As you may know the United States military has many different branches and contingents. Many are unknown to the average person, some include Navy SEALS, Green Berets, and Delta Force. One that is even less known is the US Air Force Pararescue Jumpers, or PJs. These people risk there lives everyday to pull wounded soldiers out of ‘hot’ situations. These men risk their lives everyday, “that others may live.” This is their motto.

Pararescue Jumpers are a special operations group that are within the Air Force. As you can imagine, this job is very physically demanding. There are numerous physical requirements, some include the ability to swim well, and must score at least a 100 on the PAST test, or Physical Ability and Stamina Test. Some of the physical requirements will follow at the end of the paper. It is highly recommended that you reach the maximum for each of these tests, as it is more likely you will make it through to specialized training. If you do in fact pass the PAST test you are then in the PJ Candidate Course, where you train to become a full PJ.

After you complete the Candidate Course, you then must attend US Army Airborne School (3 weeks long), then you must attend US Army Combat Divers School (4 weeks long), then US Navy Underwater Egress Training (1 day), US Air Force Basic Survival School (2.5 weeks long), and finally US Army Free-fall Parachutist School (5 weeks). After all of that you then must attend 2 specialized courses that are geared to PJs. These courses are Special Operations Combat Medic Course (22 weeks) and Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course (20 weeks). The road to becoming a PJ is not a short or easy one, but many say it is worth the work; to bring someone’s son, brother, sister, husband wife home. It is definitely worth the work.

Physical Requirements
- 2 x 25 m sub surface swim no time limit
- 500 m swim 10:07 or less (sub 9 min)
- 30 min rest
- 1.5 mile run 9:47 or less (sub 9 min)
- 10 min rest
- 10 pull ups min (20+)
- 2 min rest
- 58 sit ups min (100+)
- 2 min rest
- 54 push ups min (100+`