott Speicher. May God bless and keep you and your family.
Paul, IMO I believe the DOD was always looking for him. Seems to me that might account for the changes in his status over the years. False hope to the family, I think hope is what most would survive on. Thank goodness now they know, they can bring him home and bury him like the true hero he is.
Jack, thank you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
“The DOD is only as competent as the administration running it. And if Obama had anything to do with Scotts rescue my hats off to him on this one.”
Micky don’t be an idiot, if you can help it. The DOD is actually run by career military. Of course there is the Sec Def and the Joint Chiefs but the nuts and bolts is run by people who have been there through several administrations. Just like State. “Rescuing” Scott? They recovered his bones based on a tip from a local Iraqi. Iraq is free remember? At least thats what you Bushy’s told us.
Wake up Dolt.
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Paul, I came into this trying to hold a level of decorum. You blew it, you cany help yourself, can you ?
You made my point foir me right here after vcalling me an idiot and before caling me a dolt.
“Of course there is the Sec Def and the Joint Chiefs but the nuts and bolts is run by people who have been there through several administrations”
Soo… looks like the DOD is subjected to the directions laid out by the administration at hand, isnt it ?
The people who have been there through several administrations dont call the shots. do they ?
I’m aware that Gates has to answer to Obama, are you ?
Moron
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Oh, by the way. maybe you’d care to explain the reason Clintons DOD lost more troops in peacetime than Bush in war.
yeah, you guys should not be allowed to fight wars. At least since WW2
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
“I am not that Paul up there ^. ”
Oh, you didn’t need to clarify that Paul, we knew that wasn’t you. The first Paul made a sincere and compassionate remark about one of our military heroes, we didn’t think for a moment that it was you.
No, instead you used the opportunity to bash the DOD.
“But for the DOD not to do more, (and get if right sooner) about this case for 18 fricken years is shameful.”
First, save the faux outrage for someone else, you coudln’t care less about Speichers family.
Secondly, please tell us all what the DOD should have done. What EXACT steps should they have taken to “do more”. I’d love to hear this.
Once again you have proven to be completely classless.
Absolutely pathetic.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
“What EXACT steps should they have taken to “do more”. I’d love to hear this.”
they should not have changed his status to mia after declaring him dead.
his wife had married someone else and suddenly they declared her first husband alive again.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
The DOD jacked this family around. He was originally listed as “Killed” and as it turns out, he most likely died after ejecting. Instead the DOD changed his status multiple times over the years just to appease some bigshot.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Paul what are you talking about???? It was at the family’s request after numerous “sitings” and “eyewitness reports” and that now infamous “scratching in the jail cell” of his initials that the DOD made the changes in his status. The family couldn’t give up on Scott until they knew the truth. Don’t tell me crap about any of it! I live here in Florida in the town where his family lived. We lived it here throughout the years. So be quiet you Dolt.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Im just curious which bigshot were they trying to appease? Also, would you ever give up on your son, brother, husband, uncle, or friend? You might go on with your life. You might remarry, but would you ever really give up? I know I wouldn’t.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
“Instead the DOD changed his status multiple times over the years just to appease some bigshot.”
Wow, this is getting good. Ok, Paul, I’ll bite, who is this big shot they were trying to appease? Why were they trying to appease him? Why did changing Capt. Speichers status please the big shot?
There are so many questions, Paul, please provide some sort of evidence to back up this claim, I’d love to read it.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Paul is right in some ways. The truth is Capt. Speicher ejected from his plane (other pilots saw this) but most likely died of his wounds there in the desert and was buried by kind bedouins. Or he survived his ejection and was found and beaten to death by bedouins who saw him as the enemy, then buried. But because of time, we’ll never really know. The DOD was lead by Darth Cheney at the time and did a royal screw up. Then Bill Clinton had a Republican too for a time as DOD. Of course we all know who Shrub had.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Senator Bill Nelson, that idiot from Florida was the driving force behind all the status changes.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
“they should not have changed his status to mia after declaring him dead.”
It’s called the fog of war. Nobody knew for sure what happened to him. They originally thought he was dead, but might have gotten information to the contrary. If there was even a chance he was captured and alive they had a duty to declare him MIA.
It was like it was in Vietnam. Captured military personnel were desperate to get word out that they were alive. If you were declared KIA, you were much easier to dispose of.
If they made mistakes, that’s one thing, but to claim, as Paul did, that they were jacking them around makes no sense.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:47 pm
“Senator Bill Nelson, that idiot from Florida was the driving force behind all the status changes.”
Link please? For the third time.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
“The DOD was lead by Darth Cheney at the time and did a royal screw up. ”
Ahh, the truth comes out. It’s just another excuse to bash Cheney. How surprising. You people used to be amusing, now you’re just downright delusional.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Ken, you dolt, it’s the link in this stupid ass post! Pay attention or at least read the material once in a while.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I’m sorry Paul, I’ll try again.
You claimed that the military changed Speichers status over and over to appease as you say “Senator Bill Nelson, that idiot from Florida”. I asked you for your evidence that the military changed his status to appease Nelson and why it would appease Nelson.
Of course, as expected, you responded with childish insults and a temper tantrum. I’m sorry if you’re a liar, but don’t blame it on me.
I’ll give you another chance though, please cut and paste a section from the post that proves that Bill Nelson had it changed and that it was changed just to appease him.
I typed extra slow just for you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Smug Ken here’s a link for you: http://www.wkrg.com/florida/article/remains-of-scott-speicher-found/229123/Aug-02-2009_3-34-pm/
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Ken I posted a link for you but it went to moderation.
Kate is you see this, can you help?
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Sweet jebus - this is a post about a man who gave his life serving his country. And yet somehow it becomes a he said/she said/no one did their job bitchfest.
Focus people - a family has confirmation that their loved one is dead. They grieve anew and we owe them and Scott Speicher our respect.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Jane;
“Then Bill Clinton had a Republican too for a time as DOD. ”
But still, Cohen had to answer to Clinton. Who shrunk our military down to nothing and managed to get more soldiers killed during peace time than Bush did since the initial invasion into Iraq.
Nice try
Jane;
” Of course we all know who Shrub had.”
Oh, so both Bush Sr. and Jr. are “shrub” ?
Paul. I’m also waiting for you to supply Ken with some verification of this “appeasement” I had to go do some business, didnt have time to stay and ask you. I thought Obama would be that bigshot you’re talking about
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:36 pm
“My heart goes out to the family, again,” said Nelson, the Florida senator who was instrumental several years ago in getting the Navy to renew a search for the missing pilot. “We all clung to the slim hope that Scott was still alive and would one day come home to his family.”
“Over the years, the military changed Speicher’s status from dead to missing-captured, interviewed hundreds of Iraqi officials, and even excavated a different gravesite in Baghdad in 2005.”
Paul, you’re either high or really stupid. No where does that link prove that Nelson had anything changed.
If anything it says the “MILITARY” changed the status.
Seems to me, All Nelson did was put more effort into it than any liberal did.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Sorry, Kris, but when one of our resident trolls makes ridiculous accusations concerning one of our military men, I’m not going to let it go. Paul has made completely baseless accusations and when asked for evidence, he could provide none.
Paul, I assume this is the paragraph you are speaking of:
“Sen. Bill Nelson, a friend, was among those who pushed for a
search for Speicher. Today, the Florida Democrat said, “We all
clung to the slim hope that Scott was still alive and would one day
come home to his family.”
So in your mind that translates to the DOD was changing the status of Speicher just to appease Nelson? That’s pretty sad. Apparently you missed the words “a friend” in the sentence as well as the fact that Nelson was pushing for a SEARCH for Speicher because the family wanted it.
I realize that giving up is built in to the left’s DNA, but some people never give up, especially on a loved one.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:57 pm
hey paul
if someone i loved went missing, and i was desperate for information, i would use any means and any person i could to help me. any means paul. and there would be no rest for anyone until i knew something. take it the bank.
and paul if that meant going through an elected official, in a heartbeat. that’s what they’re there for…they’re very little help with anything else.
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Oh for the love of Christ! Don’t you see how these things work? Politicians pressure government offices, YES THE DOD, all the time. That’s what they do. Don’t be stupid or naive please. Yes, Bill Nelson was indeed the catalyst to keep the fire burning under the DOD’s ass at the family’s request. That’s what I said from the beginning. You guys need to read for comprehension.
And please Kris. The guy has been gone for 18 years. In Iraq. His wife married again. Don’t give me this “grief all over again”. Yes they mourn but they also are relieved to know. They said so in their statement.
Jeez you conservatives are f*kn dense.
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Kate oh I am sure you would. You probably would hold on to one of those DOD officials until their balls fell off.
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
And please Kris. The guy has been gone for 18 years. In Iraq. His wife married again. Don’t give me this “grief all over again”. Yes they mourn but they also are relieved to know. They said so in their statement.
Jeez you conservatives are f*kn dense.
Of course they are relieved. Aside from that public statement we don’t know how the family feels. Same with any remains of any soldier missing for any length of time.
It’s not about that anyway. My comment was about the incredibly inappropriate arguing in this thread about who did or said what and when. This should be about respecting the soldier and his family, not engaging in this unseemly debate.
See - I can present my argument reasonably without resorting to the age-old, immature actions of name calling. You should try it some time…else reap what you sow.
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
“See - I can present my argument reasonably without resorting to the age-old, immature actions of name calling. You should try it some time…else reap what you sow.”
Oh you might not call people names Kris but your “holier then thou” attitude stinks to high heaven.
Ken, Mickey Mouse. Of course Nelson pushed it through for the family and was instrumental in keeping the status changing thus keeping the search going. I don’t see the argument here. I guess it’s the extra chromosome that Conservatives have that makes them a bit slower.
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Paul;
“these things work? Politicians pressure government offices, YES THE DOD, all the time. That’s what they do. Don’t be stupid or naive please. Yes, Bill Nelson was indeed the catalyst to keep the fire burning under the DOD’s ass at the family’s request. That’s what I said from the beginning. You guys need to read for comprehension.”
Aww bullsh*t, comprehension.
You always say that when we dont read all the crap between the lines you spew that you cant prove.
Nowhere does your link say or prove that Nelson asked or made the DOD do anything. You have nothing but your assertions, suspicions and opinion.
How you comprehend what you read is obviously way different from anything any of us got out of it. So what do you do when that happens ? Instead of admitting its just a hunch on your part or digging deeper maybe to drive your point home you toss a little fit and call people names and ask us.
Whos the idiot dolt now ?
———————-
Kris, you’re right, I’m going to stop here. I guess I’m partially to blame since I told Paul that “I sure hope this wasnt an attempt on your part to bash either Bush Sr. or Jr.” Turns out it was a republican anyway.
He pi$$ed me off because I knew he was denegrating the dignity of the thread.
Paul you’re wrong.
Scott, bless you man.
I’m done
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Pennie;
“Ken, Mickey Mouse. Of course Nelson pushed it through for the family and was instrumental in keeping the status changing thus keeping the search going. ”
And you know this how ?
“I don’t see the argument here.”
Of course you dont.
” I guess it’s the extra chromosome that Conservatives have that makes them a bit slower.”
Not mention you sound like you’ve blown a good portion of your left frontal lobe, or a few brain cells to say the least
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
“That’s what I said from the beginning.”
No Paul, you said, and I quote:
“The DOD jacked this family around.”
This implies that they were “messing” with his family. Then you said:
“Instead the DOD changed his status multiple times over the years just to appease some bigshot.”
The truth is that the Senator was keeping the investigation going because the family requested him too, not too “appease” him as you say. Again you show a remarkable ignorance of the truth. How is it “jacking the family around” if they are changing his status at the Senator’s request of the family? Maybe in a liberal’s mind this makes sense, but to intelligent people it makes none.
“Don’t be stupid or naive please.”
Funny, I was just going to say the same thing to you.
“Jeez you conservatives are f*kn dense.”
Paul if you are the measure of intelligence than I consider being called “dense” a compliment.
“I don’t see the argument here.”
Of course you don’t Pennie, that’s what makes you a perfect liberal. Back under your bridge now!
Oh and Pennie, before you go, please tell us how Kris was “holier than thou”. Apparently you have grown to believe that the term “holier than thou” means that someone disagrees with you. If you need help understanding it, let me know, I’d be glad to teach you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Geez, whats happening to me ? Someone slap me. Not 6 minutes after I told Kris I was done I went and nailed Pennie .
Can I be excused for my inconsistency because Pennie really deserved it ?
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
“Kate oh I am sure you would. You probably would hold on to one of those DOD officials until their balls fell off.”
i assume that’s not a compliment, correct?
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 pm
the point is they should not have declared him kia so quickly, only to change it to mia.
it is not a matter of giving up on a loved one either. they could have kept looking.
they simply should have held off declaring kia so quickly or not changed it back even while they looked. why? his wife married another guy after he was declared kia. how do you explain to his children?
August 4th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Can I be excused for my inconsistency because Pennie really deserved it ?
Micky - since I’m too holier than thou for Pennie…not sure I can comment here. But I give you a pass.
August 23rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
their things not being told here seems sanitized for some reason
question is he had a certain type of gun and it was not found
and what about the caps that were in his teeth they didnt come back either thus maybe these are not his remains but just to shut the family up anybody familiar with a certain capt mccain he was a prisoner in nam but he was a traitor who sold out the other pows now then where is the rest of the remains of capt michael scott speiker
why do something right which the govt has not done anything but lied it takes more time to test not couple of days wake up the system is lying to cover up something what is it this smells understand what i say
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
You know, dark shadow, glue sniffing is a serious addiction. Please get some help.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:58 am
I realize it is really easy to bash the DoD or and administration during this time, but that really doesn’t do Capt. Speicher’s memory any honor.
Capt. Speicher should be honored and respected.
On the other note, remember that Monday morning quraterbacking is easy. No one ever knows what the real story is even if they are in the middle of the fight. Our perceptions get skewed by our opinions. I don’t know if someone dropped the ball and we didn’t do enough, all I know is that he is home now where he belongs.
Let it rest for now, please, for Spike.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
You know DarkShadowWolf, you may have a very good point. Let’s leave it at that for the moment.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
The only thing I am saying is that there are probably a lot of things not showing. His identification (dental) seemed to be the major part of what was found. Convenient. I hope that anyone that undertakes a mission and disappears has at least a few people who will not give up, under any circumstances. There is more to this story than just a missing pilot . . . not that any missing servicemember should be forgotten. My thanks to Senator Nelson and all people who pushed for an answer. Unfortunately, we may have just been handed an identification. I guess at least we have an answer to the question of is he dead or alive. As to further answers as to what happened, was he a P.O.W. and by whom I guess we’ll probably never know. I just hope Scott has peace now. Let’s let his family and children have some sort of peace. I’m sure bits and pieces will continue to come forth at one time or another. We’ve all done the best that we could do or at least the best we thought we could do at that time. There are many of us who feel guilt, either because we didn’t do more or because we weren’t allowed to do any more. Or maybe some of us just didn’t quite know what more to do. Enlisted could only do what they were told to do. We need to let that go for awhile. For now, let’s just try to feel some peace. At least for a bit. As pathetic as is may be, welcome home.