Rest in Peace, and Welcome home

The Department of Defense says the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher have been found. Speicher was the first American lost in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.



The remains of the first American lost in the Persian Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, after struggling for nearly two decades with the question of whether he was dead or alive.

The Pentagon initially declared Speicher killed, but uncertainty — and the lack of remains — led officials over the years to change his status a number of times to "missing in action" and later "missing-captured." The family Speicher left behind continued to press for the military to do more to resolve the case.

Family spokeswoman Cindy Laquidara said relatives learned on Saturday that Speicher's remains had been found.

"The family's proud of the way the Defense Department continued on with our request, to not abandon the search," she said. "We will be bringing him home."