Navy to again review Speicher case

Capt. Michael Scott Speicher has been missing since the first night of Operation Desert Storm, when his F/A-18 went down in Iraq.


Navy to again review Speicher case
By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 14, 2008 21:40:16 EDT

The Navy will convene a board to consider new evidence about Capt. Michael “Scott” Speicher, an F/A-18 pilot missing since the first night of the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The latest board, the first to look into Speicher’s status since 2005, will consider whether to recommend changing the missing pilot’s official status from “missing-captured.”

“The Chief of Naval Personnel notified the Speicher family Oct. 10 that the Navy will convene a Status Review Board,” said Cmdr. Cappy Surette, spokesman for the Navy at the Pentagon. “Based on a recent intelligence community update, the Secretary of the Navy directed that a Status Review Board be convened.”

Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson is responsible for convening the board no later than Dec. 9. By Defense Department regulation the board must start 60 days after the next of kin has been notified.

The board will be comprised of three officers, one of whom will be an experienced F/A-18 pilot. Once the board produces their report, the next of kin will have 30 days to comment on those findings before the results will be forwarded to Winter for a final determination, officials say. Only Winter can change Speicher’s official status.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/10/navy_speicher_101408/%2e