‘Guardian Angels’ swoop down from above to save lives

Published Nov. 3, 2005
By Julie Ray
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- To Hurricane Katrina victims pararescuemen were angels. To injured Airmen they’re saviors.

Known as “PJs,” these Airmen are part of an elite team specially trained in combat recovery and rescue. For 16 PJs with the 58th Rescue Squadron here, the military training they have paid off when they plucked civilians and pets off rooftops after Hurricane Katrina.

“We picked up a lot of old ladies, and they told us we were like angels from the sky,” said PJ Staff Sgt. Mike Maroney. “Then they gave us a hug and a kiss.”

In all, Sergeant Maroney estimates he helped rescue more than 160 people after Katrina. His supervisor, Master Sgt. Greggory Plasch the Katrina experience is one he won’t soon forget.

“Being in my own country and rescuing American citizens had a big impact on me,” the operations sergeant said. “We’re set up for combat rescue. That means the people we pick up are usually (injured but otherwise) healthy people. But with Katrina, it ran the whole gamut -- from infants to elderly. That part was pretty intense."

In some cases the PJs went down for a rescue, but the people wouldn’t leave because they didn’t want to leave pets behind.

“Some stranded people said the only way they would come with us is if we took their dogs -- and they were big dogs,” Sergeant Plasch said. “We put the first dog in a backpack and hoisted him up."

After sending the two women up to safety, the sergeant had to go up with another dog, which clung to him. All made it safety.

“The funniest part of the whole situation was when we were all safe in the helicopter -- the woman said she forgot to lock her door,” she said.

Tech. Sgt. Keith O’Grady, said he has never seen the kind of devastation Katrina and Rita caused.

“I was deployed to both of the hurricane recovery missions,” the PJ said. “It felt good helping Americans -- our own people.”

Sergeant O’Grady said many people “didn’t realize how bad the devastation was until they were hoisted up into the helicopter. Almost everyone I rescued burst into tears.”

Being able to rescue people requires years of training and dedication. For the 250 active-duty Airmen worldwide who aid in combat recovery and rescue, it all starts at technical school.

Senior Airman Brad Woodward said going through the PJ pipeline is not easy.

“The pipeline consists of (eight) schools a PJ must complete and pass before he is awarded his beret,” Airman Woodward said. “From beginning to end, going through the pipeline can take anywhere from 18 months to two years.”

The schools are pararescue and combat control indoctrination; scuba, paramedic and airborne; survival, evasion, resistant, and escape; underwater egress; freefall and apprentice.

The first -- and probably the hardest course -- is the indoctrination course, according to Airman Woodward. This course determines whether Airmen will make it as a PJ. The drop-out rate can be as high as 85 percent. The 10-week course consists of running, calisthenics, swimming, water confidence events, open-water compass swims, obstacle course, weight training, weapons qualification, motivational week, CPR, altitude chamber, pipeline briefings and academics.

“I think everybody would attest to the indoctrination courses in the pipeline as being the most demanding,” Airman Woodward said. “This is where they weed out the weak. This is probably the most mentally and physically challenging course because you are put in very uncomfortable situations.”

He said, “You might go through exercises where your air is taken away from you. It’s exciting to go through the training, and it’s necessary for the job because when you are put in real-life scenarios you can’t afford for someone to quit or give up when they are trying to rescue someone.”

Second Lt. Jason Egger, officer in charge of the squadron, said the unit’s primary mission is combat search and rescue and personnel recovery. But the unit trains for the whole spectrum of personnel recovery. That’s where the survival evasion resistant escape element comes in with combat rescue officers and the pararescuemen.

“Our weapon system is called ‘The Guardian Angel,’” Lieutenant Egger said. “There are three career fields in the weapon system.” They include SERE (survival, evasion, resistant, and escape), pararescuemen and combat rescue officer.

“There are five phases of a recovery mission -- report, locate, support, recover and reintegrate. CROs are responsible for phase four recovery,” Lieutenant Egger said. “SERE takes care of phases one, two, three and five, whereas the CRO participates in all five of the phases.”

For Airman David Schumacher, a squadron SERE specialist, it took awhile to realize he wanted to become a pararescuemen.

“I planned to get out of the Air Force after I received my degree,” he said. “But I decided I wanted to become a PJ.”

He knows he’s in for a long haul, and he is training daily to prepare himself for the hardest part of the pipeline: in February he goes to the indoctrination course.

The PJs were a welcome site to the people who survived Katrina and Rita. Many owe their lives to the world-class training these Airmen receive.

Lieutenant Egger makes no bones about it -- he said his unit is the best-trained recovery force in the world.

“I am lucky to be here and work with these guys,” the lieutenant said. “I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.”

A big thank you