United States Air Force Pararescue - Notable Pararescuemen

Notable Pararescuemen

• PJ Medical Service Corps Capt. John Shumate (who had been head of the Pararescue and Survival School at MacDill AFB) earned the Silver Star when he retrieved an injured pilot under enemy fire and carried him back to a waiting helicopter in October 1952.

• PJ Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger was awarded the Air Force Cross posthumously for his actions during the Vietnam War. His medal was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

• PJ Tech Sergeant Wayne Fisk earned a Silver Star for his role in the Son Tay Prison raid in November 1970, and another Silver Star for participating in the SS Mayaguez rescue in May 1975. During the Mayaguez rescue, Fisk was the last U.S. serviceman to personally engage the enemy in Southeast Asia. Other medals earned during his five tours in Vietnam include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Air Medal with 17 oak leaf clusters.

• PJ Airman Second Class Duane D. Hackney was awarded the Air Force Cross for actions while recovering a downed pilot in North Vietnam, on 6 February 1967.

• PJ Sergeant Larry W. Maysey was awarded the Air Force Cross for actions in a night recovery of an infiltration team in which several recovery aircraft—including his own—were shot down in Southeast Asia on 9 November 1967.
• PJ Senior Airman Joseph R. Weeks was awarded the Silver Star for actions during Classified Operation in 1979.
• PJ Tech. Sgt. Tim Wilkinson was a recipient of the Air Force Cross for his heroic actions in the Battle Of Mogadishu, Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.
• PJ Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for actions on 4 March 2002, during the Battle of Takur Ghar.

• PJ Senior Master Sergeant John Brehm wrote the first ever book about the story of a PJ. The book, entitled That Others May Live copyright 2000, tells the story of SMSGT Brehm's life in the military as a pararescueman and as a husband and father of five. Pararescue jumpers, or PJs, are the military's most elite force, a highly trained group of men serving in the Air Force and the National Guard. In battle, they fly behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots. In peacetime, PJs stay sharp with daring civilian rescues, recovering victims from scorching deserts, treacherous mountaintops, raging seas, and natural disasters. Their almost unimaginable courage first came to the public's attention in Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, with that book's riveting account of how a helicopter of PJs plunged into the Atlantic during a tragic rescue attempt. Senior Master Sergeant Jack Brehm was the PJ supervisor coordinating their dramatic efforts that night.

• PJ Staff Sgt Scott Fales was a recipient of the Silver Star for his heroic action in the Battle of Mogadishu, Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993. In addition Retired Air Force Master Sgt. and pararescueman Scott Fales received U.S. Special Operations Command’s highest honor when he was awarded the 2012 Bull Simons Award in Tampa, Fla., May 23. This lifetime achievement award, named for Army Col. Arthur “Bull” Simons, honors the spirit, values, and skills of the unconventional warrior. His extensive career in special operations has spanned more than three decades both in uniform and as a civil servant. As a “PJ,” Fales was recognized by the Jolly Green’s Association performing “Rescue of the Year” twice and in 1992 he was one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airman. His combat experiences were on the battlefields of Panama, Iraq and Somalia. His work as a civilian with the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency has been instrumental in the rescue of hostages around the world.

• PJ (rank unknown) Wil Willis was the star of a Military Channel show entitled Special Ops Mission and later served as the host of Triggers: Weapons That Changed the World on that same network. Both shows aired only 6 episodes of a single season. Wil Willis has also appeared as a weapons expert on History Channel's Top Shot.