Air Force Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer service members, veterans and their families. We execute our mission guided by three goals:
Relieve the physical and psychological demands of service
Provide tragedy, transition, and education assistance
Honor the commitment and sacrifice of those who live by the motto: "These Things We Do, That Others May Live"
U.S. Air Force Parares
cuemen, also known as “PJs,” and their Combat Rescue Officer leaders are the only US force specifically trained and equipped to execute the most dangerous and technical rescue operations worldwide. Regardless of enemy threat or environmental conditions, these elite warriors stand ready to find isolated and injured people, render expert medical care, and return them safely. Such selfless service takes a toll on military families. These warriors operate at a convergence of roles known to be high-risk for Post-Traumatic Stress: ground combat, trauma medicine, and the recovery of human remains. Also, the physical burden of carrying patients, rescue equipment, and combat loads through parachute insertions, armed conflict, open ocean swims, glacier travel and mountainous terrain routinely results in chronic physical and neurological damage. As part of the U.S. Air Force - Special Warfare team, Pararescuemen are the only Department of Defense elite combat forces specifically organized, trained, equipped, and postured to conduct full spectrum Personnel Recovery to include both conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations. These Battlefield Airmen are the most highly trained and versatile Personnel Recovery specialists in the world. Pararescue is the nation’s force of choice to execute the most perilous, demanding, and extreme rescue missions anytime, anywhere across the globe. The 500+ PJs are assigned to Guardian Angel and Special Tactics Squadrons throughout the Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Air Force components. They operate most often as independent teams but routinely serve alongside other US and Allied Special Operations Forces.
