- published: 29 Jan 2008
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Michael Scott Speicher (12 July 1957 – January 17, 1991) was a United States Navy pilot who was shot down over Iraq during the Persian Gulf War. He was the first American combat casualty of the war. His remains were not recovered until 2 August 2009; his fate had not been known until then.
Michael Scott Speicher was born in Kansas City, Missouri on 12 July 1957. Scott and his sister went to Lakewood Elementary School and Eastgate Middle School before attending Winnetonka High School.
When Scott was 15, his family moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where he attended Nathan Bedford Forrest High School. After graduating from high school, he then attended Florida State University. Scott graduated from FSU in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and business management. While at Florida State University, Scott met Joanne, whom he eventually married.
Scott's father had been a fighter pilot in World War II and went on his first airplane flight when he was five years old. When he was a teenager Scott was a cadet member of the Civil Air Patrol. Upon graduation from FSU, Scott joined the United States Navy and attended Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. After flight training at various bases, he was designated as a Naval Aviator and spent several years as both a Fleet squadron aviator in the A-7 Corsair II and F/A-18 Hornet and as a flight instructor on the F/A-18 Hornet. By the early 1990s, Scott had attained the rank of lieutenant commander and was stationed at Naval Air Station Cecil Field near Jacksonville, Florida. He was assigned to VFA-81 (nicknamed the "Sunliners"), aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. At the time of his deployment to the Iraq theater, Scott and Joanne had a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
Michael Scott, Michael Scot, or Mike Scott may refer to:
Speicher may refer to:
Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher became the first casualty of the Gulf War when his F/A-18 Hornet was shot down over Iraq on January 17, 1991. In January 2001 his status was changed to "missing in action" making him also the last to be still unaccounted for. It was the first time in Pentagon history that a soldier's status was changed from killed in action to missing in action.
Lost Gulf War veteran Navy Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher's remains were identified 18 years after his disappearance, Kimberly Dozier reports. A family spokesman commented.
U.S. Marines with Multi National Force-West (MNF-W) use a Backhoe to dig during Operation Never Forget in the Anbar Province, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2009. U.S. Marines with MNF-W are searching for the remains of Capt. Michael Speicher, a U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot shot down during Desert Storm on Jan. 17, 1991. (U.S. Marine Corps Video by Cpl. William J. Faffler/Released)
Capt. Speicher's remains return home to the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. http://www.schnittshow.com/ http://www.schnittshow.com/pages/schnittlist.html?feed=354266&article;=5874479
Florida State graduate Scott Speicher, the U.S. Navy pilot who was the first casualty of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, was honored shortly before kickoff at Labor Day's Miami-FSU football game at Campbell Stadium. In August, Speicher was laid to rest in Jacksonville where he grew up, after his remains were finally discovered near where his plane crashed in 1991. Speicher graduated in 1980 from FSU. In 1993, FSU named its tennis facility for Speicher, who excelled at tennis and swimming in high school. Speicher's widow, JoAnn, her new husband, Buddy Harris, and their children were honored on the field 10 minutes before kickoff. Following the ceremony, four Navy Super Hornets — the next generation of the fighter jet flown by Speicher — staged a flyover of Campbell Stadium, in which on...
Defense officials are confirming remains found last month in Iraq's Al Anbar Province are those of Navy Captain Michael Scott Speicher. See more DoD videos at http://dodvclips.mil
1st American killed in action in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 returns home to Jacksonville in 2009.
The remains of Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher returned to his Florida home on Thursday, 18 years after his FA-18 Hornet was shot down on the first night of the 1991 Gulf War. (Aug. 13)
Headlines from around the Fleet for August 03, 2009 (DDG 109 Jason Dunham Christened August 1st, Remains Recovered In Iraq As Those Of Captain Michael Scott Speicher). See more related videos for this day at http://www.navy.mil/swf/mmu/mmplyr.asp?id=12958.