Members of the 308th Rescue Squadron presented Senior Master Sgt. Jon Grant, pararescue superintendent, 920th Operations Group, with a special shadow box for his retirement from the Air Force Reserve January 7, 2017, after 27-year Air Force career as a pararescueman. During the ceremony at Patrick Air Force Base, comrades and commanders filled the room to honor him and his family for their longstanding service to country. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brandon Kalloo Sanes)
BREVARD COUNTY • PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA – After 27 years serving as an Air Force Pararescueman (PJ), Senior Master Sgt. Jon Grant retired January 7. He was highly decorated and deployed many times in support of combat operations.
Within the 920th Rescue Wing, he served as the 920th Operations Group Pararescue Superintendant and the Guardian Angel Standardization and Evaluations NCO.
As a career pararescueman, Grant was a part of a highly specialized core of personnel recovery specialists with emergency medical capabilities in humanitarian and combat environments. PJs deploy in any available manner, to include air-land-sea tactics, into restricted environments to authenticate, extract, treat, stabilize and evacuate injured personnel.
Lt. Col. Chad Senior, deputy commander, Cadet Group Four, U.S. Air Force Academy, presided over SMSgt. Jon Grant’s retirement, January 7, 2017 at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. During the retirement Jon’s wife was honored with a certificate of appreciation for her support to the military and Jon’s 27-year Air Force career as a pararescueman. Many wing comrades and commanders filled the room to honor the Grants for their longstanding service to country. (U.S. Air Force Image/Senior Airman Brandon Kalloo Sanes)
PJs participate in search and rescue, combat search and rescue, recovery support for NASA and conduct other operations as appropriate.
As part of the Guardian Angel triad, they are the only Department of Defense specialty specifically trained and equipped to conduct conventional or unconventional rescue operations.
Guardian Angels endure some of the toughest training offered in the U.S. military. Their training, as well as their unique mission, earns them the right to wear the maroon beret. They are combat trauma specialists with the same technical training as EMT-Paramedics, plus intense physical and additional specialized training.
Many comrades and commanders filled the auditorium to honor the Grants for their longstanding dedication and service to country.
Senior Master Sgt. Jon Grant, pararescue superintendent, 920th Operations Group, retires January 7, 2017, after 27-year Air Force career as a pararescueman. During the ceremony at Patrick Air Force Base, comrades and commanders filled the room to honor him and his family for their longstanding service to country. (U.S. Air Force Image/Senior Airman Brandon Kalloo Sanes)Lt. Col. Chad Senior, deputy commander, Cadet Group Four, U.S. Air Force Academy presided over the SMSgt. Jon Grant’s retirement, January 7, 2017 at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. During the retirement Jon’s wife was honored with a certificate of appreciation for her support to the military and Jon’s 27-year Air Force career as a pararescueman. During the ceremony at Patrick Air Force Base, comrades and commanders filled the room to honor him and his family for their longstanding service to country. (U.S. Air Force Image/Senior Airman Brandon Kalloo Sanes)
