By Daily Mail Reporter A decorated Navy pilot turned U.S. Senate candidate from Nebraska who once went down over China is catching heat from fellow soldiers over claims he's a hero. Shane Osborn, 39, was awarded the Navy's highest honor for piloting prowess after he skillfully maneuvered to land his damaged spy plane in April 2001, but as the midterm elections heat up, critics are becoming more vocal in decrying his decision as counter to centuries of Navy tradition. 'Once they landed on land, it was U.S. property. You shouldn't surrender it,' prominent naval analyst Norman Polmar told the Omaha World-Herald.
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Shane Osborn saved 23 crewmen in 2001 when he landed a badly damaged spy plane in China before being taken prisoner
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Some Navy experts say the decorated pilot should never have allowed the plane to land in the hands of the Chinese
Osborn, seen here hugging his girlfriend after returning home from being held in @placeholder for 11 days, piloted a nearly unflyable spy plane to safety in China in 2001