By Jane Rogers, Southern Baptist Texan SAN ANTONIO - As an Air Force pararescueman in Vietnam, Doug Brinson often faced death to save downed pilots, including a treacherous three-week stretch of missions in 1972 that shaped his life in ways he will never forget. “I probably aged a few years in those three weeks,” Brinson said. Brinson’s parents urged him to follow his brother by enlisting in the Air Force, thinking it the safest branch of the military. The southern Louisiana native found himself drawn to the allure of dangerous USAF pararescue. Brinson’s training as a pararescueman, or PJ, was rigorous, involving Navy scuba school, Army jump school, Army Ranger mountain school, Army medical training and other survival schools. “A PJ is supposed to be able to rescue a pilot down anywhere,” Brinson said, adding that even today, most “wash out” of the tough training. His class consisted of 12 men, 10 of whom deployed to Vietnam. Brinson arrived in Southeast Asia in the “last really hot year of the war,” when the ground war was winding down in favor of air power. The North Vietnamese seized the offensive, threatening South Vietnam. PJs stayed busy rescuing downed pilots, treacherous work accomplished with helicopters … [Read more...]