BY JERRIE WHITELEY
HERALD DEMOCRAT
Dozens of shaved heads pointed straight ahead on Tuesday, paying rapt attention to Capt. Scott O'Grady, the U.S. Air Force pilot shot down over Bosnia in June 1995.
O'Grady told the cadets of his tale, and that both he and God love them and they can find the power within themselves to overcome anything if they are willing to work hard and dream big.
The cadets at the Cooke, Fannin & Grayson County Juvenile Boot Camp listened to O'Grady, who once graced the cover of Time magazine and is now a commissioner with the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, deliver a motivational speech. During that time, he told them about the day he was shot down in enemy territory and the struggles he faced trying to stay alive long enough to be rescued.
O'Grady said three things kept him going: His faith in God, his love for his mother, and his belief that America would not leave him behind.
"I am convinced God has a sense of humor," O'Grady told the juveniles. "I think he laughs at me every day."
O'Grady wasn't laughing that day back in 1995 when he realized he had been shot and his plane was blowing up around him. And he didn't laugh at his situation while he was attempting to both stay alive and find a way to help the Americans looking for him get him out alive. He said he relied on his military training to get him through the ordeal.
He talked about the young Marines, most around 19 years old, who came to his rescue and about the way one can take even an awful experience and learn something from it.
He then asked the youngsters listening to him if they had a dream they wanted to accomplish with their lives. Almost all of the young men in front of him raised their hands.
O'Grady said that fact impressed him because it meant they were looking forward to their future and he urged them to work hard for their dream. After his presentation, O'Grady praised the group and the facility.
He said he wanted to come to Grayson County to see the boot camp to let the young people there know "that they are valuable and they have a purpose in life." He said also wanted to tour the facility and see how it worked.
He liked what he saw. "Thumbs up Grayson County," he said.
He wasn't the only one impressed. Bill Bristow, director of the Grayson County Department of Juvenile Services, said O'Grady "had really good questions." He also praised O'Grady's grasp of the politics involved in juvenile justice.
Bristow ushered O'Grady and others around the boot camp and Juvenile Probation Department before O'Grady's speech. He also explained to O'Grady the types of detention provided by the facility and the programs offered to help young people turn their lives around.
Pointing to a stone patio just outside the facility, Bristow bragged a little on the young people who had actually earned money to install it. The facility paid them minimum wage to lay the stone, Bristow said. Along the way, they learned a bit about a trade that could see them earn up to $45 a hour. It also gave them something to do with their hands and a reason to be proud of themselves.