Lt. Commander Bill Goss, USN (Ret) is an internationally
known speaker and author. Enlisting in 1974,
Bill worked on underwater weapons in Europe
for the U.S. Navy until he was discharged
as a Mineman Second Class in 1977. A former New Jersey Golden Glove boxer, Bill was also the light-heavy weight boxing champion at the U.S. Naval Air Stations in Pensacola, Corpus Christi, and Jacksonville. After his enlisted tour of duty, Bill attended
Rutgers University on the GI Bill and earned
an MBA from the Southern New Hampshire University. Bill graduated Aviation Officer
Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, and
earned his Navy Wings of Gold the following
year in Corpus Christi, Texas.
As a P-3
Orion pilot, Bill flew missions against
Soviet submarines in the North and South Atlantic
and Mediterranean and deployed to a very wide
variety of sites around the world. He became
an instructor pilot in the T-44 Pegasus and
then the Assistant Navigator of the nuclear
aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, deploying
throughout the Pacific from the Vinson's homeport
in the San Francisco Bay area. Bill and his
family returned to the east coast where he
flew P-3 Orions and a variety of other aircraft
while working for the admiral at NAS Jacksonville.
While there, Bill was diagnosed with a rare
form of cancer called amelanotic malignant
melanoma, had surgery, and retired from the
Navy. Bill is the author of The Luckiest
Unlucky Man Alive: A Wild Ride Overcoming
Life's Greatest Challenges -- And How You
Can Too. His second book, published by
Simon and Schuster's newest hardcover imprint,
Atria Books, is titled There's a Flying
Squirrel in My Coffee: Overcoming Cancer With
the Help of My Pet.
Bill is a contributing writer to many other
books including the New York Times bestseller,
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Bill's life story has been featured on national
and international radio shows, and in publications
such as the Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles
Times, New Jersey Star Ledger, The Dallas
Morning News, The St. Petersburg Times,
and Maxim Magazine.
A motivational and inspirational speaker,
Bill is featured every month on the Discovery
Channel's Animal Planet. Bill's mailing address
is:
Bill Goss International
P.O. Box 7060
Orange Park, FL 32073
Recently I was sent the press release below that I wanted to share with you. We can't forget these two magnificent American men in 2005. We have to find out what happened to them. We owe it to Scott and Matt and to all of their families and friends.
Bill Goss
Jacksonville, FL January 3, 2005 -- On January 17th, 2005 Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher will host a prayer/candle vigil at Lake Shore United Methodist Church at 7:30 pm. The plight of two men who have never met will bring together their friends and family members to discuss the one thing they have in common. The two men are United States Navy Pilot, Captain Michael Scott Speicher and Army Specialist Keith "Matt" Maupin. The common denominator between these two men is their status of Missing in Action/Captured in Iraq and their supporters' efforts to keep that status unchanged until they are found. The idea is to have this message heard across the nation while at the same time honoring Captain Speicher and the anniversary of his capture.
January 17, 2005, marks the fourteenth year since Speicher originally went missing in Iraq. Matt Maupin has been missing now for nine months. Keith and Carolyn Maupin will be speaking at the church to honor their son, Matt Maupin's senior counterpart, Scott Speicher. By showing the two missing service members mirrored side by side, it is hoped by the Maupin family that this will help their son's case avoid the many missteps, which have been made in the Speicher case. In contrast, Maupin's more recent capture will help to shine new light on the Speicher case, bringing public awareness to a hero that has yet to be returned home after fourteen years. Other guest speakers will participate.
Speakers will include: Bob Gandt, renowned author of military fiction including, Bogeys and Bandits, and Shadows of War, which is loosely based on Scott Speicher. Mr. Gandt also worked as writer and technical consultant for the popular TV series Pensacola: Wings of Gold. Also longtime Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher member and current Delta Airlines pilot, Tim Goings. Mr. Goings piloted Apache Helicopters in the First Gulf War. And POW advocate Ed Burge will speak as well and bring for viewing a special limited edition motorcycle dedicated to POW/MIA's including Captain Speicher. Former POW from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Chief Warrant Officer Ronald Young, Jr and many of Speicher's close friends.
Then LCDR Speicher, was pronounced dead, the day after his plane was lost on January 18, 1991, with no search and rescue mission launched. On January 11, 2001, in light of new evidence that indicated Speicher safely ejected and with remains of his plane and canopy intact, the United States Navy took the unprecedented action of changing now Captain Speicher from KIA to MIA. On October 11, 2002 the United States Navy changed Speicher's status once again to Missing/Captured, stating, "There is no evidence that Captain Speicher is dead." Since the current war in Iraq began, the initials MSS have been found in a variety of locations inside Iraq, including on a cell wall in Hakmiyah Prison and on a carport beam at another detention center. Scott Speicher's name was also found written in an Iraqi prison log book, dated just before the war began.
On April 9, 2004, PFC Matt Maupin's convoy was attacked west of Baghdad. April 13, 2004, Maupin was listed as missing. A videotape of Maupin surrounded by five hooded men aired on Al - Jazeera TV, April 16, 2004, confirming that Maupin has indeed been captured. May 1, 2004, the Army promotes Maupin to Specialist. One month later on June of 2004, another videotape surfaces of a man Al - Jazeera claimed to be Maupin. The man in the video was shown being shot twice in the head and back. July 1, 2004, Brig. Gen. Michael W. Beasley, stated that, "There is no bad information, no negative information with regard to Specialist Maupin that is
known now. We are continuing full efforts to locate him and return him to his family." Monday, August 9, 2004, military officials announced that analysis of the video in question is now complete. Major Mark Magalski, casualty assistant officer for the Maupin family, is quoted as saying, "There's nothing in the video that lends you to think it was Matt Maupin."
In March of 2002, Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher, Inc. was founded by Speicher's classmates of Forrest High School in Jacksonville, Florida. This group's mission is to raise awareness and finally bring Scott Speicher home. Vice President of this organization and Speicher friend Nels Jensen, says, "One reason I felt we were brought together is to serve as a beacon of light for our fallen warriors. It's necessary to point out the errors in judgements or mistakes made from 14 years ago concerning Scott, but more importantly our calling may be to ensure these mistakes never happen again as in the case of Matt Maupin." Carolyn and Keith Maupin have accepted an invitation to not only speak at this vigil but to join together with Speicher members in the fight for their son and Scott Speicher.
For more information and/or to schedule an interview with one of the speakers, please contact Georgia Davis, member of Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher, at 904-292-4197 or by email at georgiand@aol.com
