Scott O'Grady

Scott O'Grady and Clinton (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/transportation/jan-june98/gps_5-21.html)

I think that a hero is somebody who encourages you to follow your dreams. My hero is Scott O’Grady. He is a person that I admire. He is brave, skilled, and a man filled with hope. O’Grady found himself a career in the air force, even though it was very hard to get. He never gave up on his dreams in life. I admire him because he dares to do what he wants. He believes in his dreams.

Scott o'Grady is happy. (: www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourImage.cgi?imag...)

O’Grady was born in Brooklyn NY. He came from a normal family. His dad was a doctor in the U.S. Marines. The family moved to many different places. This is why he wanted to become a pilot in the military. I think that’s what made him join the military. When he was six he took his first plane ride, and he really enjoyed it. He couldn’t wait; his dream was ready to come true.

Scott O'Grady waving to a crowd. (www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/OGrady.htm)

One thing that is interesting about Scott O’Grady is that he is a skilled pilot. He got to ride on a very costly jet, which is about $19 million dollars, as a skilled pilot. Scott O’Grady is a survivor of a devastating crash. To me, he is amazing. His dream was to fly one day and he did this. He worked hard to achieve what he wanted, putting all his effort into everything. Then the crash happened. Most people would give up on their dreams but he continued to fly after this. This is why he is my hero.

Scott O'Grady is on a magazine. (www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19950619,00.html)

This is O’Grady’s story about his heroic behavior and his instinct to survive. On June 1995, O’Grady’s jet broke down into two. Right away he knew just what to do. He jumped out of the jet with a parachute. He landed safely, but there wasn’t anything safe about the place where he landed. He knew he was in a place in Bosnia, which is located in Europe. He was in enemy territory. O’Grady was afraid, but he didn’t just sit there, he knew how to survive. He ate edible leaves to stay nourished. The next day it rained, so he had enough water to keep him going. His parents were worried about him, but his father knew he could make it. Over the next six days, O’Grady survived behind enemy lines. He couldn’t approach anybody because he knew they could be enemies.

During the six days he hid and moved in the brutally cold nights. He had a radio to give signals, but it didn’t work. Finally, O’Grady made radio contact with pilot Captain T.O. Hanford. He knew he was going to survive. O’Grady got picked up by marines during a daylight rescue. O’Grady was proud of himself that he survived. He wrote two books about his close call with death. When people thought of him as a hero he was astonished. He thought he was just doing his duty. It is remarkable how he survived such a tragic accident. When O’Grady made it back to the United States, he met up with his parents at Andrews Air force Base. His family joined President Clinton for lunch.

O'Grady after being saved from the marines. (www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1458584/posts)

What O’Grady teaches me about life is that you always have to follow your dreams and if you make a mistake, it doesn’t matter, because people learn from mistakes. If you’re willing to accomplish something just go for it. Scott O’Grady was a normal person like everyone else and guess what; he succeeded in his life and learned how to fly. His advice to everybody is to follow their dreams and never give up.