USAF officers train to become Combat Rescue Officers

[Thunderbolt22A10]

I'm in civil air patrol, and I hope to be a CRO, I'll be going to PJOC and APJOC in the coming years

[onemancomedy]

Just wondering....

Do CRO's get deployed like PJ's do? or are they only the coordinators?

[tonybarrueta]

@onemancomedy yes they deploy with PJ's in fact they are PJ's they go through the same pipeline. I know because I'm currently going to college right taking AFROTC working on my BA Nursing.

[tburtont1]

19 years in the AF.  These guys are the backbone along with the enlisted. May God keep them strong. Doing this for real is even worse.

[sourboydrummer]

i was told that enlisted pararescuemen are selected into the CRO program as well, is this true?

[261311YA]

I wonder if they take those speedo's into battle...

[JesusChristsSoldier]

@261311YA Those aren't necessarily speedos; the correct term is "brief"

[techno2013]

Swat recon is right the officers do most of the fighting

[ColonelBatman]

@techno2013

Negative. They're in a position of command most of the time. Enlisted does the majority of the fighting, officers do some fighting.

[AntoineANDonly]

but...aren't they medical officers? i mean, if PJs are medics, what about the CROs? don't you have a doctor there on the helicopter?

[Tsumanne]

@AntoineANDonly CRO's only receive an EMT-B certification in training. PJs are EMT-P certified and Special Tactics IDMTs serve as their "doctor" in the field. International law bans doctors and medical officers from being a combatant. This is why CROs, PJs, Special Tactics IDMTs, and Pararescue aircraft do not have medical insignia and do not claim protected status like conventional med-evac crews do. Pararescue helicopters are heavily armed and the rescue teams are shooters first.

[AntoineANDonly]

@Tsumanne thanks for your exhaustive reply. I always thought PJs and CROs were "medical special forces", and so I figured they were highly trained medical personnel. I reckon i was wrong. so is a conventional med-evac the only occasion in which i can find an MO near the line of fire?

[Tsumanne]

@AntoineANDonly Doctors are always the furthest from from combat. It takes a decade to train a doctor and the military is already understaffed, why put them in front of a bullet? Plus in a field situation you don't want a doctor, you want an EMT-P (which is what PJs are) and the IDMTs that back up PJs are specially trained to provide advanced field medicine with no support. You want the doctor later. Doctors can do more, but require infrastructure and resources that don't exist in the field.

[AntoineANDonly]

@Tsumanne well, acknowledge that. in my army (Italian Army) the MOs have different roles: you graduate, then spend 4 years "on the ground", that means that on a mission you are always out on patrol with the men, so not the furthest from combat!

[Tsumanne]

@AntoineANDonly That's actually really interesting. Good to hear Italian docs get real field training. Ours don't... The main reason the US doesn't do that is because in combat a doctor can't do any more than a PJ or IDMT could anyway. There's no operating room, no pharmacy, no x-ray, and no blood samples. So in the field a doctor becomes just a medic. That and since doctors can't carry rifles they become a danger to the rescue team. I still wish our docs got real field training though.

[AntoineANDonly]

@Tsumanne well... are you sure MOs can't carry rifles? I think it's legal if it's for self-defense or to defend the patient...and for what concerns the other things you said, i would love to answer but can't because of opsec! you will understand if you are in the military...

[Tsumanne]

@AntoineANDonly a US MO can carry a weapon for self/patient defense so docs can carry a pistol (rifles cause confusion and makes docs look too much like a combatant). Combat rescue is a 100% offensive operation which requires all members of the team to be a shooters first, so no docs. I used to be an Air Force medic so I'd love to know how the Italian docs work, but opsec comes first. Especially on youtube.

[AntoineANDonly]

@Tsumanne well, I'll tell you the way we see it. it's true that MOs take a decade to be trained and they are a valuable resource, but if you don't use it, is it still so valuable? I mean, its value comes from its utility! and in the field, a doc can do a lot more than a medic, if you consider that they are on fully equipped ambulances.. now I'd love to keep talking, but I can't! think we had a nice exchange of opinions though!

[Evilstewie831]

FUCK I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO SWIM FML!!!

[vasilikosolov]

hehe being a regular PJ is herd enough, but being a PJ officer? HARD CORE

[ashot2g0]

entering Air Force ROTC this fall. damn am i excited!!!!

[Arbin321]

@ashot2g0 Same here bro HOO-YAY

[bulletstothechest69]

So Pararescuemen and combat rescue officers are the same thing?

[Dameit15]

CRO's don't do much of the rescue part that's what PJ's do. The CRO's pretty much tell them what to expect and what to do on the mission.

[wishyouwereapj]

@Dameit15

Is this from personal experience???

[Dameit15]

@wishyouwereapj Nah my dad is a combat controller, he works with them a lot. I am not saying they don't go on rescue missions im just saying your less likely to see a group of cro's go be the main operators of a mission rather than pj's.

[theunknownpain]

kickn' butt for the u.s. god bless these guys

[Zeroethorder]

@theunknownpain Just FYI, everyone I know in the military fucking hates that shit

[sealhammer]

"Get off my wall. Don't touch my wall."

What is it about MTI's and being hilarious?

[mustangkraft505]

its pretty funny when your not the one being yelled at

[hotjonmw90]

im in an ROTC program its great u should go to school first they will give you a scholarship there are a few different types depending on what you want to study and then there is the regular competitive one they all pay for school and books and give u some cash on the side

[snowboarder938]

I'm also in ROTC and the scholarships are definitely nice, especially when you don't have any money. there is also time to work on the side if you want some more money.

Don't go into the AF for money. The best part of it is the experiences. So far; the paint ball, the SoCal field days, and the over all camaraderie you'll get from being in the program...

It's kinda like testing out the Air Force before you buy it. 

Best of luck man and if you got AFROTC you wont regret it.

HUAH!

[danos5]

yea dude...im in rotc too. I go to filed training this ummer and commission in 2011. Its worth it. Dont enlist. Its soooo much better for u this way

[tubee1111]

does your school have a jr. rotc program

[Tux3d0]

you should do research because if you join the armed forces in college they will help you pay it and look up on google for free grants which you dont have to pay back theres alot of stuff the government doesnt want to tell you ummm you should do that

[astrowanabe]

Last I checked they are called ParaRESCUEMEN, not parajumpers.

[minutemanjs]

yea,,, but you ever see one... they're uniform says PJ. They're called both.

[bcbalko]

And just as it should be, Officers on the front lines, risking their lives with the enlisted they lead. That's what the Air Force is all about

[Swatrecon]

In the AF, the Officers do 90% of the fighting. Most of the enlisted personnel do maintenance or security.

[Arlon71]

BAAAAHAHAHAHA! you wish....

[AirmanRal]

Are you serious? lol...

[GripJenkins]

@Swatrecon That is the dumbest thing I've ever read on YT. Wow.

[sandercohen1]

@Swatrecon Not true at all. Enlisted personnel do almost all of the fighting. GTFO.

[Sergeantketchup]

What do the CRO's do while the PJ's are getting their paramedic qualification?

[behindu44]

when they get their ticket to the pipeline they train with the enlisted i THINK. Im not for sure.

[lukesimianer]

yes they do. this is harder for officers becaus after this they still have to go to

INDOC with enlisted and new officers which is probably just as or more physically demanding then what we just watched

I hope to enlist and do this the swimming is the hardest part for me atleast

[NIUJIM]

If this was Phase II 08-A I was there. Nonetheless, I washed out and that shit sucked. I go back in one year to try again. Sigh.

[illiptical]

how did you wash out? were you a dor?

i want to know specifically what these guys do to make somebody quit

how do they push you to your limit?

[deltaecho1]

Wait, is this the 10 week indoc course or is the preliminary course to see if you'll even make the 10 week indoc course?

[snicky45]

this is the 1 week selection for officers. if selected, they can begin the 10 week indoc school with the PJ's

[derekcherrington]

The elite of the elite. Bless every pj and every downed pilot.

[Ashen64]

These guys kick ass. God bless all

[andrewtheblacksheep]

Seriously. Wish me luck...

[eazyrider17]

God Bless the PJs