Scott Speicher

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Michael Scott Speicher (born July 12, 1957) was a U.S. Navy pilot whose F/A-18 Hornet fighter was shot down during the Gulf War on January 17, 1991; since this time there has been no evidence of either his existence or his death. There has been much controversy over the possibility that he might have survived and been taken prisoner by Iraq. His uncertain status was referred to by George W. Bush in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly of September 12, 2002 as part of his case for war against Iraq.

At the end of the Gulf War, Speicher was listed as "killed in action". In January 2001, the Secretary of the Navy changed his status to "missing in action"; according to Scott Ritter, this was "the first time the Pentagon ever made such a reversal". His status was changed again, to "missing/captured", on October 11, 2002, one day after the United States Congress authorized the use of military force in Iraq.

His possible situation became a more high-profile issue in the build-up to war. In March 2002, the Washington Times ran five successive front-page articles about it and on September 12, 2002 U.S. President George W. Bush mentioned Speicher in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. A lieutenant commander when shot down, he has been promoted to captain in his absence.

As of 2005, despite U.S. military control of Iraq and a major investigation on the ground in there, Speicher's whereabouts have yet to be discovered. Though there has been a great deal of intelligence gathered, including Speicher's E & E (Escape and Evade) sign left on the desert floor near the crash site along with the discovery of a flight suit believed worn by Speicher at the time of his crash, Speicher himself is still missing. While many believe he perished, no proof has been found of his death.

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