captain michael scott spiker's disappearance in the first gulf war had fueled years of hope and heartlot captain michael scott speicher was shot dawn over the iraqi desert on the first night of the war, january 17, 1991. other pilots from his elite squadron remember flying that night. >> one of the pilots sow usa a big fire ball in the describe, we thought maybe that was spike. >> reporter: speicher never answered calls because he plane had been hit by enemy fire. >> the total u.s. losses are one aircraft and one individual. >> reporter: but miker's body was never recovered. he was listed as killed in action, no body recovered and given a headstone memorial at arlington national cemetery. but years later evidence found at the crash site indicated it would have been possible speicher could have ejected and possibly could have survived. the canopy was quite a distance from the airplane and the black box was found showing the pilot did try to eject. his status was then changed to missing in action and then changed to missing or captured, leaving so many unanswered questions for the wife,

shot down, who was lost in the first gulf war back in 1991, you'll know the name, his name is scott spiker, michaelpiker, his disappearance has been the stuff of mystery and conjecture and confusion, quite frankly and conspiracy theories. it appears his remains have been identified now. again the first american lost in the first gulf war after some 18 years now finally his remains appears to have been identified. our barbara starr at the pentagon has more for us. please, barbara get us caught up on what the latest is why we think now this story might finally be able be put to rest and maybe his family can get some peace. barbara, go ahead. >> reporter: this is just an extraordinary story. news breaking very early today that the armed forces institute of pathology has now positively, positively 18 years later identified the remains of captain michael scott spiker, shot down in his f-18 over west central iraq on january 17, 1991. the first gulf war, some 18 years ago. they had looked for his remains ever since then. there had been so many reports. there had been rumors, legends, that he had been aliv

the the remains of captain michael scott spiker were positive identified after a witness pointed oute he had been buried in iraq. spiker was shot down on the fist night of operation desert storm in 1991. in a statement president obama said my thoughts and prayers are with his family and i hope the recovery of his remains will bring them a needed sense of closure. >> a tragic end to a country music festival in canada. lightning and hale toppled an outdoor stage killing a woman and injuring at least 75 others. >> reporter: they're the dramatic images in the seconds after this massive stage was swept to the ground, crews sifting through twisted metal trying to get to several people underneath. among them these twin sisters both on stage at the time, both hospitalized in the collapse. >> i just knew there was a lot of stuff on top of me, didn't know where i was, what was going on. i thought i was going to die. >> reporter: one woman d. friends are identifying the fatal victim as donna moore, crushed by a speaker when the stage came down. memberia was placed at a camp site while the man w

>>te afr 18 years of not knowing if captain michael scott spiker was dead or a prisoner of war, we have answers. the remains of the first american killed in operation desert storm have been recovered. >> today's announcement from the pentagon in is nearly two decades of uncertainty, and finally brings closure to the wife and children he leaves behind. >> of first american soldier killed in operation desert storm is now the last to come home. today the navy announced that the remains of captain michael scott speicher have been found and positively identifd. >> it is bittersweet. gregg's the navy pilot was flying and a combat mission on the first night of the first gulf war in 1991 when he was shot down. ins re for years, rumors pstersied that he s in 2001,caof e beus the uncertainty, his status was changed from killed to missing in action. many can only imagine what the family winter. >> i would think they assumed the worst and went on from there. i am glad that they finally were able to find remains. >> to not know, you always have hope. haen wn uyo find o t,utt i ope t,hat hope iss gon

admiral tom brooks the navy says remains find in iraq have been positively identified as captain michael scott spiker. >> it also is essential for our men to know they are not going to be left behind. >> reporter: but the near two- decade search for spiker has not gone without its critics from family, friends and lawmakers. spiker was shot down on the first night of the gulf war, january 17, 91sa he naidhe was action . >> i wonder to myself if some kind of cruel prank, cruel joke. >> i'd also like to say hello to my wife joan, my son michael and megan. >> reporter: speculation th spiker may have been held captive. looking back admiral brooks says losing one of their own on his watch is the hardest part of his job. >> i strongly empathize with the air group commander who would have written letters and had to have told the family of what happened. very, very difficult thing to do. >> reporter: the navy learned from witnesses that a desert tribe had buried spiker's remains which is part of their culture. bones and skeleton fragments were recovered and send to rockville, maryland. >> thank you. >>> tax i

the remains of a navy pilot, michael scott spiker were returned home, 18 years after he was shot down in iraq, on the first night of the first gulf war. spiker's body arrived at the jacksonville naval air station. he'll be buried in a private ceremony tomorrow. >>> and still ahead, dick cheney reportedly now talking bluntly about his former boss, president bush. >>> the airline offerg unlimited travel for one month for $600. how much could you travel in a single month? >>> and woodstock, 40 years later. how three days of mud and music changed some lives forever. so, what's the problem? these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude's good. dude's real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. with cialis for daily use... a clinical

. >> michael scott spiker, m.i.a.8 years, now confirmed as the first american casualty of the gulf war. nbc news. >> now, your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with meteorologist john collins. >> once again, not much left of those storms from earlier in the day. it was split in two. the northeast part of the state this morning and the southern part of the state this afternoon and evening. here is what is left. we have a few sprinkles over our area and a little thunderstorm active over the potomac river and the chesapeake bay. let's take a look at what happened here in baltimore. as much as was going on around the area, we just did not receive much rain at all with this. nor wind or anything else. at b.w.i. marshall, the high was 81. rainfall, only .15 inch at the airport and .25 at the inner harbor. parts of cecil county received as much as two to three inches of rain from some of those storms. here is what the doctor looked like this morning at 11:00 a.m. this is about the time there was a tornado in effect for cecil c

have finally recovered his remains and the president of the united states says of captain michael scott spikerhe news that captain spiker's he remains have been recovered is a reminder of the selfless service that led him to make the selfless sacrifice of our freedom. we remain steadfast in our determination to bring our american heroes home. found after these many years, he is coming home soon. thank goodness for that. >>> what about the allegation that boyd this guy went over there with the commies they will cut off the hands cia intervened to save him he was a cia asset. he went home and the rogue agents cia his hands were dirty. >> it's typical. when somebody gets in trouble they cop a plea from the cia. there was no u.s. individuals who were sponsored by the agency or united states government to fight in afghanistan. that's just nonsense. >> so you think this guy boyd is a creepy terrorist and for whatever reason turned renegade trader. >> what he is is a concert. they are much more eager to prove this than regular people grew up in a particular religion. he trained according to the newsp

captain michael scott spiker, went missing on thest fir night of the first gulfwa f 1991.as shotownn o january 1991. since that night, it was unclear what happened to the pilot. so believed he had been captured. and now his remains have been found. it appears a group of iraqis found his body and buried him shortly after the crash. w,ri penceo no prince geoe's county police are trying to determine who was responsible rfod sh bbanooroer dy shooting. policeere cdle t to the 19th lodndck b of row shell :00 30 this inmomorning. caf oll a robbery. whyenhe t arriv theynd sufferingtiic suffering from t .hodsunwo and the victims were transported to the hospital to be treated teeang inesju.ri >ol>> pndjueicree searching fau de her home. andiner hed a andineom-h in-hoe sh .eye she obliged and was attacked. darcy spencer has the story. >> reporter: montgomer county police believe the 99-year-old victim was targeted in the crime that involved deception and robbery. >> this victim was in failed health and it was easy to take advantage of her and her situation. >> reporter: police say it was around

and now the remains of michael scott spiker have finally been found.piker's plane crashed on the first night of the gulf war in 1991. originally he was classified as dead, but the military reclassified him as missing or captured. the department of defense said yesterday his remains were found in a grave in iraq last week. spiker's family says they're relieved that his remains were located, but they're still looking for answers. >>> some terrifying moments for passengers aboard a flight that experienced some extreme turbulence today. continental flight 128 was heading to houston. the crew was forced to make an emergency landing in miami. around 4:30 this morning, that severe turbulence began shaking the plane while at 38,000 feet in the air, just north of the dominican republic. 168 people were aboard. four people were seriously hurt. passengers say it was the worst turbulence they'd ever been through. >> i'd never seen turbulence like that. >> i really thought we wouldn't make it. >> reporter: along with the four seriously injured passengers, officials

about half an hour ago for 18 years, no one knew for sure what happened to this man, captain michael scott spiker, considered the first american lost in the 1991 gulf war. >> the mystery is now over. defense officials say his remains have been found in iraq and they have positively identified him. we're covering this breaking story for you from all angles. we want to start from our pentagon correspondent who has been taking us through the story. on the phone with us this morning. and barbara, start here from the top. how did this come about after 18 years we now know what happened? >> well, t.j., this is just an extraordinary story. what the u.s. military tells us is in early july, an iraqi citizen in western iraq came to them and said there was a location that u.s. forces needed to go to and he believed that was the crash site and the place where scott spiker was buried. u.s. marines in the province went to the location, which was believed to be the crash site, the iraqi citizen told the u.s. he knew of two others who were called, seen an american jet hit the desert floor on the night of january

the remains of captain michael scott spiker will arrive in his hometown of jackson file.peicher, a navy pilot, was shot down on the first day of the golf war in 1991. his remains were discovered last month in iraq. >>> a wildfire that started on wednesday night is threatening 250 homes today in southern california's santa cruz mountains. it covered 1,000 acres near the town of bonny doon. 600 people were ordered to evacuate. >>> president obama heads to a town meeting in montana tomorrow to confront what he says are the myths about his health care overhaul plan. members of congress have forums scheduled today in at least seven states. in new jersey today, one veteran said he already has government health care through his va and he has to wait for fests and leave voicemail for his doctor. >>> an important recall this morning. little tikes is recalling more than 1.5 million workshop sets and trucks because of oversized plastic toy nails that can pose a choking hazard to young children. there's been one report of one child needing to be hospitalized. for more information on

the pentagon saying the remains of michael scott spiker have been identified.s shot down the first night of the first gulf war. the first american lost in that war. for two decades no one knew when he was alive or dead. the family expressed appreciation and sorrow calling captain spiker a wonderful father husband and navel officer who responded without hesitation when his country needed it. the wos may be over for the housing market. sales are climbing slightly with the construction of 20 percent the beginning of the year. i am lauren sivan. we head back to "huckabee." go to foxnews.com. >> mike: i am happy to.my next guest, all 21 of them. they are the huge happy family that is the focus of tlc show 18 and counting. >> believe it or not we have five little ones. it was much more difficult. but now we all work together as a team. >> in order to make a family dispute run, nobody gets to be a slacker >> mike: you know them from tlc. i noticed her personal friends from arkansas, jim bob and michelle duggar. great to have you guys here. welcome to new york. *applau

. >> michael scott spiker, navy pilot, shot down over the -- over iraq on the first night of operation desert storm. and here we welcome him back to the united states of america. a solemn moment, an important moment, a moment that for this family, god bless them, has been long and coming. >> as you may recall, iraqi forces hit specher's hornet and they listed him as the war's first casualty. >> it wasn't until this month that his remains were positively identified. >> speicher's body arrived at the jacksonville naval air station. he'll be buried in a private ceremony tomorrow. >> his ex-wife and children there today to meet his casket. meanwhile, an infamous veteran of the second gifl war tonight defending the abuse of prisoners in abu ghraib. former soldier lindy england speaking out in an interview with the bbc. >> reporter: what is your view, your personal view about stripping people naked and degrading them? do you think that that's an acceptable thing to do to, as you put it, soften up detainees? do you think that's okay? >> compared to what they would do to us, that's like nothin

. >>> the family of navy captain michael scott spiker, getting briefed by the pentagon brass.ains found in iraq are those of capta speicher. the family believes he might have survived the crash. the evidence suggestion he died on impact. like his family, his home town has kept his memory alive for 18 years. john zarrella talks to folks in jacksonville, florida, about sunday's big news. >> reporter: on an overcast monday, people stood solemnly holding american flags and paying their respects as the hearse the drove by carrying the remains of a marine corps private killed in afghanistan. >> we are here to honor this fallen hero. to let the family know that we care. >> reporter: in jacksonville, they continue caring no matter how many years go by. for 18 years, they kept alive the name scott speicher, navy pilot, shot down in the first night of the gulf war, never knowing when he was alive or dead. a banner still flies above a station. his name is etched on a veterans memorial wall. he will always be remembered. >> this would be the first gulf war when this was put up there. >> r

since 1991, there was speculation about whether navy captain michael scott spiker had been held captivent down. spiker's plane crashed the first night of the gulf war, and according to a statement from the navy, an iraqi citizen alerted u.s. forces about the location of the crash early last month. another citizen apparently told marines he saw spiker's remains being buried after the crash. we will keep you updated on this breaking news. >>> investigators in idaho looking for a missing boy are focusing on a home in boise. they searched it on friday and saturday and also closed off a landfill on the property. the homeowner says investigators dug in his backyard after police dogs picked up a scent in his truck. he says his truck was stolen before the boy disappeared and someone later returned it. >> i was pretty devastated that my truck is being -- it being considered part of this. whatever helps, i mean, i have complete cooperation with them because it is a little boy that needs to be found. >> the homeowner who you just saw says he's innocent. eight-year-old robert man well reportedly di

. >>> these are the remains of navy pilots michael scott spiker. finally being returned to his home state of florida. he was on board that plane shot down during the opening of the 1991 gulf war and after years of speculation about his fate, was he a prisoner of war, did he survive, speicher's remains were found only late last month in iraq. local affiliates report that the casket was prut to jacksonville. he was promoted to the rang of captain in the navy during this long ordeal. a brief memorial service will be head tomorrow. governor charlie crist will will attend. speicher is to be buried in a private ceremony at a jacksonville cemetery. >>> looks like former vice president dick cheney's memoir will an tell-all. the "washington post" says he's expected to discuss how he believes president george w. bush began turning away from his advice and giving some to public sentiment. cheney said he has strong feelings about what happened and he has no reason to not, quote, fort rightly express those views. cheney always had said he publicly assumed bush

scott spik. spiker. + the battle over michael jackson's estate ads to court. steve rudin will come back with the full the >> whether you're looking for care for loved ones now, or for the future, the eldercare locator is your connection to information and services for older adults and caregivers nationwide. whether you have a mom in miami, a dad in denver, an aunt in austin, or are looking for services in your own neighborhood, call the eldercare cator at 800-677-1116. get information about transportation, senior housing options, employment services, financial assistance, home modification, and more! the eldercare locator is a free administration on aging. >>> there is a court battle over michael jackson's estate. one major hurdle was cleared last week with a custody agreement for his three children. >> at issue was the validity of michael jackson's will and who controls his estate. it is estimated to be worth more than $500 million. katherine jackson is challenging the executory remained in the document, accusing two others of keeping her in the dark. there a

michael scott speicher was finally laid to rest today. the navy pilot was shot down the first night of the gulf war. defense officials announces his remains had been recovered in iraq. today a motorcade carried spiker'sasket through jacksonville, florida. thousands of people lining the streets to honor him, there was also a service at the veterans memorial there. governor crist attended and spoke on be half of the floridians when he thanked speicher for his dedication to our country. >>> funeral services held for three members of a pennsylvania family killed in the mid air collision over the hudson river over the weekend. aboard the single engine plane that collided with a helicopter saturday. five italian tourists and the helicopter also died along with their pilot. nbc news obtain ad video you are looking at there p an italian tourist on a boat in the hudson shot that video. in a separate development in air traffic controller at a nearby airport and his supou superviso been placed on administrative leave. >>> a cargo ship that has been missing for more than twoeeks has been found off the coast of africa. the ship, arctic sea, disappeared after passing through the english channel july 28th. the frei