Scott O'Grady

Scott speaking in public after he was rescued (http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38207000/jpg/ _38207525_enemy_scott300.jpg)

What is a hero? Heroes have many different qualities like bravery, intelligence and optimism. Most heroes should have these qualities and more. A hero should do what he thinks is right. Scott O’Grady has all of these qualities and many more. Scott was born on October 12, 1965. He joined the army as a fighter pilot at the age of 19. He was flying over Bosnia when he was shot down on June 2, 1995. After Scott was shot down, he was in a very dangerous situation because the enemy was looking for him. They wanted to kill Scott O’Grady and show the U.S. how powerful their army was. He used his intelligence and bravery and got rescued. His optimism and faith kept him mentally strong. All these qualities make him my hero.

When Scott’s plane was hit and caught fire, he knew he had to eject early from his plane at 24,000 feet! That was courageous of him because, at that speed with his parachute up, it would take him thirty minutes to get to the ground. It would have given the enemy plenty of time to spot him. The enemy knew that a plane had been shot down. They would be looking for the pilot. After Scott landed on the ground, he had to stay perfectly still in one spot for five hours while the enemy was looking for him. At one time, the armed enemy was three feet away from him. It was difficult for him not to move and so brave of him not to give away his position. I do not think that I could stay still for an hour. Scott then had to decide what to do at night. If he stayed in his spot, he was in danger because the enemy was looking so hard for him. If he moved, he could be seen by the enemy. He also showed bravery when he tried to radio to his base. That was brave of Scott because the enemy could have intercepted his transmission and would have been able to locate him.

Another quality that Scott O’Grady had was intelligence. When he was low on water, he rationed his supply very carefully each day. He wanted to make the water last a long time because he did not know how long he would be lost. Scott knew the enemy had food and water and he wanted it badly, but he resisted trying to get it. He knew there was a high risk of more enemies nearby. To help him survive, Scott decided to eat ants because he knew if he ate ants, he would stay alive. That was very smart of him because he had to have something to eat and he knew that they were okay to eat. Even though he didn’t like them, it helped him to survive. While Scott O’Grady was surviving in the wild he made intelligent decisions.

The last quality that Scott O’Grady had was optimism and faith. He was hopeful that he would get back safely to his family. Scott O’Grady said a lot of prayers to God after he was shot down. Scott went to a Catholic school when he was a kid, so he felt that he had a strong relationship with God. The prayers that he said helped keep him believing that he would live. Scott had a lot of optimism when he tried to radio to his base. All he got was the unfriendly sound of static. He continued to try. Finally, a fellow soldier answered. Scott was also hopeful when he was running out of water and he prayed it would rain soon. Even if it didn’t rain, he never gave up hope that it would rain. While Scott O’Grady was surviving in the wild he never ever gave up hope.

Scott O’Grady was a hero for all he went through and for his bravery, intelligence, faith and optimism. So, when you are going through tough times, you should always be hopeful like Scott O’Grady, and if you are afraid to do something, you should just do what you think is right, like Scott did when he had to make decisions. If you are going through hard times or are worried about someone, think about Scott O’Grady. You have to be brave, hopeful and intelligent and you will survive the hard times. Scott O’Grady is my hero and he has all the great qualities like bravery, intelligence and optimism. I hope that someday I will be like Scott O’Grady!