WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) announced the Senate approved a resolution he authored with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to honor Navy pilot Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher.

Senate Resolution 249, "Honoring U.S. Navy Pilot Captain Michael Speicher" passed the Senate late last night. The resolution honors Captain Speicher who was killed in Operation Desert Storm and all servicemembers who have remained missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The resolution commends the United States Marines stationed in Anbar who recovered his remains in an unmarked desert grave in July and his family for their strength and determination to bring Captain Speicher home. The resolution also encourages the Department of Defense (DoD) to continue their investigations of Scott’s case and continue accounting for all who remain missing in action. It honors all who worked to bring Captain Speicher home as he paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the Speicher family," Senator Roberts sad. "The perseverance of the Navy brings closure to Scott’s family and all of us who have worked on his case after a long ordeal. As a fellow Marine, I am proud these Marines followed every lead and fought all the way to the end. This proves a military member cannot be listed as Killed in Action (KIA) without actual evidence, I call this the ‘Speicher Law’ for that reason. Thank you to the Defense Department for not giving up on Scott, a true American hero."

Since 1999, Senator Roberts has fought to continue the investigation of Captain Speicher and worked to achieve the changing of his status of Killed-In-Action to Missing in Action which was granted in 2001. In February, 2002, Senator Roberts wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld requesting the change in status from MIA to Prisoner-Of-War. In October 2002, the Navy agreed to Senator Roberts’ request to list missing Captain Speicher as Missing/Captured.

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