US Air Force

One of the Pararescuemen describes his skill set as being a “mixture of being a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue diver, mixed with a mountain rescue specialist.”

From Eagle Scout to an Air Force Academy graduate with a degree in aeronautical engineering, Roland completed difficult tasks with a single-mindedness and sense of humor that impressed his peers and superiors.

It was August 15, 2012, when Jeremy Maddamma left Afghanistan on a stretcher. Maddamma, a US Air Force pararescueman, was on a mission to rescue Afghan civilians after multiple suicide bombers hit Zaranj, a city on the Iranian border. He remembers the gunshot puncturing his left knee and falling to the ground. He remembers begging for […]