HM 0429 2003
1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	Congress to take all actions necessary to resolve the fate
4	of Captain M. Scott Speicher.
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6	WHEREAS, the Armed Forces of the United States fought
7	admirably, bravely, and successfully during Operation Desert
8	Storm, and
9	WHEREAS, M. Scott Speicher, then a lieutenant commander and
10	now a captain in the United States Navy, flew a Navy FA-18 in a
11	bombing mission over Iraq on January 17, 1991, and
12	WHEREAS, then-Lieutenant Commander Speicher failed to
13	return to his carrier following that mission and was erroneously
14	declared killed in action, and
15	WHEREAS, since that time, intelligence has determined that
16	Captain Speicher ejected from his aircraft, and
17	WHEREAS, in January 2001, in an unprecedented action,
18	Captain Speicher's designation was changed from "Killed in
19	Action" to "Missing in Action," and
20	WHEREAS, the former executive chairman of the United
21	Nations Special Commission, a renowned expert on Iraq, testified
22	before the United States Senate in July 2002 that "we should not
23	give up" on Captain Speicher, and
24	WHEREAS, in October 2002, based upon intelligence
25	confirming that he had been taken captive by the Iraqi
26	government, Captain Speicher's designation was changed from
27	"MIA" to "MIA-Captured," and further intelligence reports make
28	it clear that Iraq is in a position to resolve questions
29	regarding Captain Speicher's fate, and
30	WHEREAS, this nation has pledged to the members of our
31	armed services that they will not be abandoned, and the State of
32	Florida renews that pledge to Captain Speicher, NOW, THEREFORE,
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34	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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36	That the Congress of the United States is requested to take
37	all actions necessary to resolve the fate of Captain M. Scott
38	Speicher, United States Navy, MIA-Captured.
39	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
40	dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
41	President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
42	United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
43	the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.
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