Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this book in tandem with Michael Hirsh's None Braver. In truth, I preferred the latter, however that opinion lies mostly in differing expectations. I had anticipated a more in-depth account of PJ training and missions. While this book contains a fair amount of that, Brehm and his co-author use it mostly to lace together what is more aptly described as an auto-biography. You are looking at mostly the personal aspect of the job: family life, stress, emotions, tough decisions, etc. Not nearly as gripping or action-packed, if you will. The disappointment notwithstanding, I found it enjoyable and a decent read, with just enough "adventure" to pull me in. If you are more interested in the technical aspects or more detail about combat missions and life during a war (Brehm served mostly in the U.S.), I advise Hirsh's book. However, Brehm's heart-felt stories are still worth a look. It's just another side of the coin - the rest of the story, so to speak.
Click Here to see more reviews about: 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 well: 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.
