Not Forgotten, Ever: U.S. Navy Pilot Still Unaccounted For After 14 Years In Iraq

Friends of Captain Michael Scott" Speicher, a Navy pilot who was captured after being shot down in the first Gulf war, have created a new website as a show of renewed faith and spirit in the search for this still-unaccounted for American hero. Despite recent negative news releases in the media regarding Captain Speichers current Missing In Action/Captured status, friends of the missing hero are showing that not only have they not lost hope for his homecoming, but are instead displaying the tenaciousness that has become their trademark. The site, created by the Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher group, offers a glimpse at Captain Speicher as a "real" person by using pictures and relevant news articles as well as a song written for the Navy pilot, and a public forum where interested parties can communicate their thoughts on Speichers situation

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) June 21, 2005 -- Do you think the world has given up hope for missing/captured Navy pilot, Captain Michael Scott Speicher? If so, think again. Despite all the negative reports coming out of the media recently, Scott's friends and supporters—in a spirit of renewed strength—have launched a brand new website to educate others about this true American hero, missing since the first Gulf war. You can find the new site at http://www.freescottspeicher.org.

Some of what makes this new website unique is its capacity to offer a comprehensive biography of Scott Speicher the friend, the family man, the hero—and the prisoner of war. With links to a vast array of available transcripts, documents and news items, the site also offers never-before-seen photos, a forum that allows opinions and ideas to be shared, and even a song that was written for Scott by members of Friends and can be downloaded in MP3 format.

The search is still on for Captain Speicher, but many citizens of the U.S. arent even aware of who he is. That is the primary reason for launching the new website—to allow Michael "Scott" Speicher to enter the homes of the American public as a real, living, breathing person. Someone who smiles, laughs, loves, and has friends—friends who have made it their lifes mission to see that he comes home to a waiting nation who knows just who he is, assuring that his sacrifices will never be forgotten.

Scott Speichers jet was launched off the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga in the Red Sea on the first night of Operation Desert Storm—January 17, 1991. When his squadronmates returned to the ship after completing their missions, Speicher was not with them. Hoping against hope that he'd diverted to Riyadh Saudi Arabia—possibly for refueling—his friends awaited news that would confirm their worried hope. But when word came, it wasnt the news theyd hoped for. Instead, they heard then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney say words that still bring a feeling of sick dread to those closest to Speicher. Cheney dispassionately spoke at that news conference about Americas first official casualty of the war, and after mentioning a downed Navy pilot, was asked to give that airmans status. A death," he replied bluntly. The world—including the U.S. Navy—assumed Cheney knew this to be a fact. That day, Michael Scott Speicher was left behind without so much as a cursory search to determine the truth of his fate.

But then questions arose when his plane was found a couple years later—nearly intact on that central-western Iraqi desert floor. It became evident that hed ejected well before his F/A-18c Hornet had hit the ground. The U.S. later excavated the site, but Speichers remains were not found. So where was Speicher? In the years since, witnesses who have seen him in captivity have come forth on his behalf. Speichers initials, M.S.S., have been found written on walls and beams in several different locations in Iraq. In each case, they were written in the same exact handwriting, in the same exact format. But Speicher himself was nowhere around.

Now, fourteen years later, the questions remain. Where is Scott Speicher? When will he be rescued and brought home? Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher seeks to find answers to those questions, and to remind the American public of one of their own, still awaiting a rescue that has never come.

Scotts friend and one of the founding members of the group, Nels Jensen, has been quoted as saying, The most important thing about the new website is that it lets the world know that Scott Speicher is a real person; an American hero. Hes not just a statistic. We must not forget his sacrifice to this great nation hes still fighting for." We have not forgotten Scott Speicher. We will not forget. Ever.

For more information please contact Angela Santana, Friends Working To Free Scott Speicher Member and Webmaster at
541-990-1150 or by email at angela@freescottspeicher.org

For further information please see: http://freescottspeicher.org

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