Customer Reviews

Pararescuemen - That Others May Live [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Saw the original on the discovery channel. They did a great job of documenting what PJs do, both in peace time, and combat! Highly recommended.

TE - Pararescueman

With so many different videos on SEALS, Delta, Green Berets, Force Recon, etc. it is all to easy to forget that the Air Force has elite units of their own. This video does a nice job of showing what a PJ is, what they do and how they train. The great emphasis is on humanitarian rescue with little on the covert, Combat Search and Rescue/Special Ops missions. With a washout rate of over 70% - higher than any other US elite unit- we get to see just how special these men are. A must for any US special forces collection!

This Discovery channel film is well put together and I would recommend it to anyone looking at entering the Pararescue program. Along with documenting "real life" missions Pararescuemen have encountered, it also shows some footage of the 2.5 years of training you'll encounter before you're officially a PJ. It gives a good representation of the mentality you'll need to succeed in this program, because despite what you might think of the Air Force, this program isn't for the faint of heart. If you're considering becoming P.J. this video is a good one (and likely the only one) for you to check out.

The title says "Pararescuemen" and The Discovery Channel doesn't disappoint. This video shows what it's like to be a PJ but unlike some others, it doesn't bog down with training. The training part takes up only about 1/4 of the tape (which I find is great). When you train, you're not a PJ! Hence the video isn't called, "Training To Be A PJ." The rest is about real missions PJs were involved in and that's the gold in this video.

Given the unforgiving nature of their work, and of course when they work, filming is the last thing on the PJs' minds so I find the mission recreations extremely well-done. A rescue mission for a shipwreck in the Atlantic looked like it was recreated in the Atlantic and not some Hollywood pool. Same goes for a high-altitude rescue on an Alaskan mountain. The PJs trudged through the snow for the Discovery Channel and you feel like you're there with them.

What's also great is if Discovery can't recreate it in real life (too dangerous), computer animation tells the story which is invaluable in explanation. Discovery sure spent some money on this video and it shows.

A great representaion of the USAF PJs and well worth seeing many times for the info and the Real-World (not a set) recreations.

This video does an excellent job of showing what it takes to become a United States Pararescueman, arguably one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The video also gives a little bit of the history of Pararescue, from the first rescue in World War II in Burma, through the real growth of Combat Rescue in Vietnam, through a few modern day rescues. My problem with this video is that it is not long enough to really show everything of interest about Pararescue. It only briefly touches the history, the training, and the lives of these American heroes.

I still recommend this video, but keep in mind that there is much, much more to Pararescue than this video shows. I would like to see a re-release, but I know the probability of this happening is very low. I know that my father was interviewed for almost an hour, and yet the video showed about 30 seconds of his interview.

As expected from the Discovery channel, a "nothing less than superb" documentary on this nations un-sung heroe force, Pararescuemen. Excellent coverage on training, "pipeline" schools and the future of Pararescue.