That Others May Live - Motto of an Air Force Special Operations Team

"That Others May Live," is the motto of an Air Force Special Operations team whose primary mission is to recover personnel. Search and rescue is a fundamental military operation in both peacetime and war. The Air Force has organized a group of trained professionals whose service dates back to World War II. These professionals are known today as Pararescuemen; however, they were previously called Parajumpers or PJs. (unknown,2005)

The need for Pararescuemen was a direct result of the increasing number of aircrew casualties and downed aircraft during World War II. Preceding the United States involvement in the war the United States Forest service used parachutes equipped with steering technology to quickly access the site of forest fires. This technological advancement proved that precision landing was possible for pararescuemen. In the China Burma India Theater of Operations Captain John L. Porter and Lt Col Don Flickenger pieced together an effective search and rescue program. Each rescue team had its own medical and survival specialists. 2 August 1943, Lt Col Flickinger, who was a flight surgeon, teamed with Sergeant Passey and Corporal MacKenzie, who were Combat Surgical Technicians, to find and rescue a twenty-manned crew in the very dangerous lands of Naga Country. Because of their successful use of parachutes and enemy evasion, many Air Force pararescuemen look at this mission as the beginning of pararescue although they were not authorized in an official capacity until July1947 (Cassidy,1999).

Today the pararescue career field goes through an extensive seventy-four and a half weeks of training plus the standard emergency medical technician training at 6 different locations. By far, they are among the most highly trained emergency trauma specialist that the military has to offer. Pararescuemen are not limited to the battlefield; they also use their capabilities to evacuate personnel in humanitarian environments and perform recovery support for NASA . http://www2.afsoc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=217&page=1

"It is the USAF Pararescue Specialty that melds the skills of other professions'Ð'--Ð'--medicine, survival, parachuting, combat swimmer, and small team tactical expertiseÐ'--Ð'--into a unique capability that deals with the many problems and dangers facing rescue "so that others may live."" (Cassidy, 1999)

"First there," is the motto of Air Force Combat Controllers. When it comes to unconventional warfare Combat Controllers are the tip of the sword. They are the first deployed into air restricted areas and it is their job to set up navigational aid equipment to guide aircraft for landing on makeshift runways without the benefit of air traffic control towers or other vital communication systems. Combat controllers are in place well before main assault