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That Others May Live: The True Story of the PJs, the Real Life Heroes of the Perfect Storm
Pararescue jumpers, or PJs, are the military's most elite force, a highly trained group of men serving in the Air Force and the National Guard. In battle, they fly behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots. In peacetime, PJs stay sharp with daring civilian rescues, recovering victims from scorching deserts, treacherous mountaintops, raging seas, and natural disasters. Their almost unimaginable courage first came to the public's attention in Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm , with that book's riveting account of how a helicopter of PJs plunged into the Atlantic during a tragic rescue attempt. Senior Master Sergeant Jack Brehm was the PJ supervisor coordinating their dramatic efforts that night.
That Others May Live not only sheds new light on that rescue, it also tells the thrilling story of Jack Brehm's devotion to the PJs, a career choice that transformed him from an aimless kid to an on-call hero. Jack's vivid account reveals not only the dangerous rescues and relentless training he and his fellow PJs endure, but the emotional struggles as losing friends, waiting anxiously to be called into action, and trying to keep their families together despite the enormous life-and-death pressures of the job. This book is a compelling and deeply personal story of one man's "ordinary" heroism that is, in reality, extraordinary.
That Others May Live not only sheds new light on that rescue, it also tells the thrilling story of Jack Brehm's devotion to the PJs, a career choice that transformed him from an aimless kid to an on-call hero. Jack's vivid account reveals not only the dangerous rescues and relentless training he and his fellow PJs endure, but the emotional struggles as losing friends, waiting anxiously to be called into action, and trying to keep their families together despite the enormous life-and-death pressures of the job. This book is a compelling and deeply personal story of one man's "ordinary" heroism that is, in reality, extraordinary.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 21, 2008
My one-phrase rundown: often astounding tales that will mostly appeal to a certain thrill-seeking crowd.
That Others May Live was written at roughly the same time as The Rescue Season , the end result being something akin to the cinematic experience of suddenly noticing three new movies about gladiators, or the Civil War, or asteroids hurtling towards Earth. Generally speaking, the topic of both books is the specialized US Air Force rescue units known as PJs (parachute rescue = pararescue jumpers = PJ), comprising some 300-400 people at any one time. The primarily PJ mission is to recover stranded military personnel overseasand often as not behind enemy lines. In addition, however, they are called on for civilian missions both in and out of the US.
I found it fascinating that the PJ primary mission is to save lives, not take them, unlike the perhaps unspoken but traditional roles of the better-known members of the SpecOps community (Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces such as Green Berets and Rangers). I was further intrigued by harrowing mission tales that I heard about years ago, and in particular, how these virtually unheard-of soldiers were reputed to the some of the toughest guys around. According to one account by a former Navy SEAL, Indoctrination – the initial weedout training for PJs at Lackland AFB near San Antonio – was physically and mentally more demanding than UDT/BUD/S school. They wash out 90% of the class and there have been times when no one graduates Indoc. Since PJs are the last hope of a downed pilot who may die or be captured without their help, the USAF reasons, PJs have to be unwilling to give up. Period.
After graduating Indoc, PJs quickly go through the Pipeline, a succession of training schools that other soldiers sometimes wait 10+ years to complete. The Pipeline includes everything from paramedic-level medicine to combat diving to free-fall and skydiving to mountaineering. Since the US government has people everywhere, PJs are trained to operate in every environment on earth to rescue them: deserts, oceans, mountains, jungles, and space (well, ok, PJs sometimes help recover astronauts after splash-down).
Because the community is so small, the books overlapped and involved to some degree the same individuals. Sometimes missions from the 1990s are told from two slightly different perspectives in the two books, dependent on which PJ the author interviewed.
That Others May Live follows the life of John “Jack” Brehm, a PJ who was involved with the so-called Perfect Storm of Junger fame. Of the two, this is the better-written book, in my opinion. While recounting the unbelievable adventures he endured, he also manages with the help of journalist Pete Nelson to sound believably human. That is a tall order when writing about some of the things that PJs do for work and play.
The Rescue Season follows the adventures of the Alaskan-based 210th, the only PJ unit dedicated almost entirely to civilian rescue (Denali provides much practice in terms of extreme rescues and PJs stand in line to transfer to the 210th). The fun part here was that the PJs work closely with the Denali Park and Preserve staff; the mountain-rescue parkies described in the this book were a far cry from most of the people I knew in my 11 years with the National Park Service – adrenaline junkies and ex rodeo-clown mountaineers. I am more convinced than ever than I need to make it Alaska before I die, if nothing other than to meet some of these people.
That Others May Live was written at roughly the same time as The Rescue Season , the end result being something akin to the cinematic experience of suddenly noticing three new movies about gladiators, or the Civil War, or asteroids hurtling towards Earth. Generally speaking, the topic of both books is the specialized US Air Force rescue units known as PJs (parachute rescue = pararescue jumpers = PJ), comprising some 300-400 people at any one time. The primarily PJ mission is to recover stranded military personnel overseasand often as not behind enemy lines. In addition, however, they are called on for civilian missions both in and out of the US.
I found it fascinating that the PJ primary mission is to save lives, not take them, unlike the perhaps unspoken but traditional roles of the better-known members of the SpecOps community (Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces such as Green Berets and Rangers). I was further intrigued by harrowing mission tales that I heard about years ago, and in particular, how these virtually unheard-of soldiers were reputed to the some of the toughest guys around. According to one account by a former Navy SEAL, Indoctrination – the initial weedout training for PJs at Lackland AFB near San Antonio – was physically and mentally more demanding than UDT/BUD/S school. They wash out 90% of the class and there have been times when no one graduates Indoc. Since PJs are the last hope of a downed pilot who may die or be captured without their help, the USAF reasons, PJs have to be unwilling to give up. Period.
After graduating Indoc, PJs quickly go through the Pipeline, a succession of training schools that other soldiers sometimes wait 10+ years to complete. The Pipeline includes everything from paramedic-level medicine to combat diving to free-fall and skydiving to mountaineering. Since the US government has people everywhere, PJs are trained to operate in every environment on earth to rescue them: deserts, oceans, mountains, jungles, and space (well, ok, PJs sometimes help recover astronauts after splash-down).
Because the community is so small, the books overlapped and involved to some degree the same individuals. Sometimes missions from the 1990s are told from two slightly different perspectives in the two books, dependent on which PJ the author interviewed.
That Others May Live follows the life of John “Jack” Brehm, a PJ who was involved with the so-called Perfect Storm of Junger fame. Of the two, this is the better-written book, in my opinion. While recounting the unbelievable adventures he endured, he also manages with the help of journalist Pete Nelson to sound believably human. That is a tall order when writing about some of the things that PJs do for work and play.
The Rescue Season follows the adventures of the Alaskan-based 210th, the only PJ unit dedicated almost entirely to civilian rescue (Denali provides much practice in terms of extreme rescues and PJs stand in line to transfer to the 210th). The fun part here was that the PJs work closely with the Denali Park and Preserve staff; the mountain-rescue parkies described in the this book were a far cry from most of the people I knew in my 11 years with the National Park Service – adrenaline junkies and ex rodeo-clown mountaineers. I am more convinced than ever than I need to make it Alaska before I die, if nothing other than to meet some of these people.
March 28, 2011
A great book that chronicles the career and exploits of Jack Brehm and the Air Force Pararescue community, an elite group of combat search and rescue men. These real life heroes are probably the most highly trained Military team around, and with a 90 percent attrition rate, they are truly the best of the best. If you've watched The Perfect Storm or Blackhawk Down, you've seen these guys in action. As a retired Navy Masterchief myself, this rings authentic. By the end of this book, you will feel you have had a birds eye view of Jack Brehm's career, with an insight as to how military spouses deal with the challenging job of keeping everything together.
September 22, 2021
This book is like an exciting comfort read and incredible adventure in one. It’s about a family who happens to have a hero for a husband and dad. It’s an ordinary family saga, mixed with an incredible military career told in a really down to earth type of way.
October 10, 2019
Intriguing collection of adventures that most of us could only dream about and live vicariously through such writing. I have the impression however that most of the pararescue jumpers, even with their impressive skills, remarkable physical condition and varied expertise, have never progressed out of their adolescent phase of life. My copy, a first edition, could be improved with a little editing for coherence, better proofreading and a glossary which is indicated in the table of contents but not present in the book. I was impressed by the detail and accuracy of some of the medical situations described.
February 18, 2020
Great book! Made me truly appreciate the unsung heroes of the special operations community.
January 29, 2024
The primary author, which is NOT Jack Brehm, has a real issue getting his facts straight across multiple subjects.
November 25, 2025
now I want to be in the air force.
October 21, 2015
I found this book on my late father in laws bookshelves. looked interesting and it was. The author is a pararescue jumper, PJ, a little know branch of the Airforce tasked with rescuing downed pilots behind enemy lines. For the civilian community the make rescues at sea as in the "Perfect Storm," and anywhere else. They are little known and unheralded as the organization calling them in usually gets the news credit..."The US Coast Guard rescued" or "the National Guard sent rescuers," etc. The book describes the initial and ongoing, constant training for the PJ's, (it is apparently more rigorous than for Navy Seals,) as well as numerous hair raising rescues and attempts. Deaths in training and rescues are described and accepted as part of the job. The author himself was in near fatal situations a number of times.
The author is an incredibly fit guy. He knows something is wrong when he runs a mile in 8.5 minutes when his usual is under 6. He gets examined and has a nearly completely collapse lung surviving only with an emergency thoracentisis w/o anesthesia. Ouch. He's a 38 with 20 years in the PJ's
Unfortunately the writing is not so good: "Jack is in an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic. He is thinking about the things men think about when heading into combat zones."
Nevertheless I enjoyed learning about an unusual group of unheralded men.
The author is an incredibly fit guy. He knows something is wrong when he runs a mile in 8.5 minutes when his usual is under 6. He gets examined and has a nearly completely collapse lung surviving only with an emergency thoracentisis w/o anesthesia. Ouch. He's a 38 with 20 years in the PJ's
Unfortunately the writing is not so good: "Jack is in an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic. He is thinking about the things men think about when heading into combat zones."
Nevertheless I enjoyed learning about an unusual group of unheralded men.
July 30, 2012
Since I've found out about them, I've always had a big moto-boner for the USAF Pararescue.
When talking about anything military, especially any kind of Special Operations Forces, I'm always hesitant to overly characterize it as this or that. I haven't been there, I haven't done it, so for me to say that it's this way or that way would be a mistake.
That all said, I love the idea of the PJs as a group of men trained to a level comparable to the Navy SEALs or USMC recon and being given a primary mission of rescue, as opposed to interdiction.
This book talks about the experiences of MSGT Jack Brehm in the Air Force, as well as a bit about the PJs in general. MSGT Brehm's career was exclusively civilian rescues, as he operated out of an Air National Guard base before 9/11. That is in no way a bad thing, as the book is still excellent.
When talking about anything military, especially any kind of Special Operations Forces, I'm always hesitant to overly characterize it as this or that. I haven't been there, I haven't done it, so for me to say that it's this way or that way would be a mistake.
That all said, I love the idea of the PJs as a group of men trained to a level comparable to the Navy SEALs or USMC recon and being given a primary mission of rescue, as opposed to interdiction.
This book talks about the experiences of MSGT Jack Brehm in the Air Force, as well as a bit about the PJs in general. MSGT Brehm's career was exclusively civilian rescues, as he operated out of an Air National Guard base before 9/11. That is in no way a bad thing, as the book is still excellent.
January 5, 2015
It was good to get a different perspective on what PJs do. My bf, John, has told me a lot about his experience as a PJ, but still it was an interesting foray into the mind and day-to-day of a PJ. I really empathized with Jack's wife and what she went through, too, and appreciated that perspective. John and Jack have similar complex characters and I really saw how much of his military life probably shaped John. I loved talking to John about the book, too. He didn't know Jack Brehm but they served at similar times and a lot of the stories Jack told made John think of another story he had not told me yet and it was just a fun bonding experience with him to boot.
December 10, 2008
It didn't grab me. Perhaps one day it will. Admiration for the quiet heroism described. I found the inseparability of deed and the value system within which a deed is placed unsatisfactory, but made me think that our achievements which reflect widespread approval, very often are so embedded in values with which others may disagree. It's analogous to my admiration for, and interest in reading about, military heroism, while most usually feeling negative about the wider contexts of military action.
August 22, 2016
My dad gave this book to me and by the looks of it I was very interested. I got very disappointed because the first few chapters start off slow. But looking back now I'm glad that I stuck with it. Its full of everything I love. Even if you aren't looking to enlist into the service this book is just a really good one to read. I definitely recommend it if you are into action, this book taught me a lot along the way like how daily lives in the Pj's goes and some requirements. A lot of adventures. 4/5 stars.
July 31, 2008
Well written book about a little known community of Air Force Special ops. Down to earth descriptions that balance the action and adrenline with the real life worries, fears and struggles. it is good at explainingthing with out being too much like atext book. It gets the message across well about why PJs do what they do.
March 9, 2010
This book introduced me to Pararescuemen or PJ’s in the Air Force. PJ’s are some of the hardest and most trained people in the military. This book does a good job of retelling past missions and experiences from PJ training.
June 18, 2012
This was a very interesting account of life as a pararescue jumper, an elite rescue group. Jack Brehm lived in the same town as we did on Long Island, and we used to see him and his family in church. Some amazing, true stories.
August 27, 2015
This book gives a detailed history about Jack Brehm. He tells a great deal about his training and some of the many missions he went through.
It gives a very clear detail of the dangers, thrills and adventures PJs live or die through.
This group is no doubt amoung the elite of the elite forces.
It gives a very clear detail of the dangers, thrills and adventures PJs live or die through.
This group is no doubt amoung the elite of the elite forces.
February 27, 2017
I found Brehm's 2 decades of service interesting as it gave insight to life as a serviceman when the country is at peace. What adds to that is the fact that Brehm was a PJ, which doesn't have much exposure in literature.
September 17, 2018
Much better to live the adrenaline rush of a PJ from my arm chair! I couldn't handle the real thing! Great adventure book! Jack Brehm is a family man who balanced jumping from helicopters, saving lives, and being a dad all at the same time.
August 13, 2008
Great read into our specialists giving backgroung to the perfect storm story
October 26, 2009
I wish I'd known about these guys when I was 22.
Read
August 4, 2011A must-read. Simply put.
October 17, 2019
Good story, but a little boring by the end. Quite a bit of swearing. Not recommended.
June 14, 2016
Inspirational. But it's hard to imagine any book about the PJs not being a page-turner.
December 13, 2015
This was an interesting read as it is based on a true story of a specialist team who are part of the armed forces who get called out all hours to rescue both military and civilians.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews