The 1991 Gulf War is a fairly faded memory for most Americans who see Iraq now only through the current context. But for the family of one Gulf War veteran, the last 18 years have been full of unanswered questions and endless speculation as they waited to hear the fate of Navy pilot Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher.

Recently, the Speicher family finally got an answer: Captain Speicher’s remains have been positively identified after U.S. Marines, acting on a tip from a local Iraqi, found them in an unmarked grave in the desert.

For Scott’s family, this discovery enables them to move on with their grief and provide a proper burial for a military hero who grew up in Kansas. Finding Captain Speicher’s remains also fulfills a pledge – 18 years later - that the military makes to its own to "leave no man behind."

For a time however, fulfilling that pledge was in doubt. I joined with Scott’s friends, family and colleagues to protest the Navy’s initial decision to classify his status as KIA, "Killed in Action" because there was simply no real proof to support that finding.

All we knew at the time was that Scott’s squadron had seen his plane go down on the first night of the war. Subsequently, the Secretary of Defense referred to Scott as the first casualty of the Gulf War, unintentionally confirming his death and halting efforts to find him.

As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a former Marine, I was moved when I heard Scott’s story. As I learned more about it, I agreed that without a body or proof of death at the crash site, no one could be certain Scott had perished.

I believe we owe it to our service members and their families to bring our troops home, no matter the cost. In 2000, I authored and passed legislation to ensure our intelligence agencies never stopped looking for Americans missing, captured or killed in conflict, no matter how difficult the charge.

Without confirmation on Scott’s status, I also helped force the Department of Defense to change his status from KIA to Missing and Missing/Captured. After a determined effort on behalf of the family, we achieved this change in October 2002.

Finally, due to our persistence, the DoD sent a team to the crash site to analyze what was left of the plane, including a portion of Scott’s flight suit that was recovered. The intelligence team found more questions than answers in the wreckage. Most tellingly, there was no body.

When we entered Iraq for the second time in 2003, finding Captain Speicher or his remains was a priority for the military. In the end, their perserverence paid off when human intelligence recently led the Marines to his remains, buried not far from his plane. The investigation continues even today regarding the exact cause of death.

While there was a time when I hoped I would see Scott standing in uniform again on American soil, I am relieved for his family that at least his story now has an end. His sacrifice and his legacy will pave the way for every other man and women who wears the uniform. We owe them nothing less than our best effort to leave no American behind.