George R Osborne
Rank: SSgt
Entered Into Eternal Rest
2020-11-26
George was born August 13, 1961, in Bad Constatt-Stuttgart Military Hospital in Germany. The beginning of his life was spent on the move, common for Military families. Eventually, his family settled in Monterey, California where George attended high school.
He applied for early admission into the United States Airforce. The aerospace was only part of the way he wished to go. From a young age, he dreamed of being an astronaut, even telling his mother he would be the first man on the moon. That might not have come to fruition, but what he did achieve saved lives, as well as gave life.
After basic training in Texas, George was assigned to Minot, North Dakota at a missile base. There, he was selected to attend, and completed, special forces training for Combat Control. 100 service members started and only 5 completed training, with George top of his class.
Even after he retired, he still wore Combat Control tennis shoes, he was a lifetime member and kept memorabilia proudly displayed around the house. This love manifested in smaller ways, means that he could continue to honor his brothers and sisters in arms. No matter where we were, if we had gone to the movies or to a restaurant, if George saw someone in uniform, he would quietly and discreetly pick up their check or pay for their popcorn. His mother spoke of how during memorials, his family would release a red balloon to commemorate his father. George would always insist on one more being released, for those that could not be found and brought home. They were always on his mind and weighed on his heart.
After 16 years, many missions and two wars, George felt the need to channel his desire to help and give into another pursuit. He wanted to become a physician. Even in the military, he was accepted in the ultra-elite Combat Control and voted by his fellow servicemen as the one they all wanted as their leader. I imagine this piece of the puzzle is recognizable to those who knew him even in the medical profession. He was a leader in his own way, always ready and eager to take someone’s shift, if it was needed, to stay late and lend a hand to anyone who showed signs of fatigue. He would greet his partners and coworkers with a smile and joke, which either you got, or you didn’t, it didn’t matter, you still had to laugh.
