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American Morning
Lieutenant Shane Osborn Discusses Awards, Returning to Flight
Aired May 18, 2001 - 11:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Our Jeanne Meserve is at Andrews Air Force Base for the medal ceremony today for the 24 crew members that are being honored for their work, certainly when they were in that accident and held in China after their spy plane was shot down. And she will be talking to the pilot on that mission -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donna, I don't know if you can see me or you can hear me. OK. Here we are.
I am here at Andrews Air Force Base. Let me explain the racket you are hearing. The Air Force Thunderbirds are lined up on the tarmac behind us here. They are revving up their engines. They are going be to performing here this weekend. This is the Joint Services Open House here at the Andrews Air Force Base.
So there's a racket.
But with me, Lieutenant Shane Osborn here has just received two medals here today: the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Meritorious Service Medal. Congratulations.
LT. SHANE OSBORN, U.S. NAVY: Thank you, ma'am. Thank you very much.
MESERVE: How does it feel get this official recognition?
OSBORN: It was -- it was great see the entire crew honored in this way, to have the secretary of defense and all of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all the secretary of the Navy and all of the other services here. It's quite an honor to receive these awards in front of these distinguished persons.
MESERVE: You have received many honors since you have returned from China. How does this rank with the others?
OSBORN: Oh, it's obviously the biggest honor next to meeting the president and the vice president that we have had since we've been back. And that's all happened today. So it's been a great day.
MESERVE: Terrific. You flew in this EP-3 here that is here on the tarmac.
OSBORN: Yes. Myself and the entire 24 crew members flew in Papa Romeo 33 (ph) and landed here yesterday. MESERVE: Was this the first time the entire crew had flown together?
OSBORN: It's the first time the entire crew has flown together since we've been back. But I went up with the flight station. And my good friend Lieutenant Crawford (ph), who is an instructor pilot in our squadron, got us warmed back up and ready to fly again.
MESERVE: And how did it feel after what you have been through? It has to have been a traumatic experience for you as a pilot. How did it feel to be back at the controls?
OSBORN: It was great. It's -- finally back doing what I do best and what I like to do. And it was -- it was good to get up there with Senior Mellos, Petty Officer Westbrook, Lt. Vignery and Lt. Honeck -- and also Lt. Crawford also, and get back to -- get back to the way things used to be.
MESERVE: Well, things are going to continue to get back the way they used to be.
OSBORN: Yes.
MESERVE: And you may be asked to fly surveillance missions off the coast of China.
OSBORN: Sure. I'll be heading out there.
MESERVE: How do you feel about that?
OSBORN: I'll be heading out there soon, so I'm looking forward to it.
MESERVE: And how will that feel to you? Do you have any idea?
OSBORN: We will see when I get out there. I'm sure it will be -- it will feel a little different at first. But it's what we do. And it's what we get paid to do. And we enjoy doing it.
MESERVE: Have you have any fear that you will have any sort of discomfort having had the experience you did, particularly if you should happen to sight any Chinese pilots in your vicinity?
OSBORN: Any time you have a foreign country's fighter off your wing tip, it is going to be an uncomfortable feeling, I will tell you that. But that wasn't the first intercept we had ever had. We get intercepted quite often. And we will deal with it.
MESERVE: Lieutenant Shane Osborn, congratulations.
OSBORN: Thank you very much.
MESERVE: Thanks so much for joining us here today.
I hope you can hear us with this racket behind us -- back to you now Atlanta. KELLEY: All right, Jeanne, thanks very much.
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