An American in the Basement

Overview

An authoritative account of the betrayal of a Navy pilot at the hands of the U.S. government

The incredible story of denial, deceit, and deception that ultimately cost Navy pilot Captain Michael Scott Speicher his life is exposed in this military tell-all. Asserting that years of information has been intentionally kept from an American public, the book reveals that, contrary to reports, Speicher survived after he ejected from his stricken F/A-18 Hornet on the first night of the Persian Gulf War. Protected by a Bedouin tribal group, he evaded Saddam's capture for nearly four years. In that time he was repeatedly promised by an American intelligence asset that a deal for his repatriation would be worked out but it never was. Speicher was left behind. After Saddam Hussein captured him, Speicher spent the next eight years in a secret Baghdad prison and being moved around in secret to avoid an American task force looking for him, and before he was killed after the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. Author Amy Waters Yarsinske, a former naval intelligence officer and a veteran investigator and author, presents her fascinating case after years of research.

Reviews

"[Amy Waters Yarsinske], an expert in contemporary and historical naval aviation, drew her conclusions from interviews with government and military officials, diplomats, pilots and Iraqi defectors and informers."  —Orlando Sentinel on No One Left Behind

"This true hero and fighter-pilot, shot down during the first Gulf War back in 1991, performed super-human feats trying to survive in Iraq. But he was betrayed and forsaken. Thank God, Amy - who's covered this story from day one - never give up. A MUST-READ that rates all of our five stars."  —May Glenn MacDonald, militarycorruption.com

"This true hero and fighter-pilot, shot down during the first Gulf War back in 1991, performed super-human feats trying to survive in Iraq. But he was betrayed and forsaken. Thank God, Amy - who's covered this story from day one - never give up. A MUST-READ that rates all of our five stars." — May Glenn MacDonald, militarycorruption.com

Author Biography

Amy Waters Yarsinske is the author of numerous nonfiction books, including Lost Virginia Beach and No One Left Behind: The Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher Story. She is a former Philip Francis du Pont Fellow at the University of Virginia School of Architecture and has appeared as a guest commentator for international and national television networks and radio markets. She lives in Norfolk, Virginia.