Inside Combat Rescue

They call it the “golden hour,” the critical window of time in which PJs strive to complete a rescue and offer the injured their best chance of survival. The PJs can't land in an area littered with enemy mines until a full sweep of the zone confirms that it's safe to land and this setback jeopardizes the life of an Afghan soldier with a severed leg. On another call, frustration mounts when defensive jamming techniques block radio communications, complicating the rescue of several U.S. soldiers.

The team medevacs two Afghan allies who have been shot in a firefight. When one of the guns on their chopper breaks in midair, the men must change their tactics to land safely. With the threat of improvised explosive devices at the landing zone slowing down the process, the men are feeling the pressure to get their allies back to safety. Back at base, each man must deal with the stressors of the job in his own way.

Go inside an elite Air Force paracrescue unit as they deploy to Afghanistan. One “PJ,” Chris, is eager to prove himself and save lives. When an Afghan civilian is injured in an improvised explosive device blast, the men of the 38th Rescue Squadron must treat and transport him to the hospital within the hour to save his life. Since the men must constantly stay on top of current medical knowledge, each Monday they review and practice their skills so when they need to use them, they are ready.

As their deployment draws to a close, the 38th Rescue Squadron PJs count down the days until they can return home. But when two suicide bombers detonate a bomb near the city of Kandahar, injuring dozens of civilians, the PJs are reminded that they are a long way from home. Later, the team takes to the air to rescue a U.S. serviceman who has lost three limbs and is quickly losing blood.