Navy Pilot Always Wanted to Fly
April 13 -- From a young age, Lt. Shane Osborn aspired to be a pilot. In his hometown of Norfolk, Neb., Osborn, 26, is known as a determined young man with a great sense of humor.
It should be no surprise then that the U.S. military is now praising Norfolk's native son for bringing the Navy EP-3E plane in for a safe emergency landing and keeping morale high among the crew while being detained by the Chinese for 11 days.
Throughout his teenage years, Osborn pursued his dream to fly. He joined the Northeast Nebraska Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol and learned to pilot small aircraft over the fields of his home state.
As a high school student in Norfolk, according to a profile in the Omaha World-Herald, Osborn was a good student and an accomplished athlete. His senior year, Osborn won all-conference honors as a wide receiver.
In his college years, Osborn joined the Navy ROTC at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and became a Navy officer soon after graduating in 1996.
Osborn's hard training as a pilot obviously paid off. The U.S. military is crediting him for using all of his bulk and brains to wrestle the reconnaissance plane from an 8,000-foot drop and land it safely on a Chinese island — even though the plane lacked a nose cone and had two damaged engines.
Now that Osborn has achieved his goal of becoming a pilot, he also has earned something he probably never dreamed of: an American hero's welcome home. During Osborn's detention in China, his hometown was strewn with yellow ribbons as family, neighbors and friends prayed for his safe return.
His proud mother, Diane Osborn, says she already has plans for celebrating when he gets back to Nebraska — lots of hugs.
"I'm very, very proud of him," she said. "And I'll try to give him all the latest on what's been happening around. Just to see him and hold him will be wonderful," she said.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live