After 18 years,US fighter pilot’s remains found in Iraq

Conflicting reports from Iraq had,over the years,fueled speculation that the pilot,promoted to captain in the years he was missing,might have been taken into captivity either after parachuting from his jet or after a crash landing. But the evidence in Iraq suggests he did not survive and was buried by Bedouins shortly after he was shot down.

An official statement released early Sunday said that Marines in western Iraq had received information from local citizens last month about the crash of an American jet and the burial of the pilot.

One of these Iraqi citizens stated that they were present when Captain Speicher was found dead at the crash site by Bedouins and his remains buried, the statement said. The Iraqi citizens led US Marines to the site.

A search of the area last week recovered remains that included bones and skeletal fragments,which were flown to Dover Air Force Base for scientific examination. Positive identification was made by visual and radiographical comparisons of Speichers dental records with the jawbone recovered at the site.

Admiral Gary Roughead,chief of naval operations,said in a statement: We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation.

After the collapse of the Saddam Hussein government,a joint team from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency sifted through captured documents,interrogated prisoners of war and searched possible crash sites to try to determine Speichers fate.