Pararescue Heroes: Honoring The Fallen In Afghanistan's Battlefields

Senior Airman Jason Cunningham was the first pararescueman to die in combat in Afghanistan. He was killed in action by small arms fire while on a mission to rescue members of a team who had been inserted in eastern Afghanistan. He was one of seven U.S. soldiers killed during fighting in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002. Cunningham was remembered at a ceremony at Moody Air Force Base, where his commander, Maj. Vincent Savino, said that he was hit by machine-gun fire as he treated wounded soldiers.

Senior Airman Jason Cunningham was killed in Afghanistan in 2002

Senior Airman Jason Cunningham was killed in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002, during a rescue mission in the opening days of the War on Terrorism. He was 26 years old.

Cunningham was a pararescueman with the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and had been in the Air Force since 1999. He was on a mission to rescue members of a team who had been inserted in eastern Afghanistan in support of Enduring Freedom.

Cunningham was one of seven men killed during Operation Anaconda. He was in the back of an MH-47E Chinook helicopter, treating wounded soldiers, when the aircraft came under heavy fire. The helicopter crashed, and Cunningham continued to treat the wounded, exposing himself to enemy fire several times. He was shot once in the small of his back, and the bullet travelled through his pelvis, shattering his liver. He continued to treat patients and advise others on how to care for the critically wounded. He was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for his heroism.

Tech Sgt. Peter Kraines died during a training exercise in 2019

Tech Sgt. Peter Kraines, a 33-year-old special tactics pararescueman with the 24th Special Operations Wing, died on October 8, 2019, during a training exercise in Boise, Idaho. Kraines, who was from Albany, New York, enlisted in the Air Force in March 2011 and immediately began training to become a pararescueman. After completing the two-year training program, he was assigned to the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. In 2017, he was selected to join special tactics and was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

At the time of his death, Kraines was taking part in a mountain rescue training exercise. He was practicing mountain rescue techniques near Boise when he suffered blunt force trauma after falling about 40 feet while climbing at a popular location called the Black Cliffs, just outside the city. Kraines died from injuries sustained in the fall, and his death was ruled accidental.

Kraines was a highly trained and decorated service member. He was a military static-line jumper, a free-fall jumper, a combat scuba diver, and a certified emergency medical technician. He had served in Afghanistan in 2015 and in Turkey in 2017. His awards and decorations included an Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster, an Aerial Achievement Medal, an Air Force Commendation Medal, an Air Force Achievement Medal, an Air Force Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among others.

The news of Kraines's death was met with sorrow and grief by his colleagues and commanders. Col. Matthew Allen, commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing, called it "a tragic loss to the special tactics community." He was survived by his wife and two children.

Kraines's death highlights the inherent risks and dangers faced by those serving in the military, even during training exercises. It serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by service members and their families in the line of duty.

Pararescuemen gave initial trauma care to 24 casualties in Kabul

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, killed at least 169 Afghan civilians, 11 U.S. Marines, one Army soldier, and one Navy corpsman. The Islamic State group carried out the attack, which also wounded many others.

The Personnel Recovery Task Force (PRTF), an ad hoc group of over 170 airmen, provided combat search and rescue for Operation Allies Refuge, the U.S. mission to evacuate its allies from Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country. The PRTF included pararescuemen (PJs), who are special operations airmen trained in search and rescue and combat medicine.

A few PJs gave initial trauma care to 24 casualties, according to the Air Force, while five other PJs treated about 20 more casualties at the Marines' Casualty Collection Point. The PRTF also included pilots, loadmasters, special mission aviators, aircraft maintainers, and support airmen who helped send out casualty evacuations on HH-60G Pave Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

The task force airmen's level-headedness, gained from years of training and experience, proved invaluable in responding to the suicide bombing at Abbey Gate. Their efforts contributed to the evacuation of about 124,000 people from Afghanistan during Operation Allies Refuge, the largest noncombat evacuation operation in U.S. history.

Pararescuemen are highly skilled combat medics

Pararescuemen are an elite group of highly skilled combat medics who are trained to save lives in even the most challenging and hostile environments. Their motto, "That Others May Live", reflects their selfless dedication to rescuing and providing medical aid to injured or stranded personnel, often behind enemy lines or in remote and dangerous territories.

The road to becoming a certified Pararescueman, also known as a PJ, is exceptionally rigorous and demanding. The training, informally known as "Superman School", lasts for almost two years and is one of the longest special operations courses globally. Candidates must first complete basic military training, followed by a series of challenging courses that test their physical and mental limits. These include the Special Warfare Preparatory Course, Special Warfare Assessment and Selection, Army Airborne School, Combat Dive School, Military Free-Fall Parachutist School, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training, and finally, the Pararescue Apprentice Course.

The physical requirements for prospective PJs are exceptionally high. Candidates must excel in running, swimming, pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups, with minimum scores set for each category. The training also includes extensive physical exercises such as swimming, running, weight training, calisthenics, and obstacle courses.

In addition to their physical prowess, PJs undergo intensive medical training to become certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics. They are taught fundamental combat medic skills and advanced courses in aeromedical physiology, combat casualty care, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response care. This medical expertise enables them to manage trauma patients, provide emergency medical treatment, and perform minor field surgery.

The combination of physical endurance, medical knowledge, and tactical skills makes PJs invaluable assets in evacuation and rescue missions. They are often called upon to leave the safety of their helicopters and assist stranded personnel, sometimes requiring them to stay behind enemy lines for extended periods.

The extreme challenges of PJ training forge a strong brotherhood among those who successfully complete it. PJs are highly respected not only within the Air Force but also across other military branches and the civilian community. They are recognized as some of the most decorated enlisted airmen, bearing testament to their exceptional bravery, skill, and dedication to saving lives.

Senior Airman Jason Cunningham was a former Navy petty officer

Cunningham joined the military in 1995 and served several years in the Navy. He decided to transfer to the Air Force because he wanted to be a pararescueman, a highly skilled combat medic who can be infiltrated through various aircraft means to rescue others. Pararescuemen undergo rigorous training that includes military free-fall jumps, Navy underwater egress training, and emergency medical technical training.

During Operation Anaconda, Cunningham was on a mission to rescue members of a team inserted in eastern Afghanistan. While on board an MH-47 Chinook helicopter, he was killed by small arms fire. Despite being wounded himself, he continued to treat his fellow soldiers and move them to safer locations, even crossing the line of enemy fire multiple times. His actions saved the lives of ten wounded soldiers.

Cunningham's selfless bravery and dedication to his role as a pararescueman embody the motto, "That Others Might Live." He is survived by his wife and two daughters, who can take pride in his heroic legacy.

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