Warbird Information Exchange

Today the Hornet was dedicated to Scott Speicher. His children
and Budddy Harris came. There was a flyover and it was a picture
postcard day. I will put the photos I shot on a Webshots page
when I get home. Meanwhile, here's a link to a local news
story. Today was very rewarding.....

http://www.wkrg.com/florida/article/jet ... her/34808/

Second news story............

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/FA18Jet ... orMIAPilot

These memorials to Scott Speicher are terrific. But, where is he? We had Saddam Hussein in custody for a while; why didn't we get out of him what happened to Scott Speicher?

I saw a story on 60 Minutes a while back interviewing a guy that was assigned to "befriend" Saddam while he was in captivity. There was no mention if this guy asked Saddam about Captain Speicher's whereabouts. If anyone knew what happened to Scott Speicher, it was Saddam Hussein.

Anyone curious about this story needs to read No One Left Behind: The LT. Comdr. Michael Scott Speicher Story
by Amy Waters Yarsinske.

It is truly a tragic story.

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Dave

Dave has hit on a key point. Where indeed is Speicher? I have
read Yarsinke's book and spoken with her. She is aware of what
transpired at NNAM on Friday. Based on what I've been told, the
book, and some other sources I believe he was, for a time, during
Iraqi Freedom, in Syria. But that's just a guess and I have no
idea whether he is alive today. Everyone needs to get and read a
copy of Yarsinke's book.

When we started the planning for the Speicher Hornet part of the
intent was to raise awareness of what happened and for that to
generate pressure on the govt to find out. We just left that guy!
Here is what I would like to see happen:

1. We need to learn from this and never just leave a guy behind.
There needs to never be another "Speicher Incident".

2 Everyone on this board needs to contact the White House and
their Senators/Congressmen to find the answers. That family
needs to know. If you could have seen the look in Speicher's
daughter's eyes when I took the POW bracelet off my wrist and
onto hers you'd write those letters today.

Below are links to email Obama and Biden. I don't have a universal
link for Congress.

president@whitehouse.gov <president@whitehouse.gov>

vice.president@whitehouse.gov <vice.president@whitehouse.gov>

some people over the years have bashed speicher's shoot down, totally undeserved accusations. but surely with our occupation of iraq after all these years you'd think some trail would be exposed to his loss.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

I think that this is a great project. My hat is off to the men and women of the US Navy, and the NMNA. I too, plan to send off e-mails. How great would it be for members of this forum to play a part in bringing a hero home.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Say What? How exactly do you mean? Are you referring to what happened after he was shot down?

Link to photos of the Speicher Hornet.....

http://rides.webshots.com/album/5719769 ... host=rides

More than likely people that have never even sat in a cockpit.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

pinecastle aaf, mustangdriver's reply pretty much sums up what i was trying to convey. speicher did not get fair judgement from alot of people because he was shot down. narrow minded thinking on those criticts part.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Thanks for the heads up on the book. I just ordered my copy from Amazon.

This is also a good series of articles here with some photos of the crash site:

http://www.aiipowmia.com/pgw/speicherindex.html

-Derek

By golly, this things is getting some coverage......

F/A-18 Dedicated to Gulf War Aviator
Story Number: NNS090511-05
Release Date: 5/11/2009 3:09:00 PM


By Mike O'Connor, Naval Air Station Pensacola Public Affairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- An F/A-18 Hornet was presented to the family of Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, a pilot shot down Jan. 16, 1991 — the first night of Operation Desert Storm- during the National Museum of Naval Aviation's Symposium 2009 in Pensacola May 8.

The F/A-18 Hornet was repainted with the squadron markings and insignia of Speicher.

It was believed that Speicher was the first combat casualty of the Gulf War. On March 10, 2009, the secretary of the Navy reclassified Speicher's official status as missing in action (MIA).

Aircraft maintenance specialists from Speicher's former squadron, the VFA-81 Sunliners, came to Sherman Field to apply the squadron's markings, Speicher's name and a POW/MIA insignia to the aircraft.

"I'm very proud to be asked to be a part of this," said VFA-81's Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class (AW) Anthony Gist. "It's an absolute honor to take part in such a meaningful project for Captain Speicher and his family. We painted it with VFA-81 colors, stabs and the modex number he went down in. It's a 1991-era paint job."

"We think it's as close as we could get it," Sunliners' Aviation Ordnanceman Joanna Dillon added.

"All the stencils are how they were in 1991. It's a tribute to Captain Speicher; he deserves it."

Painting specialists from the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, provided the base coat of aircraft gray.

"Everyone that wears wings of gold -- Navy or Marine, officer or enlisted -- starts out at NASC," said Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) Naval Aircrew Candidate School Division Officer Lt. Cmdr. Clay Hester, who served as volunteer coordinator for the project.

The idea for the restoration and dedication of the aircraft was a group effort on the part of NASC and the National Naval Aviation Museum.

"This event represents a lot of hard work by the NASC Sailors and the museum staff involved in the restoration," said NASC Commanding Officer, Capt. Patrick Dougherty.

The F/A-18 Hornet will be returned to its stand outside NASC where it is hoped that future generations of naval aviators in training will take note of the aircraft as a legacy never to be forgotten.

For more news from Naval Air Station Pensacola, visit www

So will the NMNA keep it, or is it going to be a gate gaurd?

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Chris, it's going down to the Schools Command where
it will sit outside the main entrance. This is especially
important because EVERYONE who wears Wings of Gold
starts there, officer or enlisted; it doesn't matter. Now,
every person associated with Naval Aviation will walk
past that Hornet, maybe not daily, but often. They will
learn who Speicher is/was and what he represents.

When they have it in place, I'll get pix and add them to
the Webshots page.

Awesome! THat is great. It is important to pass on to the current and future generations of aviators, just how brave the ones before them were. That is a very fitting tribute.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director