Join Julia and Ava as they sit down with Colonel (Ret.) Craig Osborne. Col. Osborne was commissioned as an infantry officer by the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at Illinois State University in 1989. He served on active duty for 30 years in a variety of command and staff positions in peace, peace enforcement, humanitarian, and combat operations. He first deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1991 as part of the lead task force in Operation Desert Shield and later served nearly five total years in combat as part of Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. During his service, Colonel Osborne commanded units ranging from platoon to brigade and served as a staff officer at the battalion, brigade, division, and combatant command levels in addition to an assignment on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. His awards and decorations include five Bronze Star medals, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge with Star, the Ranger Tab, the Senior Parachutist’s Badge, and the Pathfinder Badge; he is also a recipient of the prestigious Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for the Army. Colonel Osborne has earned four master’s degrees and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Creighton University.

---

The mission of The 9:57 Project is to connect Veterans with young people in order to perpetuate Courage, Resilience, Service, Teamwork, and the legacy of Flight 93. At 9:57 AM on 9/11, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 fought back, saving the U.S. Capitol Building and preventing further loss of life. Their actions were the first successful counterattack in the War on Terror. Our Veterans share the "Spirit of 9:57" with young people in order to perpetuate this legacy and the leadership traits exhibited on board the plane that day. Those values are the ones young people need to thrive and succeed in today's world.

• Student-centered curricula: www.the957project.org/linesoffire
• Post-9/11 Veteran to visits to schools: www.veteranvisits.org
• Immersive summer leadership program: www.the957project.org/summer
• Connect to arrange a trip to the Flight 93 National Memorial: connect@the957project.org

Send a note to connect@the957project.org to connect with us!

---

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The 9:57 Project.