Short History of Pararescue TSgt James J. Thede Updated as often
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out their new Photo album. They have some good pictures! DIVE
MED TECH The history of Pararescue began in August of 1943, when
21 persons bailed out of a disabled C-46 over an uncharted
jungle near the China-Burma border. So remote was the crash site
that the only means of getting help to the survivors was by
paradrop. Lieutenant Colonel Don Fleckinger and two medical
corpsmen volunteered for the assignment. This paradrop of
medical corpsmen was the seed from which the concept of
Pararescue was born. For a month these men, aided by natives,
cared for the injured until the party was brought to safety.
News commentator Eric Severeid was one of the men to survive
this ordeal. He later wrote of the men who risked their lives to
save his: "Gallant is a precious word; they deserve it". From
this event the need for a highly trained rescue force was found;
thus, Pararescueman was brought int