The Pilots' Dead - With those words, twelve years ago, then Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney, and then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell declared Michael Scott Speicher dead. With that declaration, Speicher joined a long line of American Service Personnel, dead men walking, that stretches back to World War II and beyond. American Servicemen left behind, in enemy hands, by a government whose account in haste policy, is designed to give the appearance that no one is left behind.

Report Says Speicher Moved 18 Times - the following is excerpted from a Washington Times article by Bill Gertz, dated January 10, 2003. - "The Defense Department recently obtained additional intelligence stating that a missing Navy pilot is alive and being held by the Iraqi government, according to U.S. officials."

"The intelligence officials believe that the reports refer to Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, whose status was changed to "missing/captured" by the Navy in October. The reports, received in November, state that Iraq is holding a U.S. pilot and has moved the pilot among 18 locations in the country, according to officials familiar with the documents. The reports said the pilot was being treated by a doctor. The officials could not say how reliable the reports are or whether they represent "circular reporting," new reports based on old intelligence information from the same source or similar sources. A spokesman of the Defense Intelligence Agency said that it receives such dispatches several times a year. "We investigate every single one," the spokesman said, without providing details."

"Cindy Laquidara, a Florida lawyer who represents Capt. Speicher's family, said in an interview that she recently spoke to an Iraqi defector who reported seeing a captive U.S. pilot in Iraq. The defector is one of at least three Iraqis who reported that Baghdad is holding an American pilot from the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Mrs. Laquidara said she believes the recent reports are based on the defector's statements. The intelligence officials said the latest information bolsters earlier reports indicating that Iraq has been holding an American pilot since the war."

"Disclosure of the additional information on the pilot comes as the U.S. military continues to send thousands of troops to the Middle East as part of a buildup of forces for any operation against Iraq. The prisoner-of-war case has complicated the Bush administration's effort to use the threat of military force to pressure Baghdad into disarming its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons."

"The officials said any U.S. military action against Iraq is likely to be preceded by covert operations to find and rescue Capt. Speicher inside Iraq, if he is still alive. There also are concerns among some Pentagon officials that Saddam Hussein might try to exploit the issue of the missing pilot in a standoff with the United States. Iraq might reveal that it has the pilot and then threaten to execute him if U.S. forces invade."

"Ms. Laquidara said she had contacted Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations about Capt. Speicher late last year and was told that Baghdad is willing to make a "humanitarian gesture," which she interpreted as meaning that Iraq may turn over the pilot or his remains. "The Iraqis expressed a willingness to help me get answers to what happened, and where he or his remains are," Mrs. Laquidara said. "They did not admit that they have him, only that they would help. "We feel that there is an urgent need to resolve the case" before any conflict erupts, she said. Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican and incoming chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an interview that he has been pressing the Bush administration to resolve the Speicher case, as preparations for war are under way."

"Information obtained recently from congressional staff visits to the region indicate that "more and more there are signs that an American POW is in Iraq," Mr. Roberts said. He said that with Iraq facing attack, Saddam may be more willing to help resolve the case. "I think we have a window of opportunity now, and we should do everything we can to use that" to find out about Capt. Speicher, Mr. Roberts said."

"He sent a letter to Saddam on Monday appealing for Baghdad's help. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida Democrat, told reporters last month that a conflict with Iraq will make it more difficult to resolve the fate of Capt. Speicher.

"The clock is ticking," Mr. Nelson told the Jacksonville, Fla., Times-Union. "Once the balloon goes up in a hot war, it's going to be a lot more difficult to get information. For the Defense Department to keep dragging their feet, as they have in the past, that time is over."

Baghdad said last year that Capt. Speicher was dead and invited the U.S. government to send a team of investigators to look for him. The Bush administration balked. The State Department and Pentagon chose, instead, to send a diplomatic note seeking more information. In October, the Navy changed the status of Capt. Speicher to "missing in action, captured." It was the second time since 2001 that the Navy changed the downed pilot's status. He was initially declared killed in action after the F-18 jet he was flying was shot down over Iraq in January 1991. That was later changed to "missing in action" in 2001 and finally "missing/captured...."

Senators Head For Middle East - from the Associated Press, Jan. 17, 2003 - "Two senators leaving Saturday for the Middle East say they hope the trip yields information on the fate of missing Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher, whose plane was shot down over Iraq in 1991."

"Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Pat Roberts, R-Kan., did not announce their exact itinerary. "I can tell you that at each step Pat Roberts and I will be taking up the Speicher issue," Nelson said Friday."

"Nelson and Roberts, now chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, will be traveling with eight other senators for diplomatic, military and intelligence briefings prior to a possible war with Iraq. The pair have been investigating the case of Speicher, an F-18 pilot from Jacksonville who was originally declared killed in action on the first night of the Gulf War. He was later reclassified as missing in action."

"Recent intelligence reports indicate Speicher might be alive, Nelson said. "This could be our best chance to find out what really happened," he said."

Blast From The Past - In recent years Bits N Pieces has acquired many new readers. Some of those readers may be unfamiliar with the overwhelming evidence of the capture of American Servicemen during World War II, Korea, the Cold War, and Vietnam. So, this year we will, occasionally, dig back into our archives and bring you a "Blast From The Past," information that leaves no doubt to the conclusion that Servicemen from World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam and the Gulf, were left behind and in the cases of World War II, Korea, and Cold War losses and possibly Vietnam, some of those men ended up in the gulags of the former Soviet Union.

Korea Blast From The Past - Bits 'n' Pieces September 4, 1999 - What Did Dulles Have To Say - We all know about POW's transported through China to the Soviet Union during the Korean War. We know that several sources reported on the movement of POWs through Manchouli, China. We know it and then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles knew it.

A 1954 cable marked "Secret" bearing the name "Dulles," as in John Foster Dulles, (Note: Cable below is reproduced as is - with all typos and misspellings) states; "According Despatch 1716 from Hong Kong airpouched you a recently arrived Greek refugee from Manchuria reported seeing several hundred American POW's being transferred Chinese trains to Russian trains Manchouli late 1951 and early 1952. Some POW's wore sleeve insignia indicating they were Air Force non-coms. Great number Negro troops also observed. This report corroborates previous indications UNC POW to might have been shipped to Siberia during Korean hostilities."

"United States has been greatly concerned general subject UNC personnel who may still be Communist custody. Department has just accepted British offer make representations Peiping behalf UNC personnel who may be Chinese Communist custody. Question raising this matter informally Geneva under careful consideration."

"Unless you perceive objection request you approach highest available level Foreign Ministry and leave Aide Memoire undicating (sic) reports have now come attention United States Government which support earlier indications that American Prisoners of War Korea had been "transported into Soviet Union and are now Soviet custody. Request fullest possible information these POW's and their reparation earliest possible time."

"In your discussion with Foreign Office, you may desire inform Soviets without revealing source that we have reliable accounts transfers POW's Manchouli."

That's what Dulles had to say in 1954 "we have reliable accounts transfers POW's Manchouli."

What was the State Department saying in 1955 - A memo from the office of the secretary of defense, dated sept. 16th, 1955 and signed by G.B. Erskine, general USMC, Assistant to the secretary of defense, special operations, on the subject of Geneva Negotiations on Prisoners of War, states;

1. In accordance with telephonic conversations with representatives of this office today, it is the position of the Department of Defense that the Chinese Communists should account to the U.S. for the ultimate fate of all 450 U.S. armed forces personnel.

2. The names of these individuals were conveyed to the Department of State and to Ambassador Johnson in July prior to his departure for Geneva. A further copy is attached hereto.

3. It should be particularly noted that the Department of Defense does not and has never alleged that any or all of these individuals are now alive or that they were ever prisoners of war. Rather, it is our position that they were either captured or killed in action under circumstances in which the UN forces were unable to determine their fate. Equally, it is our position that one or another of the elements of the Chinese and/or North Korean forces were in a position at the time of the incidents concerned to determine their fate.

4. To cite an example, we have been able to determine through the interrogation of returned U.S. armed services personnel that some of these individuals were last seen engaged in combat and completely surrounded by enemy forces. Whether the individual died during that combat or was taken prisoner, it is the obligation of the enemy forces under the Geneva Convention to report upon his fate.

5. In other instances we have been able to determine from the interrogation of returned prisoners of war that some (perhaps 33) of the individuals listed in the group of 450 were in fact taken prisoner. For example, we have sworn testimony that a given individual was seriously wounded, in "prison camp number 5" on a given date, and was removed by the Chinese Communists during the night, after which he was never seen again.

6. On the basis of this evidence, we are also in a position to insist that an accounting for these individuals be rendered. The names of these individuals are included in the list of 450.

7. There is also evidence based upon radar plots and intercepted voice messages, as well as upon the recovery of casualties, that a small number of Air Force crews whose missions involved flights over the Sea of Japan during the Korean War were shot down by aircraft based in the Soviet Far East, some of whom are probably held in the Soviet Union. These cases (some 33) are of course not directly relevant to the current negotiations at Geneva. The missions on which these aircraft were flying, while related to the Korean War, are highly classified and the names of these individuals have never been included on any lists for which we have demanded an accounting from the Chinese Communists.

8. In summary, it is the view of the Department of Defense that the Chinese Communists should make an accounting for the fate of the entire 450 whose names have been made available. As a negotiating point it may be added that at least 33 of these individuals were at one time in POW status. More were undoubtedly in such status but no positive evidence to that effect is available to us. In any case, however, we do not consider it desirable to treat these 33 in any way separately from the entire 450.

9. Some of the 450 may still be alive. However, no positive evidence on this score is available to us.

10. The Department of Defense has undertaken the most extensive analysis possible of all of its casualty figures and of the ultimate disposition of every member of the armed forces who served in Korea. On the basis of this analysis the above statistics have been developed. However, several million men served in Korea during the period 1950-53 and it cannot be said to be impossible that some individuals (who have on the basis of varying evidence been determined to be dead) may still be held by the Communists.

11. The U.S. should not be surprised, particularly in light of Japanese and German experiences with the Soviets in World War II, if a number of completely unrecorded Americans are ultimately found to be alive or to have been alive and in Communist hands. Such individuals do not appear on the list of 450 nor on any other list which has ever been presented. Nor is there any significant evidence available at this time that such individuals exist. Neither do we suggest that any action can be taken with regard to this possibility.

12. Your attention is again invited to the undesirability of providing any information through any source which might lead the next of kin of these armed forces personnel discussed herein to assume or believe that these personnel might still be alive and held unless the Communists are prepared at some point to document such information.

Real Time - In real time evaluations, it sure sounds like U.S. officials believed there was creditable evidence of POW transfers to both China and the former Soviet Union.

Support of POW/MIA Issue Lands Man In Trouble - excerpted from the Beacon Journal, by Katie Byard, dated January 6, 2003 - "A Summit County man has gone too far in his effort to memorialize prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action. So says the Franklin Township zoning inspector."

"Robert Seelbach's memorial in front of his blue wood-frame house features a 32-square-foot banner paying tribute to Gulf War pilot Michael Scott Speicher, who has been declared missing in action, and ``all POWs/MIAs from all wars.'' But zoning inspector Stephen Peroz said the sign is too big and must come down unless Seelbach gets a variance."

"Seelbach plans to seek such a variance at the Feb. 11 meeting of the township's Board of Zoning Appeals. In the meantime, Peroz said the sign can stay. Seelbach, who erected the sign early in the fall, was ``pretty upset'' to learn that his memorial isn't permitted."

``I just wanted to pay tribute to these men 365 days a year,'' said the Air Force veteran who coordinates an

annual service for POWs and MIAs at the Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman. Peroz said the issue is the sign's size, not its message."

"I have friends that were in Vietnam,'' Peroz said. ``It's just the size I have to look at. ``If everybody starts putting out these huge signs, where does it end?'' The township limits signs in residential areas to 6 square feet. Many communities have the same or a similar restriction, Peroz said."

"Seelbach, a 40-year-old mechanic, became active in MIA-POW issues a couple of years ago. He initially wanted to put his message on a permanent billboard next to a highway, where it would be seen by many motorists. But the cost was prohibitive, so he opted for a front-yard memorial."

"Seelbach said he checked with a next-door neighbor, who had no objections. "When I get really into something,'' he said, "I just go ahead and don't think about the consequences.'' Seelbach paid a banner company to make the big vinyl sign. He attached it to a wood frame and placed small American flags underneath it. This spring he plans to plant flowers in front of the flags."

"Peroz said he learned about the sign in mid-December, when two residents of the Melody Village subdivision, where Seelbach lives, called to complain. Seelbach can't understand why the sign would upset anyone. After all, he said, he hasn't heard any complaints about a Pittsburgh Steelers sign he hung on a fence in his front yard four years ago."

"Peroz said the 16-square-foot Steelers sign is bigger than zoning regulations allow, but he doesn't plan to

ask Seelbach to take it down. It's smaller than the memorial sign and attached to a fence, he noted. But, Peroz said jokingly: ``I think that it should be a felony to have a Steelers sign in Ohio.''

The National Alliance of Families extends is deepest appreciation to Roger Seelbach, for his continued support of our Prisoners of War and Missing In Action. We commend him in his fight against City Hall, and his dedication to spreading the word about our POW/MIAs. Thanks Roger.