They have played key roles in rescues in every major and minor conflict from Korea to modern-day Iraq and Afghanistan.
PJ’s are also by far the most decorated enlisted airman of all time. Since that time, “PJs,” “Maroon Berets,” or “Rescue Rangers” as they have been affectionately been called over the years, have been responsible for saving thousands of downed aircrew and soldiers’ lives. That makes it older than the Air Force itself (established 1947).
This Air Force job was officially born as part of the Army Air Corps back in March of 1946. This laid the foundation for what is known today as an Air Force Pararescueman (PJ). The new rescue force would be tasked to quickly get to downed airmen and soldiers in situations like this one. This event made those in charge of the Army Air Force keenly aware of the immediate need to create a highly specialized rescue force. Once they dropped into the crash area, they tended to the needs of the sick and wounded until a rescue team finally arrived almost a month later. Related Article – Air Force Aerospace & Operational Physiology (4M0X1): Career Details Don Flickinger ultimately became a Brigadier General. This meant the only way to get these men the attention they badly needed was by parachute drop.Īrmy Lieutenant Colonel Don Fleckinger and two Army Corpsman volunteered for the task. There was no way for the Army to get to these men and help the injured in a timely manner because of that extremely remote location. The area where these troops bailed out was in a super-remote jungle near the China-Burmese border. In 1943, some 21 soldiers were forced to bail out of the disabled C-46 transport aircraft that they were traveling in. PJ Weapons and Gear Brief History of PJ’s The Pararescue brotherhood is respected highly by not only other Air Force members, but also by other military branches and those in the civilian community as well. Those that wear it become part of a select brotherhood. The training is hard, and extreme discipline is demanded, but anyone that does this Air Force Job will tell you they have never been prouder than the moment that they were allowed to wear the ‘maroon beret’. These are jobs that are typically hard enough to do on their own let alone in combination with one another while under fire. Related Article: DEVGRU: Selection, Squadrons, Gear, Notable Missions, And Moreĭuring the training phase of this job, one will learn to become part combat airman and part emergency medical technician. These dedicated Air Force Combat Medics are willing to lay it all on the line to help their military brethren and others that have found themselves in harm’s way.Īir Force tactical rescue and recovery specialists think nothing of going behind enemy lines during wartime to rescue an aviator that has ejected from an aircraft, or braving a hurricane in peacetime to help rescue those that have been caught in its path. If you think you do, then you will have to live up to their motto, “That Others May Live.”
Do you have what it takes to become an Air Force Pararescueman?
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