Mission Monster Mash builds camaraderie

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Cathleen Snow
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A pilot who's been shot down and injured during a combat situation relies on the skills of an Air Force pararescueman to save his life and get him to safety. Known as PJs these elite military men are trained to dodge bullets while protecting their precious cargo in any situation.

In an exercise held Nov. 17, PJs from the 920th Rescue Wing were cast into a suburban beach environment dodging traffic instead of bullets and protecting raw eggs and mannequins instead of pilots.

According to long time pararescueman Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Curl it's a friendly competition that not only exercises the PJs, but it gets everyone in the 308th Rescue Squadron involved and builds camaraderie; an important element he notes in the field of pararescue.

The intense journey began on the west side of Patrick Air Force Base at the edge of the Banana River. Dawned in fins, four teams of four PJs plunged into the 70 degree brackish water and swam beyond ten football-field lengths to an inflatable boat, strategically placed upside down.

The oars were laid strategically prone on the shallow river's bottom to increase the level of difficulty. Until the PJs bobbed to retrieve them; they're team cannot row back to the shore and move on to the next event.

Long before the PJ's mass exodus of six Monster Mash events that take them through sand, land and sea; a plan that's kept tightly under wraps is underway.

The well-rounded plan begins with input by the 308th's experts. Weapons, life support, intelligence, and survival, evasion, resistance, escape (SERE) specialists all go to work fleshing out the details, but it doesn't end there. Squadron members must go out on the river or beach and place and secure the obstacles prior to the PJs arrival.

The overall goal is to include all areas of expertise throughout the 308th, said Senior Master Sgt. Bickham; SERE specialist, but in realty that's a hefty goal due to the vastness of pararescue.

Over the course of several Monster Mash exercises the events are varied greatly touching upon various criteria and making it fun, he said.

Squadron members facilitate the entire series giving the PJs nothing more than positioning coordinates to each destination.

"We changed this one up," said Sergeant Bickham. By employing the use of different coordinate systems and different datum at each event, the SERE portion forced the PJs to pay close attention to the instructions and employ their global positioning instruments to point them in the right direction.

"If inputted incorrectly, they could end as much as 100 meters off," said Sergeant Bickham.

As each member of the PJ four-person team holds onto a corner of a medical litter they must balance a 60 lb. mannequin atop while sprinting to each site set miles apart.

Another event has them completing five underwater laps at the base pool then they are to demonstrate fire starting skills while one team member is blindfolded and another has the use of only one arm.

At the finale, nearing physical and mental fatigue, teams must insert two intravenous injection sets into fellow team members' arms. When both are successfully inserted, time stops for that team.

"They are going to be tired from the long swims and runs," said Sergeant Bickham.

"The majority of the team looks forward to doing these," said Staff Sgt. Joel Corbett, pararescueman. "It mixes it up and adds so many different things...it's working as a team to solve your problems."

And they get a chance to practice with the equipment, he said.

"The competition is a way for us to make sure the unit is in the best condition, have some fun and improve the odds of being successful," Said Sergeant Bickham.