Candidate: Daren Abad

Military Status: Active Duty

Rank: A1C

Why do I want to be a PJ?

One question that many people ask me, from coworkers to family members, and to friends is this: why do you want to be a Pararescueman? To be a PJ one has to have the heart of a servant. The creed states, "before personal desires and comforts." To me, this means I will stop at nothing to guarantee the preservation of another life, even before my own. Pure intentions, integrity, and discipline are all the qualities of a PJ. What is the outcome for me? It means that I will become a saviour. I hold within me feelings of great respect for pararescuemen, and therefore, I will stop at nothing until I become a PJ.

To begin my journey from where I am, I openly admit that I do not know if I maintain any of these qualities myself. I do not know the struggle of war, I do not know the true meaning of sacrifice, and I do not know what the heart of a servant is like.

No, but I believe that I have what it takes. I have the qualities needed to make it as a PJ and that's what's most important. I know deeply that the people that I admire the most have helped shape my life to make me understand that I want to become a PJ. Passion drives me day in and day out. I will train and push myself to get there because I am truly dedicated to living that lifestyle.

I look to idols like Brian Silva, Mike Maroney, Jocko Willink, and Tim Kennedy for knowledge, wisdom, and guidance. I will go day in and day out craving to help ease the burden of war and to provide assistance in the preservation of life because all of life is valuable and I want to defend the honour of my country.

The reason for my dream runs deep; I myself was blessed to watch what a second chance in life looks like. My sister was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of three. I did not understand the situation well when it first happened. I was no more than three years old and I did not understand what it meant.

As I got older, I understood that life was not guaranteed for her the way it always was for me. This knowledge that I am giving you brings an ache to my heart, an ache so strong that even now the tears well in my eyes. To receive news of a family member developing a terminal illness is life-changing and heartbreaking. Through medicine, my sister received a second chance as she went into remission. That second chance was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.

It was a second chance that eventually manifested into many beautiful things that we never expected but only hoped for, and sure enough - it felt like a miracle. I may be like a fool to speak these words, but I had never hoped it would happen for her. That second chance was her first day of high school. Her first prom. Her first day at six flags. Her first car. Her first job. It just kept coming as she kept living. Understanding that all this had not been possible without the hard work that those doctors provided is something that still grips me. Because of them, she was given a chance to keep living! That means something to me!

In EVERY way, a Pj provides the same gift. Every soldier, civilian, and even foreigner is provided a second chance the minute a Pj arrives. With proper training, and hard work a Pj helps contribute to the possibility of that patient receiving the same chance my sister did. You give that patient's family members the same chance those doctors gave. A chance to see someone experience life again. A chance for them to keep living. So for me, it’s a very short and simple answer. Why do I want to be a pj? So that I can help others live and thrive too!