O’Grady Will Visit - Finally Air Force Fighter Pilot To Be At Fairchild Tonight

Capt. Scott O’Grady is finally coming home.

The Air Force fighter pilot who was shot down and stranded in Bosnia for six days will arrive today at 5:30 p.m. at Spokane International Airport, military officials said.

A brief news conference will be held at the airport. Then O’Grady will head straight to Fairchild Air Force Base, where he’ll stay overnight. A survival school ceremony that’s closed to the public will take place on the base Friday morning, officials said.

Residents will get a chance to see the Spokane native Friday during a ceremony at Riverfront Park. City officials will honor O’Grady, who will give a short speech.

The one-hour ceremony will be held in the area around the clock tower at 12:30 p.m. There’s room for nearly 7,000 residents to see O’Grady there, organizers said.

O’Grady plans to spend the holiday weekend with his mother in Seattle. He has tentatively agreed to be in a Fourth of July parade in Tacoma, according to Air Force officials.

He’s scheduled to appear on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno sometime next week.

O’Grady was rescued last month after his F-16 was shot down over Bosnia. The 29-yearold Spokane native spent six days hiding from Serb soldiers in the war-torn country.

, DataTimes