Personal Life
O'Grady was born in Brooklyn, New York, a son of William P. O'Grady and Mary Lou Scardapane (née Giustra, remarried), and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington. He is a former cadet in the Civil Air Patrol and a 1989 Air Force ROTC graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's campus in Prescott, Arizona. Three years after his rescue, O'Grady transferred from active duty in the regular U.S. Air Force to the Air Force Reserve, where he continued to fly the F-16. In May 2007, he completed a master's degree in biblical studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He resides in Frisco in Collin County, Texas.
O'Grady is an active Republican, having spoken at the 1996 Republican convention in support of Bob Dole. In 2004, O'Grady, supporting George W. Bush for re-election, accused Bush's opponent John Kerry of "treason" for actions taken during the Vietnam War. More recently O'Grady endorsed Brian Birdwell in his successful 2010 bid for the Texas State Senate; Birdwell is a recovered burn victim of the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. On September 19, 2011, O'Grady announced his own candidacy for the Texas statehouse, seeking the 2012 Republican nomination in Senate District 8 following the retirement of Sen. Florence Shapiro. But O'Grady dropped out of the race in early 2012, claiming Shapiro had reneged on a promise to support him in the primary. O'Grady also cited the uncertainties over the Texas redistricting fight as a reason to suspend his campaign.
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