Read Basher Five-Two Online

Authors: Scott O'Grady

Basher Five-Two (15 page)

When I was trying to survive in Bosnia, I had felt
incredibly unlucky. My plane and I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But having survived and been rescued, I was suddenly in the right place at the right time. The Great American Celebrity Machine wanted to make me a hero. As I’d tried to explain to so many people, I wasn’t really a hero, I was a survivor—but the label seemed to stick anyway. As my gaze swept over the hallowed hills of Arlington, I knew who our country’s true heroes were.

My last stop in the vast cemetery grounds was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Approaching the steps leading up to the Tomb and the Memorial Amphitheater behind it, I watched silently with the rest of the crowd as the lone honor guard marched back and forth in front of the large marble crypt. The sun reflected off his visor, and the only sounds you could hear were the click of his boots and his palm slapping against the butt of his rifle. Inside the crypt were the remains of four unknown servicemen, one for each major war that the United States had fought in the twentieth century: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the war in Vietnam.

Receiving special permission, I stepped over the chain to the tomb itself and knelt before the crypt. This tomb symbolized the ultimate sacrifice. Not only had these four individuals given their lives to protect the freedoms of
generations unborn, they had given their identities. No one could mourn them personally, no one could give them a parade or make a speech about their lives. But in giving everything and asking nothing in return, theirs was the highest honor of all.

C
APTAIN
S
COTT
O’G
RADY
has accumulated more than 1,300 military flying hours, including over 1,000 in the F-16 for the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He is the author of the
New York Times
bestseller
Return with Honor,
published by Doubleday Books.

M
ICHAEL
F
RENCH
has written several books for young readers, including the adaptations of
Flags of Our Fathers
by James Bradley with Ron Powers, and
Born to Fly
by Shane Osborn with Malcolm McConnell. Michael French lives in New Mexico.

Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York

Copyright © 1997 by Scott O’Grady

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Yearling and the jumping horse design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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eISBN: 978-0-307-76496-6

Reprinted by arrangement with Doubleday Books for Young Readers

v3.0

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