No One Left Behind: The Lt. Comdr. Michael Scott Speicher Story (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "On that afternoon of January 16, 1991, pilots stood around uneasily waiting for the mass briefing aboard the Saratoga..." (more)
Key Phrases: casualty file, blood chit, air wing commander, Scott Speicher, Air Force, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It was a wise editorial decision to have the author read the preface-in her pleasant, no-nonsense country voice-to this amazingly timely audio version of her new book about a U.S. Navy fighter pilot who's likely being held prisoner in Iraq 11 years after Desert Storm. Along with Aselford's competent but definitely low-key reading of the rest of the book, it gives the entire production a feeling of an overheard conversation between knowledgeable friends, adding a depth of believability and confidence that fancier, more melodramatic treatment might have weakened. If Lt. Commander Speicher, shot down during the Gulf War and first listed as killed in action, is indeed alive-as Yarsinske's painstaking, Pulitzer Prize-nominated research seems to indicate-it could cause many Americans to look at President Bush's plans for Iraq with new eyes. Her presentation of material from top government and military officials, diplomats, pilots, informers and Iraqi defectors make the book even more authentic. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description

Around midnight on January 16, 1991, Lt. Comdr. Michael Scott Speicher launches from the deck of the USS Saratoga in the Red Sea, his F/A-18 Hornet among those participating in the very first air strike of the Persian Gulf War. It is a mission he wasn't initially scheduled to fly-and from which he would not return. Moments after an assault by an Iraqi MiG-25, Speicher's plane vanishes over the Baghdad desert. The next day, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell tell the public that Speicher was the first casualty of the Gulf War. He is listed as Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered. His young wife and family are devastated. In December 1993, pieces of a wrecked F/A-18 are confirmed to be Speicher's downed Hornet. A military investigation begins soon after and in December 1995, a full two years after the plane's discovery, the International Committee of the Red Cross leads an American investigative team to the crash site to determine what happened to Scott Speicher. On January 10, 2001, on the basis of reemerging evidence, Speicher is officially declared Missing in Action, the first time in history that a U.S. serviceman's status has ever been changed.

Tracking this explosive story for the past eight years, Amy Yarsinske interviewed top government and military officials, diplomats, pilots, informers, and Iraqi defectors. The result is a stunning true account of the denials and cover-ups that obscured an essential fact: Speicher actually survived. In No One Left Behind, she takes readers behind the intrigue and the lies to solve this eleven-year-old mystery and unearth the truth of what really happened that dark night over Iraq in 1991.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (July 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052594687X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525946878
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,517,728 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sad Tale, but a Must Read, January 19, 2003

By	"remo_934" (West St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

January 16, 1991 is one of those days that will live in infamy. Unfortunately, it is one of the most tragic days because our government turned their backs on one of their own.

When you read this story, it will tear at your heart when you see the bad decisions that were made along the way - including bad mistakes by some good people. It is truly an American Tragedy.

Yarsinske does a FABULOUS job in covering all perspectives in this story. She is a hallmark writer in the fact that she takes an objective viewpoint in merely searching for the truth and not reciting the "party-lines" of any particular viewpoint.

This book speaks the truth - good, bad, cold, hard, ugly truth - and is definitely a must read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A shocking story, July 26, 2002

By	Inger Watts (Trondheim, Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book tells the story of missing airman Scott Speicher. The author believes that the pilot is alive in Iraqi captivity, and in her own way she takes us behind closed doors.

What happened to Speicher? Based on facts obtained in her own studies, she gives us her opinion about what happened and is still going on. She indicates that certain US officials are as much to blame as Saddam Hussein for Speicher's plight, and that is frightening.

At the same time it is interesting to learn how Speicher's family and friends reacted to his disapearance. It is touching to read fragments from Scott's last letter to his wife; the letter he had left behind in case something should happen to him. At the same time his friends' desciptions of him as a 'good man' really make you wish that he's alive and soon will be able to come home to a better life.

I find the last chapter especially shocking. It made me lie awake and think long after I should have been asleep.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Warriors Oddessy, August 11, 2002

By	richard jackson (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No One Left Behind: The Lt. Comdr. Michael Scott Speicher Story (Audio CD)

If you only read one book this year, make it this one. This book speaks to a critical situation that we can still affect. LCDR Mike "Spike" Speicher, now promoted to Captain in the US Navy with his status as Missing In Action, was flying an F-18 Hornet Strike Fighter on the first night of Desert Storm. Despite system failures with his aircraft he took the battle to the enemy. He was forced to eject from his aircraft during an aerial engagement and started the longest mission of that conflict. There is little doubt he is still alive and fighting on as prisoner of war.

This is a well written, researched, and organized book. It reads easily with a deep level of technical detail, excellent military depiction, and deep human concepts. It covers the entire spectrum of his experience and the supporting events around his current situation. This is an impressive book worthy of the read.

This book will haunt you. No matter what your position on the military or the Gulf War - you will be moved by this book. If you seek to right wrongs, this book will propel you to do more once you finish it. The errors and failures of those in command and control need to be known and fixed. This book will leave you angry, sad, and hopefully resolved to find the truth and bring about the proper resolution of this faithful American warrior's plight.