As a former U.S. Air Force Pararescueman (1967-1977), and a fairly regular member of these Scubaboard forums, I have been asked to put together a thread on USAF Pararescue as it applies to SCUBA diving. But in order to do that, I need to tell you a bit about what Pararescuemen (PJs) do, and what we were required to do going through our "pipeline" of training. This is best described not by me, but by a letter that General Allison C. Brooks sent to my parents (which I didn't know about until much later). This letter describes what we were about to go through in 1967 as we sought to become PJs.
We were trained to penetrate into the site of an accident or, under combat conditions, of someone in trouble, provide medical aid on-scene, and evacuate the survivor (and sometimes the bodies) of the people we came to help. To do this, we used whatever means of transport was available. Sometimes that was a fixed-wing aircraft, from which we would parachute. Sometimes that was a helicopter, and we would either deploy feet-wet by jumping or by descending from the helicopter hoist.
Our symbol was the PJ Shield, which is shown below. The shield shows a parachute backdrop for an angel who's arms encircle the world, with the inscription below it "That Others May Live." That short inscription is part of the Code of an Air Rescue Man, written by General Richard T. Knight, Commander, Air Rescue Service 1946-1952*:
SeaRat
*Pararescue, 50 Years, 1943-1993, A Commemorative History, Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas, 1996, page 2.
This thread will describe some of my experiences, and that of others, as it relates to diving and Pararescue. Realize that diving was a small part of our duties, and that we combined recreational use of scuba with currency dives, for instance diving in Okinawa for lobsters while logging a currency dive. But some of it was very, very serious, such as your use of parascuba to get from the air into the water.Dear Mr. & Mrs. Donald E. Ratliff August 7, 1967
1. I wish to take this opportunity to acquaint you with the very important work that your son has chosen in the Air Force.
2. As the Commander of the United States Air Force Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, I have closely observed the work of the pararescuemen, the career for which your son is training. Air Force pararescuemen are a special, select group. They are precision parachutists, highly trained medical technicians, experts of survival under any conditions and SCUBA experts - these men go anywhere, at any time, to relieve suffering, return persons to safe havens, and contribute to the saving of lives. Those who have seen pararescuemen in action claim that "They are all things to all persons in time of need."
3. There are five training schools: Airborne, Medical, SCUBA Diving, Survival, and Pararescue Technician. Volunteers for pararescue work must first go through a screening process at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas to determine if they have the qualifications for this job. If they are selected, they are sent to the Army's Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. During the three-week parachute course, the pararescue trainee participates in strenuous physical training drills. After a few days of training, he must be able to run four miles at a pace set by his instructor. In addition, he practices parachute jump procedures and landing falls. The final week of the course is devoted to making parachute jumps from an aircraft, the fifth of which is the qualifying jump. For those who are able to complete the course, this rugged training pays off when they eventually deal with actual rescue emergencies. The next step is the School of Aviation Medicine at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. In an extensive four-week course, future pararescuemen learn emergency medical techniques. They learn how to diagnose and treat, on their own, all but the most serious and complex injuries and illnesses. For cases requiring the medical skill of a surgeon or doctor, each man learns to describe complicated injuries, by radio, to enable the doctor to guide his hands -- even in minor surgery. They study such widely varied subjects as preventative medicine, dentistry, chemical and biological warfare, radiological decontamination, and surgery. When they leave Sheppard, pararescue trainees know how to treat anything from headaches to skull fractures, and from hangnails to injuries requiring amputation, practically anything except the common cold.
4. At the U.S. Navy Underwater Swimmers School, Key West, Florida, your son will learn from the finest divers in the world, the art of living and working in the sea, using Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA).
5. The Pararescue trainee then reports to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, for three weeks Advanced Survival Course where he will receive intensive instruction in the fine art of survival under primitive conditions. He will learn to find water in deserts, and how to shelter himself and others from sun, rain and cold. Through continuous maneuvers, the pararescuemen learn how to survive, how best to travel over fissured terrain, mountains, snow and desert. They learn to find their way out of the most inaccessible areas into which they have jumped, and how to bring survivors out with them.
6. When the trainee completes the required courses, he is assigned to the Pararescue Technician School, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for advanced training. The training at Eglin AFB continues the strong emphasis on physical conditioning and individual ability. The first four courses may be attended in any order; however, the Pararescue Technician School at Eglin will bring together all of the techniques learned in the others, and provide the specialized training needed for your son to become a highly skilled pararescueman.
7. Traditionally, the pararescuemen have one primary mission -- to rescue persons in distress. Recently, pararescuemen trained in underwater rescue operations, have been assigned an additional duty -- recovering missiles and space capsules from the ocean following their flight through space. Regardless of increased responsibility, pararescuemen keep themselves ready at all times to perform their acts of mercy. They spend their spare time perfecting new types of equipment and techniques -- anything that will help save a life. A famed radio commentator1, who found himself among a group of survivors saved by pararescuemen, has paid them a tribute difficult to surpass, "Gallant is a precious word; however, they deserve it."
8. You may be justifiably proud that you son has volunteered and has been chosen for this rigorous duty. Each step through his training marks him as "One of the Few." His reward will be a strong sense of accomplishment, and a great pride in himself and his choice to do these things "That Others May Live."
ALLISON C. BROOKS, Brigadier General, USAF
Commander
1 That radio commentator was Eric Sevareid, who was rescued in August 1943 from near the China-Burma border when they parachuted from their C-46 aircraft that had developed engine trouble. “The Wing Surgeon, Lieutenant Colonel Don Flicking, and two of his medical corpsmen, Sergeant Harlod Passey and Corporal William MacKenzie,” jumped to these men in the jungle, treated them for their injuries, and conducted an “…overland trip of at least ten or twelve days through unexplored headhunter territory…” to complete the first ever pararescue mission.
PARARESCUE, 50 Years, 1943-1993, A Commemorative History, The Pararescue Association, Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas, 1996, pages. 7-8.
We were trained to penetrate into the site of an accident or, under combat conditions, of someone in trouble, provide medical aid on-scene, and evacuate the survivor (and sometimes the bodies) of the people we came to help. To do this, we used whatever means of transport was available. Sometimes that was a fixed-wing aircraft, from which we would parachute. Sometimes that was a helicopter, and we would either deploy feet-wet by jumping or by descending from the helicopter hoist.
Our symbol was the PJ Shield, which is shown below. The shield shows a parachute backdrop for an angel who's arms encircle the world, with the inscription below it "That Others May Live." That short inscription is part of the Code of an Air Rescue Man, written by General Richard T. Knight, Commander, Air Rescue Service 1946-1952*:
This thread will include stories from the USAF Pararescue, some of them mine, some of them from others. My particular history is that I started going through the training in early 1967, graduated in September of 1967, then served first in Okinawa, then Korea, then Bermuda and Florida, and finally in Vietnam. I then got out of the USAF, and re-enlisted the next year (1972) and served another five years with the 304th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (Reserve) in Portland, Oregon while I went through Oregon State University. While in the USAF Reserves, we had to maintain all the currency requirements of those PJs in the Regular USAF. So these stories will come from my experiences (which I'm currently compiling into a book), and from what I've heard from others. I invite other PJs and former PJs to tell their stories here too, and those who have been rescued or had contact with PJs, mostly as they pertain to water activities (this is ScubaBoard, after all).CODE OF AN AIR RESCUE MAN
It is my duty, as a member of the Air Rescue Service, to save life and to aid the injured.
I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desire and comforts.
These things I do that others may live.
Richard T. Knight
Brig. General, USAF Retired
SeaRat
*Pararescue, 50 Years, 1943-1993, A Commemorative History, Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas, 1996, page 2.
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