That Others May Live: The True Story of the PJ's, America's Most Daring Rescue Force [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Pete Nelson (Author), Jack Brehm (Author), Barry Nolan (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

Read by Barry Nolan
Three cassettes, Approx. 5 hours

The remarkable true story of the U.S. Military's most elite unit--made famous by their exploits in the bestsellerThe Perfect Storm--as told by a 20-year veteran still on active duty.

They rescue the Green Berets and Navy Seals when they get in trouble.  They jump out of airplanes at 25,000 feet, where it's too high to breathe, and at 800 feet, where it's too low to survive unless you're lightening quick on the release.  They rescue people 1,000 miles out at sea, or in deserts, or in polar regions.  And that's in peacetime, to stay in shape.  In wartime, they really go into action.

They are Pararescue Jumpers.  PJs for short, a highly selective corps of 300 men serving the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard.  That Others May Live is a riveting profile of the PJs, seen through the eyes of Jack Brehm, who has spent 20 years rescuing people in seemingly hopeless peril, serving with fellow PJs who routinely do the same.  As startling as a plunge into icy water, as thrilling as a freefall through the night sky, these are stories of the times the PJs beat the odds, the times they didn't, and what it's like to work where the daily grind of your job isn't just an expression; it's a reality.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

That Others May Live is the story of one of America's most elite military units. The PJs--pararescue jumpers--are to the air force what the Green Berets are to the army and the SEALs are to the navy, even though they are less well known. There are only about 300 of them, and their main function is to rescue downed pilots, often behind enemy lines. They also perform civilian rescues. "There are no more capable rescuers than the PJs," writes Jack Brehm, a 20-year PJ veteran who penned this book with journalist Pete Nelson. "No one else knows how to fall five miles from the sky to rescue somebody. No one else trains to make rescues in such a wide variety of circumstances and conditions on a mountaintop, in the middle of the Sahara, or 1,000 miles out from shore in hurricane-tossed seas." Some readers will recall the PJs' minor role in Sebastian Junger's harrowing bookThe Perfect Storm; Brehm actually coordinated that PJ operation, and he tells his side of the story on these pages.

Most of That Others May Live (the title is a PJ motto) is told in the third person--an odd choice for a book that labels itself "autobiography" on the jacket. But it works well as Brehm describes everything from PJ training school (about 90 percent of enrollees quit) to family life (divorce rates are very high, even though Brehm is blessed with a supportive wife and five kids). The best parts of the book focus on daring PJ missions and include vivid accounts of, for instance, what free fall is like after jumping from a plane at 26,000 feet ("It's nothing like holding your arm out the window of a car moving at 125 mph. It's more like lying on a pillow of air, so restful you could almost fall asleep"). Brehm also reveals the startling low pay PJs receive: after a few promotions and a dozen years experience, he writes, they make "about what a high school graduate temping in an office can earn if she's really good at alphabetizing." Yet the job has plenty of other rewards for a certain type of person: "The stereotypical pararescueman gets a testosterone high from being physically fit, and an endorphin high from exercising, and then he gets an adrenaline high from parachuting out of an airplane to a victim in need of medical assistance, and then he gets a spiritual, godlike feeling of omnipotence from saving somebody's life, and then he goes to a bar after the mission and has a few shots of tequila to celebrate." Brehm assures readers that every PJ "will deviate" from this description, but the whole of his book reveals it to be a pretty good one-sentence sketch of PJ life. --John J. Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The U.S. Air Force's parachute rescue jumpers (PJs for short), though less well known than other elite military groups (like the Navy SEALs or Green Berets), have an equally hazardous mission: rescuing pilots who get shot down behind enemy lines and aiding service personnel in similarly dire circumstances. This crisply written biography of a PJ, Senior Master Sgt. Jack Brehm, offers a look at one squad of parachutists, pilots and combat divers, which numbers about 300 men. Brehm, based on Long Island, coordinated efforts to rescue a helicopter crew of PJs who plunged into the mid-Atlantic while trying to save a fisherman during a 1991 nor'easter. Magazine journalist Nelson devotes a chapter to Brehm's behind-the-scenes role, which got only brief coverage in Sebastian Junger's 1997 bestseller The Perfect Storm. However, fans of Junger's book seeking the same high seas adventure and suspense probably will be disappointed by this workmanlike bio. Though PJs have flown missions over Kosovo and Iraq, participated in the Gulf War and saved the lives of U.S. servicemen in Vietnam, Brehm's exploits, at least as recounted here, are of a more mundane sort, like rescuing seamen in trawlers or a climber on Alaska's Mt. McKinley. Nelson rounds out his canvas with capsule accounts of the deeds of numerous PJs, and each chapter is prefaced with Brehm's first-person testimony, so we get a convincing portrait of a modest hero and family man who gives his life meaning by putting himself at great risk, as the PJs' motto has it, "that others may live." Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. (Feb.) FYI: Jack Brehm is scheduled to appear on Good Morning America.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375408355
• ISBN-13: 978-0375408359
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,908,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That Others May Live, February 5, 2000

By 

Debbie Judy (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Others May Live: The True Story of a PJ, a Member of America's Most Daring Rescue Force (Hardcover)

That Others May Live is a very well written book that captivates your attention from start to finish. Although it reads like an adventure novel, for those of us who have lived in the PJ world it is reality. Readers will truly understand the meaning of the cliche "Its not just a job; its an adventure". The author's account of his love for his wife is touching and the book does a good job getting the reader to imagine how it must feel to live in her shoes-one who knows that each time she says goodbye to her loved one it truly may be the last time. I hear over and over from people that they have never heard of PJs and I know they really have, they just don't realize it. From Viet Nam to Somalia, Bosnia to Mt McKinley-these rescues they have heard of. The book provides insight into this elite group who are definitely a breed of their own-but then they have to be to do what they do. They are so select that they just can't help but be special and after reading the book you'll know why. I realize I am biased as my husband was one of the author's best friends-one of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice-a PJ who didn't beat the odds as told in the book. But the fact of the matter is, it is a great book with stories so exciting its hard to imagine what it is that makes these guys tick. What makes them so selfless to give it all for ANYONE? Its hard to say but there is one thing you understand when reading: PJs are driven and their mental fortitude is undebatable. You don't understand why they do it but you're glad someone will. I have heard many a great PJ story and am honored that now the rest of the world can read about some of their heroic measures and live saving missions. It is truly worth reading!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting account of America's Bravest!, February 29, 2000

By 

Ed (Babylon, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Others May Live: The True Story of a PJ, a Member of America's Most Daring Rescue Force (Hardcover)

That Others May Live...is a page-turner that will leave you in awe of the Air Force Pararescue Jumpers. It exposes every complex layer of men who redefine the word "courage", while compassionately exploring the sacrifices made by the people they love. I vicariously experienced the fear and exhilaration of every rescue, expressed artfully by the authors. Can you imagine what is must be like to be floating in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 50 foot seas? Repelling from Mount McKinley attached to an unconscious hypothermia victim in hurricane force winds? Falling to earth from 26,000 feet at terminal velocity with 60 pounds of gear on your back? Fasten your seat belt! This book is quite a ride. Your heart will ache for Peggy Brehm, Jack's wife of 20 years, and his children who must suffer the pain of separation and the fear of losing their husband and father. This book is not just an action adventure. It profoundly explores the human side of men who constantly test the limits of physical and psychological endurance and the toll that it takes on the people they love. Don't miss the opportunity to appreciate the men and women we often take for granted-our military and in particular the Pararescue Team of the U.S. Air Force. I give this book an enthusiastic 5 star plus rating!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for writing this book Jack!, March 6, 2000

By 

Mike Long (PJ 71-82) (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Others May Live: The True Story of a PJ, a Member of America's Most Daring Rescue Force (Hardcover)

Jack Brehm; thank you for writing this wonderful book. As a former PJ,(1971-1982: PJ Class 73-01), I found myself recalling events, places and people that had been pushed back in my memory banks. It's great to read a book like this and know so many of the names, recalling where I was when certain things were happening to different guys at different places all over the globe. I am impressed how you so accurately spelled out the frustration and the realization of how others just can't understand when we tell them about some of the things we've done and experienced. You have put into words, the emotions and feelings that I know many past and present pararescuemen have had. I've been out of Pararescue 15 years now, and the only time I tell PJ stories any more is at the reunions, to other PJ's, who have a shared, common experience. Because other people either do not believe you, or they just can't grasp the concept that people would or could do the things we did. One very important point that was made in your book was the way corporate PJ knowledge is passed from the old to the new. That is reflected in many of the recent posts to the PJ message board. It's the way we all learned, (the term OJT takes on a new meaning in Pararescue!)and every PJ needs to make sure he's passing on what he's learned and experienced to the new guys, because they are the future. My kids were very young when I got out of Pararescue and they really don't recall those days, but this book will give them a little better understanding of what the "old man" did in the service. I especially appreciate the credit you give your wife. I had been married less than 2 months at Woodbridge when I was in a 53 crash in Stuttgart.(Ask Al Manuel about that one). A hell of a way to start a marriage! We've been together over 22 years now, and I feel those PJ years certainly helped to strengthen our bond. You should be proud to know that your book reminded this former PJ to appreciate and cherish his wife more than ever. Thanks again Jack. You "done" good. Your book is a credit not only to you and your fine family, but also to all of us who have ever donned the maroon beret and lived by the motto, "These things we do....that others may live!" Mike Long Original Charter Member of the Royal Order of Newkie Droogs, (North Wales Chapter)