What is the training life like for a wife to a PJ husband?

Question

My husband is joining the air force for Para rescue. We have heard the training is about 18 months and during that 18 months we will not be able to live together and that he will not be stationed anywhere until he is done with training. Does anyone know if this is true and also, how dangerous is being a PJ, his recruiter is telling him there hasn't been a death in that field since 9/11. As much detail on this subject would be greatly appreciated it. I just want to know what I have to prepare for.

Answer 1

Please don't listen to Maxwell, he's full of it and isn't now nor was he ever a PJ given the answer he gave you.



The training pipeline is about two years when all is said and done. Some get through faster than others. A lot has to do with slots, some of our training requires us to go through other schools and we are dependent on them giving us the slots needed. It's gotten better since we opened our own dive school, however.



Your husband's recruiter is talking out of his fourth point of contact, here's the deal:



Once he finishes Indoc and SCUBA, he will PCS to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Which means you will move there with him and be given on post or off post housing - that's where you will be stationed. He won't be home much due to the shools he will have to complete, airborne, SERE, etc. But once he's finished with those, he will return to Kirtland for the medical and pararescue portion of the training.



Yes, the job is dangerous. We lose PJs in training, peacetime missions and wartime missions. And yes, we've had PJs killed since 9/11 - your husband's recruiter is an idiot.



What offsets the danger is the training, it's top notch and truly prepares us for what we have to face in our job. It's just that sometimes, bad things happen. This is something you will have to accept and find a way to deal with. My wife struggled with it but does fine now.



A good site for you to read would be www.specialtactics.com Register for the forums and read through all of the information there. There is a family support section as well. The site is maintained by a retired PJ and many current PJs post on there as well, you can be sure to get the straight and correct answer there rather than having to filter through liars like Maxwell on here.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

With every day pass, our country is getting into more and more trouble. The inflation, unemployment and falling value of dollar are the main concern for our Government but authorities are just sleeping, they don’t want to face the fact. Media is also involve in it, they are force to stop showing the real economic situation to the people. I start getting more concern about my future as well as my family after watching the response of our Government for the people that affected by hurricane Katrina.



According to recent studies made by World Bank, the coming crisis will be far worse than initially predicted. So if you're already preparing for the crisis (or haven't started yet) make sure you watch this video at http://www.familysurvival.tv and discover the 4 BIG issues you'll have to deal with when the crisis hits, and how to solve them fast (before the disaster strikes your town!) without spending $1,000s on overrated items and useless survival books.

Answer 4

Having been through PJ school. I can say what you already know is all there is to know. He will still be stationed out of his permanent Duty base, However, it will all be TDY tours. The Para Rescue team is the USAF equivalent of the Navy SEALS, or the Green Berret's.



The majority of the training is hard work, but more mental strees than anything. Just like Basic training was. The hardest part of the course is the medical training. I'm not sure about the final examine NOW, but in 91 when I went through, we had to keep a goat alive for 24 hours after it was gutshot, with double 00 buckshot at 10 yards.

Answer 5

Give him your full support. Your hubby will undergo one of the hardest training there is to mankind. They receive some of the similar training provided to US Navy SEALS but PJs save lives compare the SEALS' search and destroy. The job is dangerous, performing rescue missions on any type of disaster combat or noncombat related, those guys live up to their mottor "So Others May Live".

Answer 6

KJ deserves 10 points for his answer. If Maxwell was even in the military than he would know that you don't disclose training information...even from 1991!



No one can expound on KJ's answer!

Answer 7

123rd Sts

Answer 8

You concern is appreciated...I am giving you a detailed link with info about Pararescue training. As for deaths in the career field, there are risks and have been injuries in this job as any. I will not b.s. you. Yet,this a great future your husband embarks on so think positive and don't dwell on the hazards.



Here is the basics of the job:



. INCENTIVES.

There are a lot of incentives for becoming a Pararesceman or Combat Controller. These incentives include: education, distinctive uniforms, travel, and several additional pays.



8.1 Education.

By completing Pararescue or Combat Control training, you have earned college credits with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Currently, technical and upgrade training is worth over 32 semester hours towards an Associates Degree in Applied Science or Survival and Rescue Operations.



8.2 Distinction

8.2.1 Pararescuemen wear the distinctive maroon beret with flash.

8.2.2 Combat Controllers wear the distinctive scarlet beret with flash.

8.2.3 PJs and CCT are highly recognized throughout the DOD for their special operations capabilities and expertise.



8.3 Travel. Pararescuemen and Combat Controllers travel extensively in support of the Air Force's global mission. You will support sister service components, allied forces, humanitarian relief efforts, and other commitments.



8.4 Additional Pays. Both specialties receive three of the following incentive/special duty pays:

8.4.1 SCUBA/Dive pay: $150.00

8.4.2 Parachutist pay: $150.00 - $225.00*

8.4.3 Special Duty Incentive Pay (SDIP): $110.00 - $275.00**

8.4.4 Demolition's pay: $150.00



* When you become free fall qualified, your pay increases to the $225.00 amount.



** After graduation from all training, you will receive $110 per month in SDIP. Afterwards, it will increase based on skill level achievement and time at that skill level.



9. DUTY LOCATIONS

9.1 Pararescue

9.1.1 Hurlburt Field, FL

9.1.2 Holloman AFB, NM CLOSED

9.1.3 Nellis AFB, NE

9.1.4 Kirtland AFB, NM

9.1.5 Lackland AFB, TX

9.1.6 Pope AFB, NC

9.1.7 Moody AFB, GA

9.1.8 Kadena Air Base, Okinawa

9.1.9 Keflavik Air Station, Iceland CLOSED

9.1.10 RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom

9.1.11 MCChord AFB, WA CLOSED FOR PJs

9.1.12. Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ





9.2 Guard/Reserve Pararescue

9.2.1 Suffolk County, NY

9.2.2 Moffett Field, CA

9.2.3 Portland IAP, OR

9.2.4 Patrick AFB, FL

9.2.5 Kulis ANG, AK

9.2.6 Louisville ANG, KY

9.2.7 Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ



9.3 Combat Control

9.3.1 Pope AFB, NC

9.3.2 Hurlburt Field, FL

9.3.3 McChord AFB, WA

9.3.4 Kadena Air Base, Okinawa

9.3.5 RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom

9.3.6 Lackland AFB, TX





9.4 Guard Combat Control

9.4.1 Kentucky ANG, 123rd STS

9.4.2. Oregon ANG, 125th STS



10. THE TRAINING PIPELINE.

Your training will take approximately 12-15 months. It includes eight schools for each specialty. You will be offered to take leave at some point during training, but this cannot be guaranteed. Students travel from school to school as a class, with the ranking student in charge. Training consists of the following schools:



10.1 The Pararescue/Combat Rescue Officer Indoctrination Course.

10 weeks, Lackland AFB, TX. The mission of the Indoctrination Course is to recruit, select and train future PJs and CROs. At this school you will participate in extensive physical conditioning with lots of swimming, running, weight training and calisthenics. This course helps prepare you for the rigors of training and the demands of these lifestyles. Other training accomplished at this course includes physiological training, obstacle course, rucksack marches, dive physics, dive tables, metric manipulations, medical terminology, dive terminology, CPR, weapons qualifications, history of PJs, and leadership reaction course. Graduation of this course is "your ticket to ride" the pipeline and begin learning those special skills that make PJs highly regarded special operators.



10.2. The Combat Control Orientation Course. Introduces airmen to Combat Control history, missions, and career field specific skills. Students are required to participate in a rigorous physical fitness program that introduces them to physical exercises that are conducted during the pipeline. The course includes the following events: running, swimming, calisthenics, weight training, sports nutrition, sports medicine, M-16/M-9 weapons qualification, CPR qualification, and Combat Control related skills. Upon graduation, students attend the following pipeline courses: ATC - Air Traffic Control School 15.5 weeks, US Army Airborne Parachutist 3 weeks, US Air Force Combat Survival 2.5 weeks, US Air Force Underwater Egress Training 1 day, and Combat Control School 13 weeks (AFSC awarding course).



10.3 U.S. Army Airborne School. 3 weeks, Fort Benning, GA.

Here you learn the basic parachuting skills required to infiltrate an objective area by static line airdrop. This course includes ground operations week, tower week, and jump week where you make 5 actual parachute jumps. Personnel who complete this training are awarded the basic parachutist rating and are allowed to wear the coveted parachutist's wings.



10.4 U.S. Army Combat Divers School.

4 weeks, Key West, FL. Here you become a combat diver and learn to use SCUBA and the draegger to infiltrate areas undetected. This course provides training to depths of 130 ft, stressing development of maximum underwater mobility under various operating conditions. (NOTE: CCT and STO attend this course during AST training.



10.5 U.S. Navy Underwater Egress Training.

1 day, Pensacola NAS, FL. This course teaches how to safely escape from an aircraft that has ditched in the water. Instruction includes principles, procedures, and techniques necessary to get out of a sinking aircraft. Training requires personnel to actually experience water entry in a training device and perform underwater egress.



10.6 U.S. Air Force Basic Survival School.

2.5 weeks, Fairchild AFB, WA. This course teaches basic survival techniques for remote areas--using minimal equipment. This includes instruction of principles, procedures, equipment, and techniques, which enable individuals to survive, regardless of climatic conditions or unfriendly environments, and return home.



10.7 U.S. Army Military Free Fall Parachutist School.

5 weeks, Ft. Bragg, NC. and Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ. This course instructs free fall parachuting (HALO) using the high performance ram air canopy. The course provides wind tunnel training, in-air instruction focusing on student stability, aerial maneuvers, air sense, and parachute opening procedures. Each student receives a minimum of 30 free fall jumps including 2 day and 2 night jumps with supplemental oxygen, rucksack, and load bearing equipment. NOTE: CCT and STO attend this course during AST training.



10.8 Pararescue EMT-Paramedic Training (Pararescue only).

22 Weeks, Kirtland AFB, NM. This course teaches how to manage trauma patients prior to evacuation and provide emergency medical treatment. The course consists of two phases. Phase I is 5 weeks of Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B) training. Phase II consists of 17 weeks of instruction in minor field surgery, pharmacology , combat trauma management, advanced airway management, and military evacuation procedures are taught. Upon graduation, an EMT-Paramedic certification is awarded through the National Registry.



10.9 Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course.

(Pararescue only) 20 weeks, Kirtland AFB, NM. Qualifies airmen as Pararescue recovery specialists for assignment to any Pararescue unit worldwide. Training includes EMT-paramedic certification, field, mountaineering, combat tactics, advanced parachuting, helicopter insertion/extraction, and qualifications. At the completion of this course, each graduate is awarded the maroon beret.



A great site about PJ by PJs focusing more on their training:

http://members.tripod.com/~thede/kirtland.html





Good luck and I wish you two the best....