Dale K. Robinson
(The following column appeared in the April 25, 2001 issue of The Destin Log
The Chinese fighter fired on the U.S. plane. Air Force Col. John Arnold ordered his crew to bail out and they soon found themselves prisoners of the Chinese. It was near the end of the Korean War and the plane was a B-29 Superfortress, dropping not bombs, but propaganda leaflets, near the border between China and North Korea.
Arnold and the crew of his “BS” bomber were “interrogated” and coerced into signing war crimes “confessions” by the Chinese and eventually released. They walked across China to freedom in Hong Kong in 1955 after nearly two years in captivity. Arnold’s copilot, Maj. Wallace Brown, documented the crew’s story in his book, “The Endless Hours.”
Arnold and his crew had no choice but to bail out after the Chinese fighter jet disabled their plane with gunfire. Navy Lt Shane Osborn did have choices after a Chinese fighter collided with his EP-3E Aries II surveillance plane in international airspace. He knew his crippled plane could not make it back to US soil. He could ditch the plane in the ocean, but survival of the crew would by dicey - it’s a dangerous maneuver. The plane would break up and lives would be lost. The Chinese navy would have picked up any survivors. He could have ordered the crew to bail out over the ocean, but again some may have died. And again, the Chinese would have picked up survivors. His remaining choice was to make for the nearest airfield inside Chinese territory. That is the choice he made and it saved the lives of his crew.
Some have criticized Osborn for allowing the EP-3E surveillance plane to fall into Chinese hands. Sure, there was classified equipment aboard that plane. Sure, the Chinese will study everything they can aboard that plane. But in the United States, we put lives above things. So the Chinese learn that we were monitoring their electronic emissions? That’s no big secret. They know that is why our military makes those surveillance flights. So they learn to jam our surveillance equipment? As a Romulan commander once told Star Trek’s Captain Kirk (or was it Mr. Spock?), military secrets are the most fleeting secrets of all. We’ll soon learn to counter their jamming devices.
That 26 year-old Shane Osborn should prove to have the stuff heroes are made of is no big surprise. Osborn has something in common with Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman, who orbited the moon, with Air Force pilot Scott O’Grady, who was shot down over Bosnia and evaded capture for nearly a week, and with General Mike Ryan, Air Force Chief of Staff. They were all Civil Air Patrol cadets.
Shane Osborn’s love of flying began when he was about three years old. His family lived on a farm where the farmer had a two-seat plane that Shane loved. The farmer often took the young boy up with him and the seeds of a future aviator were planted. As a young man, Osborn expressed an interest in becoming an Air Force officer and found his way into the Civil Air Patrol.
Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary organization of the Air Force that introduces young people to aviation. The Civil Air Patrol cadet program inspires the country's youth to become leaders and dynamic, responsible American citizens through an interest in flying. Cadets take part in a number of programmed and special activities. From these they develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand the total impact of air and space operations on society. They develop leadership skills and discipline by learning military drill and courtesies and through on-the-job training as they fill leadership positions in the local squadron. A physical fitness program rounds out the cadet program.
Through their studies and other activities, cadets work their way through a series of 16 achievements. As cadets progress, they earn increased rank, ribbons or certificates and also become eligible for nationally sponsored special activities and may compete for academic scholarships.
Cadets are assigned to squadrons staffed by adult members who guide and assist them through the program. A popular activity is the flying program. It promotes an interest in aviation by providing orientation flights and scholarships to cover flying training through solo qualification.
The most sought-after activity among advanced cadets is the International Air Cadet Exchange. About 120 CAP cadets annually visit foreign nations, and in return, cadets from 20 participating nations visit the United States as guests of Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force. Such trips promote goodwill and understanding among the world's youth who share a common interest in aviation.
Civil Air Patrol cadets are also eligible for a number of college scholarships and for special consideration when enlisting in the military or when applying for one of the military academies. Former Civil Air Patrol cadets number about 450 out of the Air Force Academy’s total enrollment of 4500 students and CAP cadets tend to have a greater success rate at the academy than the average student.
Shane Osborn was a typical longhaired teenager when he first joined the patrol’s cadet program, according to Civil Air Patrol administrative officer Sharon Sanford. At first, he often didn’t wear his uniform, she said, but soon cut his hair and became meticulous about his appearance. Sanford added, “You have to wear the uniform to fly.”
Osborn enrolled at the University of Nebraska after graduation, where he joined the Navy ROTC program. His mother had encouraged him to consider the Navy, since it would also allow him to fly. He graduated from college in 1996 and was commissioned in the Navy. His dream of flying was realized when he won his Navy “wings of gold” and reported to his first assignment in 1998. He had no idea he’d one day end up at the center of an international incident and hailed as a hero by the American public. I’m sure he’d say the real heroes were the Navy officers and the Civil Air Patrol officers before them that inspired and trained him.
Dale Robinson is The Log’s Home Delivery Manager. He retired from the US Air Force in 1995 and is a member of the Civil Air Patrol.