Scott O’Grady

Scott O’Grady Profile

After being shot down behind enemy lines, Captain Scott O’Grady was alone and face-to-face with death. The U.S. fighter pilot put his faith and training into action, surviving six excruciating days on the ground in Bosnia in what would become one of America’s most inspirational stories, living on in books, television, and film.

O’Grady’s boyhood love of flying led him to join the U.S. Air Force. In 1995, he was enforcing the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia when his F-16 fighter was suddenly hit by a Serb missile. O’Grady narrowly escaped by ejecting his seat as his plane exploded around him. Crash landing into enemy territory, he covered his face in dirt and hid just feet away from the Serbian soldiers who were trying to hunt him down. On the run, O’Grady survived by eating leaves, grass, and ants while trying to contact Magic, NATO’s airborne command center. After six days, he was rescued by U.S. Marines in a dramatic mission that saw the rescue helicopter taking off under enemy fire.

O’Grady received a hero’s homecoming in the U.S., where his story dominated news outlets for weeks. He continued to actively serve in the military until 2001 and went on to earn a master’s degree in biblical studies. The story of his six day fight to survive in Bosnia is detailed in three different books: Good To Go by Mary Pat Kelly, Basher Five-Two, and Return with Honor, the latter two of which were co-authored by O’Grady. Additionally, his experience was the inspiration for the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines.

. After 12 years of military service, O’Grady entered inactive reserve status in February 2001. Shortly after, he enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary and graduated with a Master’s Degree in the spring of 2007. Scott also was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service by the University of Portland in Oregon.

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  An American Hero

  Captain Scott F. O′Grady was born in Brooklyn, New York. He moved with his family to Long Beach, California in 1970, then to Ridgewood, New Jersey in 1972 and finally to Spokane, Washington, in 1974. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1984 and attended the University of Washington for one year before transferring to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. O′Grady earned a Bachelor of Science degree (Aeronautical) in 1989 and was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program, April 1989.

  Following college, O′Grady attended the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, from November 1989 to December 1990. He was then assigned to F-16 pilot training at Luke Air Force Base until December 1991 when he began his first operational assignment flying the F-16 at the 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Korea. In April 1993, O′Grady was reassigned to the 526th Fighter Squadron in Ramstein, Germany, until assuming a position in May 1994 with the 555th Fighter Squadron in Aviano, Italy. In October 1995, he was assigned as an F-16 pilot with the 466th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. In July 1998, he was assigned to a joint survival agency at Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington.

  After 12 years of military service, O’Grady entered inactive reserve status in February 2001. Shortly after, he enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters Degree in the spring of 2007. Scott also was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in public service by the University of Portland in Oregon.

  O’Grady was helping enforce the NATO no-fly zone policy in the skies over Bosnia when a Soviet-made anti aircraft missile slammed into his F-16. O’Grady tells his incredible story of how he survived in hostile territory for six days before being rescued by the U.S. Marines in his book, Return With Honor, which spent six weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. He has also published Basher Five-Two, a children’s edition of his original story. His courageous story has also been documented on the Discovery Channel presentation, Behind Enemy Lines. In addition, O′Grady has been featured on CNN’s Voices of the Millennium, a Then and Now, series that focus on the most influential personalities of the 20th Century.

  O′Grady has accumulated more than 1,300 military flying hours including over 1,000 in the F-16.