to speculation speicher might have survived the crash. nothing panned out, but family members and friends worked to keep the investigation alive. >> we are here in washington, d.c. trying to not to let him be forgotten, trying to make sure that the search never stops until he is found. i think we to owe him that and much more. >> reporter: finally, last month, marines spoke to an iraqi in anbar province who said he saw speicher buried. based on that account, speicher's remains were recovered from the iraqi desert and flown to dover air force base in delaware for positive identification. captain speicher is survived by two children, toddlers when he disappeared, but now, in college. and some people never gave up demanding a search for speicher. u.s. senator bill nelson is among those who kept pushing. i talked with him earlier about this development. >> after all of the false leads and the ones who were making up stories and giving the family hope that he was alive, even those initials "mss" that i went to that prison cell and traced that

they're looking forward to bringing captain speicher home at last. kimberly dozier, cbs news, the pept gone. >>> on the "cbs money watch" a mixed day for stock markets in asia, and big profits for a major bank. karen brown is here in new york with more. good morning, karen. >> good morning, ross. >>> most asian markets edged higher today boosted by news the u.s. economy is shrinking at a slower pace than expected. hong kong stocks rose about 1%. only japan bukd the trend this morning with the nikkei down just about 1%. wall street is feeling good this morning after its best july in 20 years and its best month since 2002. on friday, the dow closed up 17 points, gaining 8% for the month. the nasdaq was down just about six but up on the month, continuing its longest winning streak in nearly six years. some analysts are warning the markets may be too enthusiastic, and that thered could be a correction coming this fall. >>> and good news for great britain's second largest bank. barclays reported its first half earnings rose 10% on its profits from investm

rumors persisted speicher had survived the crash and was a p.o.w. as cnn pentagon correspondent chris lawrence reports, the pentagon finally got the break it needed last month. >> the family expected classified briefings monday or tuesday. they know for sure captain speicher did not die in some iraqi prison. captain scott speicher's children were toddlers the day he disappeared. now his remains are coming home to college students. a nearly 20-year mystery. was he captured? tortured? all this time the answer was buried in the iraqi sand and solved by a single tip. >> it's a bittersweet ending. i mean, it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending. but it is bitter-sweet. >> reporter: last month an iraqi citizen told troops about the crash site. when the marines another iraqi said he was there when bedouins found captain speicher, already dead, and buried his body. searching the site, u.s. troops found multiple ankle tan fragments and bones. military investigators compared captain speicher's dental records with the recovered jaw bone. it was

when the navy asked directly about captain speicher's wear abouts, a u.s.ays the iraqis would only speculate that perhaps while lost in the desert he had been eaten by wolves. according to this newly unclassified report, the american intelligence community concluded that captain speicher waeitherer capturealalive or his mains were recovered and taken baghdad roberts, c chaman n of the . intelllligenceommimitt, hahas bn studyingng classssifieinformata about scott speicher and has been pusng to o out i if he may y ha svived. >>e probably survived the crash. not t only dide suive the toto baghdad.e probably y s tak not only was he tan to baghdad, he was prob tadreated and we have a witness wh tsaw him, who took him there. >> reporter: the supposed witness is an unidentifieded i i defector. acaccording to florida senatoror bill nelson whwho has been workg speicher c c roberts on n the >> thihis dedefector picked up american pilot near the crash site, drove him to a site near a hospital and subsequently was shown a series of photographs and he picked out scott's

questions do remain about how and when speicher did. the pentagon says an iraqi citizen claims he was there years ago when tribal iraqis buried speicher's remains as required by muslim law. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> captain speicher's church in florida set up a memorial yesterday after hearing the news. in a statement his family says nothing can fill the void he left, but they take solace that captain speicher's disappearance has forever changed the military's search process, ensuring no service member will ever be left behind again. >> happening today, a big court hearing about michael jackson's legacy. on the agenda, the pop star's estate and what happens to his children. a judge could approve a custody agreement between jackson's mother and the biological mother of the pop star two's older children. katherine jackson would be the permanent guardian. debbie rowe would get supervised visitation. jackson's estate is worth somewhere between 100 and $500 million. today, a judge could also decide whether katherine jackson co

and finally tonight, these heartfelt words from speicher's own family. we thank the active duty men and women whose diligence has made this happen and hope that this process has prevented another of our servicemen and women from being left behind. we will miss him and we will never forget. thank you for your thoughts and your prayers. >>> former military intelligence cough officer ken robinson was deeply involved in the search for speicher. he will join us in a few minutes. >>> it has been a deadly weekend in fighting in afghanistan. three american troops were killed today in the eastern part of the country. at least six other nato troops were killed yesterday, including several americans. in july 75 nato troops were killed in afghanistan, the deadliest months for international troops since the u.s.-led invasion began in 2001. >>> in tel aviv, israel, mourning and shock after two teenagers were shot dead at a center for gay youth last night. hundreds of people showed up for their funerals. police are looking for the shooter who witnesses say was wearing

he is lieutenant commander michael speicher.is f-18 attack jet went down during the raid on iraq before dawn yesterday. the 33-year-old pilot is married, has two young children. he's assigned to the "uss saratoga" which is based in mayport, florida. >> the remains of speicher have been located in iraq. let's get straight to our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence joining us on the phone from los angeles. so, chris, give us some details about how this discovery was made. >> well, fredricka, after nearly 20 years of waiting and wondering his wife, his kids, fellow officers, finally have some answers. it has been an incredibly painful time for them. just not knowing what was happening with him. having so many different stories over the years. just to put this in some perspective, to go back that far, you're talking about a time when cheney was the defense secretary. when iraq actually had aircraft that could shoot down a u.s. jet. you know, you're talking january 1991. it was the first night of the war. he was piloting an fa-18 w

naval pilot scott speicher was shot down on the first night of the war, january 17, 1991. other pilots from his elite squadron remember flying that night. >> one of the pilots saw a big fireball in the sky and we thought maybe that was speich. i'm just calling out, speich this is skull, you there? >> reporter: speicher never answered those calls because his plane had been hit by enemy fire. then defense secretary dick cheney reported the loss. >> the total u.s. losses are one aircraft and one individual. >> reporter: but speicher's body was never recovered. he was listed as killed in action, no body recovered, and given a headstone memorial at arlington national cemetery. years later, evidence found at the crash site indicated it would have been possible speicher could have ejected and possibly could have surv th a dtateisuinc a distance from the rplane. his status was then changed to missing in action. and then changed to missing or captured. leaving so many unanswered questions for the wife, the two children, and the rest of the family he left behind. his sister sheryl i

. >>> answers for the navy captain michael scott speicher. he was the first to be shot down in 1991 when his jet fighter was hit on the first night of the war. his remains were never found until last month, an iraqi civilian told u.s. marines in anbar province that speicher's body was buried at the crash site and excavation turned up bones that were positively identified as speicher's, for friends and family, who had been trying to learn his fate for 18 years, their long search has come to an end. >> it's a bittersweet ending. i mean it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending but it is bittersweet. on that end if he was found alive look what he's missed. his children are in college and what kind of life would he have led being a prisoner of war and there was always speculation he was tortured and beaten and you know, so it's, like i said, bittersweet. >> a short time ago we received this written statement from the speicher family who called the captain a brave and wonderful father, husband and naval officer who responded to the ca

so we started the friends working to free scott speicher. but today i feel just relief and closure and, you know, i'm not frustrated with my government, i'm proud of my government for finally, you know, bringing this closure that his family deserves. >> and perhaps this really just shows the military's commitment never to stop search issing and to bring our servicemen and women home. myriam, thanks for calling in. tt it slow me down. i go down to the pool for a swim... get out and dance... even play a little hide-n-seek. i'm breathing better... with spiriva. announcer: spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd... which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i take it every day. it keeps my airways open... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announcer: spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, or have vision changes or eye pa

another iraqi told marines that he saw speicher's body being buried after the crash.

it involves a single casualty. >> reporter: speicher's body had he never been found. three years later when his wreckage was discovered by chance, the cockpit canopy was located a mile away, along with a tattered flight suit, giving his family and friends hope. he was remembered with a dedication of an f-18 at the naval aviation museum earlier this year. spike ser's friends and family pressed the u.s. government to keep searching. six years ago the initials mss, perhaps for michael scott speicher, were found carved into a prison wall. some said the initials could mean speicher was captured and was still alive. >> no mat are what, we were committed to finding either captain speicher alive, or if we couldn't find him alive to find his remains. >> a month ago the pentagon says they received information that bedouins had had buried speicher near the crash site. wjz, eyewitness news. >> earlier this year the speicher family pressed the pentagon to find out exactly what happened, saying they opposed any decision to change his status from missing to killed in action. >>> sti

when the navy asked directly about captain speicher's wear abouts, a u.s.le lost in the desert he had been eaten by wolves. according to this newly unclassified report, the american intelligence community concluded that captain speicher was either captured alive or his remains were recovered and taken to baghdad. >> i think he may well be alive. >> reporter: senator pat roberts, chairman of the intelligence committee, has been studying classified information about scott speicher and has been pushing to find out if he may have survived. >> he probably survived the crash. not only did he survive the crash but he probably was taken to baghdad. not only was he taken to baghdad, he was probably treated and we have a witness who saw him, who took him there. >> reporter: the supposed witness is an unidentified iraqi defector. according to florida senator bill nelson who has been working with senator roberts on the speicher case. >> this defector picked up an american pilot near the crash site, drove him to a site near a hospital and subsequently was shown a series

>> reporter: speicher never answered. his plane had been hit by enemy fire. defense secretary dick cheney and general colin powell reported the loss. >> i was told that his plane blue up in the sky. i had no reason to doubt that he was gone. my brother was gone. it was over. i was never going to see him again. >> reporter: but fellow pilot barry hull says that even if speicher's plane had been hit, there was still a chance he could have ejected safely. >> i specifically remember thinking that speicher is in the desert, he's angry, he's got sand in his boots and he's evading capture. but i clung to the thought that he was alive.

in 1995, the military told speicher's family his remains were found. an iraqi citizen claimed he drove him to baghdad a month after desert storm began but it wasn't until 2003 that the pentagon could check for itself. >> when a pilot goes out in harm's way, that pilot knows for sure that if he has to eject, that there's a search and rescue mission that's coming after him. and sadly, that did not occur in the case of scott speicher. >> reporter: senator john mccain, a decorated vietnam war p.o.w. became a voice in washington to keep the search for spoo for speicher. he wrote on his facebook page, good bless an american hero. captain scott speicher's name has been etched on the memorial for some time but finally after all these years he's able to come down, undoubtedly to a paulen hero's welcome. >> ron mott, thank you very much. president obama released a statement saying he hopes the recovery of captain speicher's remains will bring the family a needed sense of closure. cindy, good morning to you. you're the spokesperson for the family. is that what th

marines to speicher's remains. one iraqi said bedouins found him dead near the crash site shortly after his jet went down and then buried him nearby. military pathologists have now positively identified the remains as of this speicher. it's been an agonizer ordeal for his wife and their who children. senator bill nelson said initially the military gave up on speicher too soon. >> when a pilot goes out in harm's way, that pilot knows for sure that if he has to eject, that there's a search and rescue mission that's coming after him, and sadly that did not occur in the case of scott speicher. >> reporter: although speicher was declared dead, some evidence suggested he survived the crash and was captured alive. his flight suit was recovered intact, and there were reports he may have been held prisoner by the iraqis. so in 2001 the navy changed his status from killed in action to missing captured. then at the start of the second iraq war a more tantalizing clue. his initials, mss, were found scratched into the wall of a

remains of navy captain speicher identified in iraq. he was shout down in a -- shot down in combat mission over iraq january 17, 191991, the first night of operation desert storm. iraqi citizens led u.s. marines to his remains and a positive i.d. made by comparing captain speicher dental records with jawbone found in the iraqi desert. hello. i'm shannon bream. live from washington for the next two hours. fox news national security correspondent jennifer griffin broke the news about captain speicher this morning and joining us live on the phone. his plane was shot down 18 years ago. why so long to get to this point? >> it's amazing that there have been many attempts to find him over the years and false leads. initials were carved in iraqi prison cell that made some in the military think perhaps he was alive. it's been a roller coaster for his family. in 1995, the international red cross and team of army and navy specialists were allowed by saddam hussein to go to the anbar desert to look for the crash. they didn't unearth anything that t

but it now appears speicher died in the crash. it also appears iraqis discovered his remains and gave him a burial not far from this f/a-18 pilot. he was a 33-year-old lieutenant commander with a wife and two talked hers. now his rank is captain and his children are college-ageded. in his hometown of jacksonville, fl foreman, the action was bittersweet. >> i'm just glad this is over and that they will be able to rest. >> reporter: florida senator bill nelson kept pressure on the navy over the years to continue the search. >> that pilot knows for sure that if he has to eject there's a seven and rescue mission that's coming after him. and sadly, that did not occur in the case of scott speicher. >>reporter: michael "scott" speich speicher, mia for 18 years, now the first american casualty of the gulf war. gina kim, nbc news. >>> the government's cash for clunkers auto rebate program is headed for a breakdown. that is unless the senate can provide billions of dollars in additional funding. that was the message yesterday from transport

navy capitaling michael "scott" speicher was shot down. the latest announcement by the pentagon in 18 years of speculation that speicher may have survived that crash. captain speicher's family and friends agonized for nearly two decad decades. joining me his close friend miriam novelly, and jim stafford. both join us live from jacksonville, florida. >> good evening. >> thank you so much for joining us. the past couple hours i would imagine have been unbelievable to you. >> yes, they have. >> tell us what you have been dealing with. >> a lot of phone calls, an emotional roller coaster, but glad there's a conclusion to this. >> ms. novelly, you want it's been a roller coaster not just the past couple hours and days, but really the past 18 years. >> you had not given up. >> correct. we wanted answers and a conclusion. >> what is the website, mr. stafford? is it still up? >> currently we've taken the website down as a group, we just -- the amount of time involved in the effort got to be too much for everybody. we did take the website down. we

question dozen remain about exactly how and when speicher died. the pentagon says an iraqi citizen claims he was there years ago when tribal iraqis buried speicher's remains as required by muslim law. in washington, brook hart, wbal-tv 11 news. >> in today's "project economy" report, some good news for a change on the economic front. it appears the economy is showing some early signs of recovery. economists report the nation's gross domestic product is improving but white house advisors forecasting a turnaround by the end of the year and potential job growth expected to follow shortly after that. the white house remains optimistic. >> the best that can be said so far is the rate at which we're losing jobs is declining. but there, too, the picture is improving. >> the white house hopes for an economic bounce right around the holidays. a sweet treat is striking a sour note with advocates for the mentally ill. protesters lined up outside the shop called psycho donut saying the name of the store and menu offer ings are insensitive and play on stereoty

michael scott speicher's family waited 18 years. >>> and extreme caution. amid signs of economic recovery. but the obama administration isn't saying the tax hikes are but the obama administration isn't saying the tax hikes are off the table. captions paid for by abc, inc. >>> good morning. thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm andrea canning filling in for jeremy hubbard. there are intense diplomatic efforts to learn more about the fate of three americans being held in iran. >>> they were captured after hiking in a dangerous region on the border between iraq and iran. abc's sonia gallego is in london with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the families of the americans are still coming to terms with the news of their capture. and their arrest comes at a time of increased strain between iranian and the u.s. governments. the three, shane bauer from minnesota, a freelance journalist based in the middle east, sarah shourd, a writer and teacher from california also based in the middle east and joshua fattal, an environmental wor

captain michael scott speicher a u.s. navy pilot shot down back in 1991-his remains never found until now. we've got some new information to share with you. it is bringing his family some closure. the families first public statement in a couple of minutes. >> julie: tragedy at a music festival. an outdoor stage comes crashing down killing one person and injuring more than 70 others. >> gregg: a massive forest fire, raging out of control. take a look at this. we're going to tell you where several thousand people had to go to dodge this massive fire. >> julie: our first and top story, he was the first american soldier lost in the gulf war and for nearly two decades no one knew whether he was alive or dead. now, the mystery is finally over. pentagon says the remains of the pilot captain michael scott speicer has been identified. his plane was shot down in the opening hours of the war. it's a testament of how the military never stop looking for one of its own. laura ingle is live in the newsroom following this story for us to

captain speicher's plane was shot down in iraq january 17th, 1991. the very first night of the first gulf war. >> as of 0900 this morning washington time there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> the military initially said speicher had been shot down over western iraq and killed. since they never recovered his remains and there was evidence he may have actually survived the crash, the pentagon eventually changed his status to missing in action. then at the start of the second iraq war, a more tantalizing clue. his initials mss were found scratched into the wall of an iraqi prison cell. but sunday, closure. the pilot's remains were finally found in the iraqi desert near thwreckage of his plane. it's been an agonizing ordeal for his wife, since remarried, and their two children. >> the family fought to keep the file open saying that it could be resolved. >> florida senator bill nelson said initially the military gave up on speicher too soon. >> that pilot knows for sure that if he has to eject, that there's a search and rescue mission that's co

scott speicher into his airplane and that scott speicher influenced him to become a pilot. when he heard he was shot down, he said it was a gut punch. the navy is sending jets for a memorial flyover and aerial salute. one plan will make a quick vertical climb while the others continue level flight. another navy flyover is scheduled in tallahassee during the florida state miami game on september 7. scott speicher graduated from fsu in 1980 with a business administration degree. scott speicher tennis complex was designated in 1993. he will be buried in a private ceremony after this motorcade. defense officials originally declared him killed in action. he was then said to be missing or captured. the military recovered to the bones and multiple fractiofragm. navy capt scott speicher is home. let's listen. shepard: capt. scott speicher to be laid to rest. he is home in florida at last. we got word from secretary gates the rebuilding of afghanistan is a decade-long process. two wars still under way. this american hero is finally home. brand new safety measures are coming to airpo

has the military tracked down the remains of captain michael "scott" speicher. >>> a massachusetts couple discovers their baby boy posted for sale on a craigslist ad. how the examer got his photo. >>> dozens of toledo cops who lost their jobs over budget cuts are returning to work. how the city plans to pay for it. >>> and back to school season may mean a resurgence of swine flu. hear what federal officials want to do to help keep it in check. hi, you're watching "hln" news and views. i'm natasha curry. >>> the remains of the first american pilot shot down over iraq during the 1991 persian gulf war are finally back home. navy captain michael "scott" speicher disappeared when his plane went down over anbar province on the first night of the war. his remains have now been recovered and positively identified. the discovery should end years of speculation that speicher actually survived and was held captive. >> it is a bittersweet ending. i mean, it is great that we have finally accomplished an ending. but it is bett bittersweet. you always hope he will be found alive. if he was found alive,

investigators found speicher's grave and positively identified his remains. >> captain speicher was our shipmate, and we wanted to bring him home. and today we did that. >> reporter: for speicher's wife, two children, and the rest of his family, it marks the end of a gut-wrenching and heartbreaking mystery. >> to bring scott home. and it really does mean something to us. i'm just sorry we couldn't bring him home alive. >> over the years the family believed the navy had not done enough to search for captain speicher, and in a statement they expressed some comfort in changes in how the military searches for those missing in action. >>> the fate of three taken into custody in iran remains unknown. the swiss embassy in tehran which represents the u.s. interest there's is working to establish the whereabouts of the friends. the area where they were captured is a popular hiking destination. >> obviously we are concerned. we want this matter brought to a resolution as soon as possible. and we call on the iranian government to help us determine the whereabouts of the three missing americans. >>

the discovery should end years of speculation that speicher survived and was held captive. according to the navy an iraqi civilian told u.s. forces early last month that he had witnessed the crash. another iraqi told the marines he saw speicher's body being buried after the crash. >>> the state department trying to find out what happened to three americans who were taken into custody in iran. iranian media report they were arrested for crossing illegally from iraq into iran. a fourth american who was supposed to join them on a hike through the kurdish region of iraq apparently fell ill and stayed behind. one of the americans detained in iran is pennsylvania. his mother spoke to cnn radio network. >> my husband and i are eager for the best welfare and conditions for our son josh and for the other two companions he's with. and that is our only concern. his welfare and the best conditions for him. >> the state department says the swiss ambassador to tehran is trying to get information about the detained americans. the u.s. has no diplomatic relations with iran. >>> president o

questions do remain about exactly how and when speicher died. the pentagon says an iraqi citizen claims he was there when tribal iraqis buried speicher's remains as required by muslim law. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >>> a spokeswoman for speicher's family says his loved ones will still try to learn how he died now that his remains have been found. >>> swiss diplomats acting on behalf of the united states are trying to learn more about three american tourists being detained in iran. e sh bauer, sara shored and josh fatal went hiking in the mountains of kyrgyzstan last week when they reportedly strayed over the border into iran and were arrested. according to iran television reports, the three americans were detained after refusing to heed warnings from border guards. the state department says it's working with swiss officials who represent american interests in iran. >>> also in iran, the country's supreme leader has formally endorsed mahmoud ahmadinejad for his second term as president. that's the final step leading up to his inaugura

speicher was the first american shot down during the 1919 gulf war. the pentagon said the remains have now been identified and recovered from a grave in the desert. the discovery ends years of speculation that speicher was being held captive. >> it's a bittersweet ending. it's great we finally accomplished an ending. but it is bittersweet. you always hope he is going to be found alive, but on that end, if he was found alive, look what he's missed. his children are in college now, and what kind of life would he have led being a prisoner of war? >> well, speicher was shot down on the first night of the first gulf war, january 17, 1991. his children were only toddlers at the time. his family issued a statement thanking everyone involved in the search. searchers found his remains after getting tips from iraqis who remembered the crash and witnessed his burial. >>> three-time boxing champion vernon forest laid to rest today outside atlanta. police are close to finding his killers. here we go police say three or four suspects were involved here, saying it s

questions do remain about exactly how and when speicher died. the pentagon says an iraqi citizen claims he was there years ago when tribal iraqis buried speicher's remains as required by muslim law. in washington, brook hart, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a sweet treat is striking a sour note with advocates for the mentally ill. protesters lined up outside the shop called psycho donut saying the name of the store and the menu offer ings are insensitive and play on stereotypes. the shop which sells donuts with names like massive head trauma, split personality, and bipolar has a bulletin board in the shape of a padded wall for photos. the store owner says he only wanted to create a place that was fun and unusual. did the store owner go too far or was it all just harmless fun? email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 6:10. 70 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the financial news in the "bloomberg business report." >> also ahead, the engineers who designed a controlled building implosion may want to take a second look at their math. uh-oh. it didn't go o

no one knew for sure, at least, what happened to navy pilot michael speicher. that's until now.lawrence tells us how his remains were finally found. >> reporter: captain scott speicher's children were toddlers the day he disappeared. now, his remains are coming home to college students. a nearly 20-year mystery, was he captured, tortured? all this time the answer was buried in the iraqi sand and solved by a single tip. >> it's a bittersweet ending. i mean, it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending, but it is bittersweet. >> reporter: last month an iraqi citizen told american troops about the crash site. when the marines arrived, another iraqi said he was there when bedouins found captain speicher already dead and buried his body. searching the site, u.s. troops found multiple skeletal fragments and bones. when military investigators compared captain speicher's dental records with the recovered jaw bone, it was him. >> the whole family is just so grateful that the navy stayed on this. >> reporter: but the military made mistakes, starting hours after speicher was shot

navy captain michael "scott" speicher has come to an end. he was shot down at the outset of the first gulf war, but questions lingered today about exactly when, and how, he died. newshour correspondent kwame holman has our report. >> holman: the u.s. navy announcement finally answered a question that had been asked since 1991: was scott speicher alive or dead? and today, cindy laquidara says it ended at least part of the mystery. she spoke in a telephone interview with the newshour. >> i'm scott speicher of the f.a. 81 out here on the saratoga. >> holman: speicher's f-18 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile on the opening night of operation desert storm, on january 17, 1991. then-defense secretary dick cheney announced the first american fatality of the war. but for years, the 33-year-old pilot's remains could not be found, and he was given a headstone memorial at arlington national cemetery. in 2001, navy officials changed his status from "killed in action" to "missing in action," and a year later to "missing captured" shortly before t

it has been a mystery for 18 years, what happened to navy pilot scott speicher? >> a long time it was feared he was maybe capture iraqi forces. last heard from while flying a combat mission over iraq in the gulf war. now, the defense department is confirming they have found and identified had his remains coming up. >>> and the latest on three american hikers detained in iraq accused of crossing the border illegally. what will happen to them and where are they? we will get answers in just a few minutes. >>> a showdown at the world swimming championships, michael phelps against the serbian swimmer who thought he had beaten him in the beijing olympic committees only to find out phelps touched the wall first in .01 of a second. we will show you the finish and get their reaction next. >>> also meet another swimmer also break records and winning gold after suddenly losing the use of her legs. we are going to meet her and hear her inspiring story in just a few minutes. >>> first, that breaking story this morning. the defense department has solved a mystery from the firs

speicher's name is etched on a veterans memorial wall.ily. he will always be remembered, it reads in part. >> these would be the first gulf war as we call it. we didn't know that when this was put up there. >> reporter: bob buene knows the speicher family. in all these years, speicher's widow, joanne, talked only once to a national magazine. there's a reason, he says. >> she has focused on her family and kids and done a wonderful job of taking care of them and raising them as close to a normal situation as possible. >> reporter: joanne speicher remarried. the children now attend state universities. they were on hand when governor charlie crist signed legislation extending free tuition to children of missing soldiers and p.o.w.s from the gulf wars. for the speichers, some questions still have not been answered. >> any information we can learn about what happened when he ejected and to the point to which he died, we think is beneficial. >> reporter: at arlington national cemetery, there is a headstone with speicher's name on it, where he wi

speicher was 33 when his plane went down.speicher, some wounded warriors say they've been let down by a v.a. system that provides anything but the best care. david martin now with one marine's story. >> reporter: casey owens wasn't expected to live after he lost both legs in iraq. but he made it out of this vehicle alive and to bethesda naval hospital where we first met him in october of 2004. everyone would agree the u.s. government owes casey the best possible medical care. no one who hears his story could say he got it. >> i don't know, just depressed, crying a lot, feeling down, just feeling hopeless. >> reporter: he said that to the latest doctor he turned to in his desperate search for the help he was not getting from the veterans administration. >> that's a very discouraging thing for me. because, you know, i did my part and so their part is to help heal us and they've failed me. >> reporter: all he ever wanted to be was a marine, even after he was wounded he donned his dress blues for president bush's second inaugural

>> speicher was shot down on the first night of the first gulf war. his children were toddlers at the time. his family issued a statement thanking everyone involved in the search. searchers found his remains after getting tips from iraqis who remembered his jet crash and witnessed his burial. >>> president obama's top money men won't rule out higher taxes in the future. over the weekend national economic adviser larry summers said that they would have to find funding for health care reform somewhere. in an interview on abc's "this week" tim geithner said tax increases might be necessary at some point to get the budget deficit down. >> we're going to have to look at -- we have to do what's necessary. remember, the critical thing that people understand is when we have recovery established led by the private sector, then we have to bring these deficits down very dramatically. what the country needs to do is understand we have to do what it takes and what is necessary. >> alan greenspan said the government will impose some kind of value-added tax to raise

scott speicher's fate remained a mystery.entagon announced that bone nagments had been positively identified. this morning in jacksonville, the hero's welcome he so richly deserved. our senior correspondent rick leventhal here with more it? >> was a somer and emotional scene at the jacksonville naval air station after nearly two decades of waiting. his flag draped coffin greeted by members of the navy and his family. his wife placing flowers on the coffin. his children were just 2 and 4 years old as his plane was shot down. >> as sad as we are with the loss of captain speicher, i think we should all be very humbled by the service and sacrifice that he and his family have given our navy and our nation. >> captain speicher's remains are now at all saints chapel at the air station where people with base access can pay their respects. tomorrow there will be a 30-mile motorcade stopping for a ceremony at the veterans war memorial and passing by places connected by scott speicher's life including a church where he taught sunday sch

the jawbone matched the dental records of cap pain speicher. so they used a radiographical technique and visual looking at the x-rays of the dental records, they could tell this is being done at the armed forces institute of pathology in rockville, maryland. when they made the confirmation, that's when the admiral called the family and told them they found, finally after 18 years found captain speicher. >> jamie: jennifer, before i go, will they learn anything else from what they found? >> it's my understanding they're still doing dna testing. they now have the family dna. trying to match it, to be doubly sure, but they feel confident based on the dental records they have captain speicher. >> jamie: jennifer griffin broke it early this morning. thank you. >> eric: now to the continuing fox investigation of voter fraud. a growing controversy. we broke it. about the black panthers who blocked a polling place in philadelphia on election day. you may remember the story. three members of the new black panther party were accused by the bush administr

. >>> 18 years after a navy fighter pilot michael scott speicher was shot down in the first hours of the persian gulf war, his remains are finally home. speicher's casket was flown yesterday to the jacksonville naval air station in florida and taken to the base chapel. speicher's f-18 jet went down in iraq in 1991, but the crash site and his grave were found only last month. a funeral is planned today in jacksonville. >>> also today, a private funeral is set in hyannis, massachusetts, for eunice kennedy shriver, who died tuesday at age 88. as christina hager of our boston station wbz reports, the kennedys celebrated shriver's life yesterday at a public wake on cape cod. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ >> reporter: it is storytelling time at eunice kennedy shriver's church, and in the tradition of the irish wake, a lot of laughter. >> i'm bobby kennedy, and excuse my voice. i was eunice's godchild, i think her favorite godson. >> reporter: the world may have known her as a great political and social advocate, founder of the special olympics, but on this day, her nephew bobby is

that's captain scott speicher you're looking at.nce in iraq. jennifer griffin has been following this story for us all morning. how did they get the break in this case? >> well, the break came when two iraqi citizens showed marines out in anbar province the site where it was thought that his plane had gone down and they did some digging the last few days and they came up with some remains and as they took the remains back to dover air base and conducted tests, then what was really the break was when they took the dental records and compared the jaw bone to the dental records ap they realized that in fact, they had a positive identification. this was at the armed forces institute of pathology in rockville, maryland. they're doing more tests in the next 24 hours on dna from family members of captain. but it's extraordinary when you think this is the only plane shot down on the first night on the gulf war in 19916789 wh. you remember when the skies were lit up over baghdad and skies were lit up and only one casualty that night. his pla

lieutenant commander scott speicher was originally declared dead but his status later changed to missing because his remains were never found. nbc's jim miklaszewski joins us from washington with all those details. things have changed now, mick. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, alex. the u.s. military, the pentagon, even then-secretary of defense dick cheney were so convinced back there on the first day of the gulf war in 1991 that scott speicher was killed when his f/a-18 hornet was shot down in western iraq that he was declared dead. but subsequently because his body was never found, and in fact the wreckage was eventually located and his flight suit was found intact. it raised the possibility he in fact survived the shootdown of his fighter jet and he may have been taken into iraqi custody. that question loomed for a few years until there were rumors floating around iraq that an american fitting scott speicher's description had in fact been seen in an iraqi prison. well then after that, in january of 2001, the pentagon changed the status from killed in action to missing and po

the pentagon confirms it has found the remains of navy pilot scott speicher. he was listed as missing for 18 years after his plane was shut down on the first night of 1991's gulf war. the pentagon says it appears he died in the plane crash. >>> u.s. marshals have raided a plan in utah which makes anti- nairobiial products. all the products have been seized. they found harmful bacteria. a partial recall in june didn't go far enough. >>> the bug crisis in california has led to an unusual idea to raise revenue. the marijuana policy project is running an ad that claims that legalizing the drug and taxing the sales could raise $1.4 billion a year. medical marijuana is legal in california. >>> well, many people are sick of twitter. but coming up on the web, find out whose tweets could save you money on your next trip. >>> and there are fewer staff and less equipment available in prince georges county. we will have details on that. >>> a pleasant morning right now but some heat to talk about. the full forecast when 9 news now returns. see you in a moment. ♪ for just

questions about what happened to gulf war pilot scott speicher are finally answered nearly two decadesater. >>> it's clunker chaos in washington. the popular program has revved up auto sales, but now it's broke. will the senate step in to give it a jump start? >>> and your letters to the president. >> these letters, i think, do more to keep me in touch with what's happening around the country than just about anything else. >> a behind the scenes look at how president obama keeps in touch with everyday americans "early" this monday morning, august 3rd, 2009. captioning funded by cbs >>> good morning. i'm harry smith along with maggie rodriguez in new york. julie is in los angeles. good morning, julie. >> good morning, guys. >> good morning to everybody out there on this monday. we've got a little breaking news for you. >>> an airplane a continental airlines flight that was going from rio to houston has been diverted to miami. it hit some turbulence. some people were pretty badly shaken up. we'll have details on that in the news block in yuft a bit. >>> also this morning, a very importan