For many Utahns, Capt. Scott O'Grady isn't a hero for surviving six days after his plane was shot down over Bosnia, he's a hero for what he did afterward.
"He stood up and said he prayed, and he's a better person for it. Most people aren't willing to do that," said Ann Kane, 28.Kane was one of about 300 Utahns who lined up to meet O'Grady at a book-signing Saturday night at the Media Play in Fort Union. Salt Lake City, O'Grady's new hometown, is the most recent stop in his 20-city book tour, promoting his book "Return With Honor."
Some of the people there had been waiting since O'Grady was rescued six months ago to meet the captain. Cheryl Evans, from Utah Valley Medical Center, has been trying to enlist O'Grady to speak at a nurses conference in Midway.
"I've tried the Pentagon, Hill Air Force Base, even his wing commander. Now I've come to see him myself," she said.
Teri Reynolds-Rogers, 41, was the first in line, waiting with her two daughters. She went to O'Grady's book-signing in Ogden Friday night, but the line was too long.
Reynolds-Rogers and her husband had been looking forward to meeting O'Grady for a long time, because they had worked at the same university, Embery-Ridell, that the captain attended. Reynold-Rogers' husband died a few weeks ago of brain cancer. "We almost made it," she said.
Reynolds-Rogers, who is studying medicine at the University of Utah, said she admires O'Grady because he represents the good side of the armed forces and supports good Christian values.
Mary Fasig, 29, came hoping to get O'Grady to speak at the Utah Catholic Diocese Summer Youth Conference. "It's not cool to be religious anymore," she said. "It's important for kids to know that there are adults who are good people."
After meeting with O'Grady, who has received several proposals for marriage since he became a national hero last June, Fasig had to admit the captain is also kind of cute.
After he signed her book, Barbara Weiler, 30, who is from O'Grady's hometown of Spokane, Wash., said "and I'm single, and I'm Catholic, my Dad told me to tell you." O'Grady agreed to have his picture taken with her.
O'Grady is an unusual author, said Joanne deBiasi, promotions manager for Media Play. He makes a special effort to sign everyone's book. "He told us in the back office that he's willing to stay until 10:30," she said.
Most authors on the New York Times best-seller list make people take numbers, she said.
O'Grady's book is currently the 10th top seller in non-fiction. "We are looking forward to it going number one over Howard Stern's book," deBiasi said.