Remembering Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher
Today is the anniversary of the day 2 August 2009, when the Navy reported that Lt Commander Michael Scott Speicher's remains were found in Iraq by United States Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. His jawbone was used to identify him after study at the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs at Dover Air Force Base . According to local civilians, Speicher was buried by Bedouins after his plane was shot down. Senator Nelson attributed the delayed finding to the culture of the locality: "These Bedouins roam around in the desert, they don't stay in one place, and it just took this time to find the specific site." Speicher's family expressed gratitude that the Defense Department had stayed with the case and that closure was now available. The Christian Science Monitor termed the case "a veritable saga punctuated with hope, uncertainty, and despair for the past 18 years." May you rest in peace Lt. Command...