For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen World War II - Korea - Cold War - Viet
National Alliance of Families
For The Return of America's Missing Servicemen
World War II - Korea - Cold War - Vietnam - Gulf War
Dolores Alfond - 425-881-1499
Lynn O'Shea --- 718-846-4350
Web Site http://www.nationalalliance.org
email -- lynn@nationalalliance.org
October 19, 2002 Bts N Pieces
Longer Than Some, Not As Long As Others - October 19, 2002 marks Capt.
Speicher's 4,295th day in captivity.
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Status Change for Capt. Speicher - the first POW of the 1991 Gulf War, once
classified Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered, has once again been
reclassified this time from Missing In Action to Missing/Captured.
According to an Associated Press article, dated October 11th - "The U.S.
Navy on Friday declared Gulf War pilot Michael Scott Speicher was captured
by Iraq, saying there's no evidence the officer is dead. Two senators
suggested there is new, classified evidence indicating Speicher is alive
inside Iraq."
"... Speicher originally was declared dead after his F/A-18 was shot down
the opening night of the Gulf War in 1991. But the military changed his
status to missing in action a decade later, given the absence of evidence he
was killed in the crash. Iraq claims Speicher was killed, but has not
turned over any remains."
"Navy Secretary Gordon England on Friday changed Speicher's official status
to missing/captured. "I have no evidence to conclude that Captain Speicher
is dead," England wrote. "While the information available to me now does
not prove definitively that Captain Speicher is alive and in Iraqi custody,
I am personally convinced the Iraqis seized him sometime after his plane
went down. Further, it is my firm belief that the government of Iraq knows
what happened to Captain Speicher."
"A spokeswoman for Joanne Harris, Speicher's wife, said the officer's family
was pleased with the change. "We think it is about time. We asked for this
change more than a year ago," said Cindy Laquidara, a Jacksonville attorney
who speaks for Harris. "When you leave somebody behind, the passage of time
does not make a difference," she said. "It should not be up to the
serviceman to prove he is alive."
"Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said in a statement Friday he believes Speicher
is indeed alive. Roberts came to that conclusion last month after getting a
series of classified briefings on the case, said spokeswoman Sarah Ross.
"A lot of that is based on intelligence information and a general hunch,"
Ross said."
"Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said an Iraqi defector told officials that 11
years ago he drove a wounded American pilot to a hospital. "He was a
credible witness," said Nelson, who said the man had given information on
other topics that was correct. He had also passed a polygraph exam, Nelson
said."
"Roberts, Nelson and other members of Congress had pressed the Pentagon to
declare Speicher a prisoner of war. England wrote that the captured
designation means that "if alive, he's a prisoner of war."
"This change in status adds credibility and urgency to efforts to secure
Capt. Scott Speicher's release," Roberts said. "It sends a symbolic message
to the Iraqis, to other adversaries and most important to the men and women
of the armed forces that we will accept nothing less than full disclosure of
circumstances surrounding the missing and captured."
"England deliberately waited to approve the change until after Congress had
given Bush the authority he sought to take military action in Iraq,
according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Though not mentioning Speicher by name, Bush has referred in several recent
speeches to a U.S. pilot still missing in Iraq....."
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We Take Exception - Secretary England's statement "if alive, he's a prisoner
of war," is not totally correct. If Speicher died in Iraqi custody, he is
still a Prisoner of War, a POW who died in captivity. Dying in enemy hand
does not and should not change a POWs status.
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Optimism vs Pessimism - A Press Release issued by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KAN
), on October 11th stated "Roberts said he now believes Captain Speicher may
be alive and held captive by Iraq." The Associated Press reported "Roberts
came to that conclusion last month after getting a series of classified
briefings on the case, said spokeswoman Sarah Ross. "A lot of that is
based on intelligence information and a general hunch," Ross said."
Of the Iraqi defector who identified Capt. Speicher as the American pilot he
drove to a hospital Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), is quoted by the AP as
saying ""He was a credible witness..." AP also reported Nelson as saying
"the man had given information on other topics that was correct. He had also
passed a polygraph exam."
Secretary of Navy Gordon England stated: "I have no evidence to conclude
that Captain Speicher is dead." He went on to say: "While the information
available to me now does not prove definitively that Captain Speicher is
alive and in Iraqi custody, I am personally convinced the Iraqis seized him
sometime after his plane went down. Further, it is my firm belief that the
government of Iraq knows what happened to Captain Speicher."
The Secretary England's statement "I am personally convinced the Iraqis
seized him sometime after his plane went down," is extremely important. We
assume that Secretary England based this statement on his review of the
intelligence reports. Using that assumption, it now puts Scott Speicher
was ALIVE in Iraqi hands.
What we don't know is if he is alive today. However, two United States
Senators, after reviewing the intelligence reports believe Speicher may very
well be alive, today.
The prevailing attitude of DPMO is to dismissal intelligence reports and
witness statements, indicating Speicher is alive. This includes the very
source Senator Nelson stated: "was a credible witness..."
Our question - Are Senators Nelson and Roberts along with Secretary England
viewing the same intelligence as DPMO? If they are, how can the opinions
of Senators Nelson and Roberts, along with Secretary England be at such odds
with DPMO. We guess the answer is simple.... It's business as ususal at
DPMO.
continued..........