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2004-03-03 
No Evidence Navy Pilot Was in Iraqi Hands
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Posted by Steve White 2004-03-03 00:25|| || Front Page|| [11129 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 They still worry about the fate of a guy who crashed and burned more than a decade ago. What about all the soldiers right now sitting in Iraq watching death looming overhead?
Posted by Anonymous 2004-3-3 9:45:28 AM||   2004-3-3 9:45:28 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 They still worry about the fate of a guy who crashed and burned more than a decade ago. What about all the soldiers right now sitting in Iraq watching death looming overhead?
Posted by Anonymous 2004-3-3 9:45:29 AM||   2004-3-3 9:45:29 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Anon - allow me to enlighten you. Much of the reason a man will live like an animal and fight like hell is because he knows that, God forbid, should he fall, he won't be left behind. It doesn't matter if it's ten years later and the only remains are a fragment of bone. You are still going home.

RE the active troops in Iraq (and, Afganistan, Pak, etc., etc.) - as odd as it may seem, good unit commanders worry over each and every one of their men - all day every day.
Posted by Doc8404 2004-3-3 10:17:31 AM||   2004-3-3 10:17:31 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Anonymous - we worry about them too. Do I even need to point out that the death looming overhead has the US flag painted on the wings?
Posted by BH  2004-3-3 10:20:12 AM||   2004-3-3 10:20:12 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Anon-
I'm probably feeding a troll here, but keep in mind that for twenty years before CAPT Speicher went down - dead or alive, most likely dead from a MiG-25/AA-6 combination - there was a great deal of flat out suspicion on the part of many military members (myself included) that if we suddenly went MIA, the government would NOT do everything in its power to get us back. The decision was made very early in the runup to Operations Desert Shield/Storm that MIAs happened again, there would be NO effort spared to either get our people back or find out what happened to them.
In the event, the first part didn't go so well. IIRC, not a single downed pilot or aviator was recovered during the war. Bravery or desire wasn't the problem - the fact was that SAR ops and equipment now came under Special Ops, and since there was no longer enough equipment to stand by for rescue and do special ops at the same time, HQ very reluctantly decided to hold the stuff for special ops use...which in the event never happened, because CINCCENTCOM wasn't real fond of special ops.
Okay, Speicher went down. Contrary to most of what you've read, the USAF and the USN knew exactly where CAPT Speicher's plane went in and when it happened. Afterwards, DOD made every possible effort to get in and get to the crash site. The only reason things dragged on as long as they did was that DOD wanted to go the absolute last mile for him...and as far as I'm concerned, they did.
Were it YOUR father, or brother, or son - would you not want to know that every last possible lead had been tracked down?
Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2004-3-3 10:38:11 AM||   2004-3-3 10:38:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Mike, regardless of whether Anonymous' question was serious or not, I and probably many others appreciate the behind-the-secnes information you provided.

Thanks.


Posted by Carl in N.H 2004-3-3 12:53:57 PM||   2004-3-3 12:53:57 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Thanks. Responding to annon. We follow, not because of where we are going. But because we know we'll come back. From professional leadership throughout, to brave medics, to loggies carrying the fallen, to searchers in our forgotten wars. We know we'll come back.
I always think of Chief Roberts. And those who died to bring him back.
You can forgive. But, please, never forget.
Posted by gimpy 2004-3-3 3:54:27 PM||   2004-3-3 3:54:27 PM|| Front Page Top

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