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To preserve and support the Pararescue community
 
 

Our mission exclusively supports the U.S. Air Force Pararescue Community.

#StaySafe #NeverQuit #RememberEveryoneDeployed #NeverForget #TheseThingsWeDoThatOthersMayLive

CFC # 84320 EIN 81-1692762

 
 

The Pararescue Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. We are dedicated to support U.S. Air Force Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer service members, veterans and their families.

As members of U. S. Air Force Special Warfare, Pararescue specialists rescue and medically treat downed military personnel all over the world. Pararescuemen, also known as “PJs,” and their Combat Rescue Officer leaders are the only U.S. force specifically trained and equipped to execute the most dangerous and technical rescue operations worldwide.  Regardless of enemy threat or environmental conditions, these elite warriors stand ready to find isolated and injured people, render expert medical care, and return them safely.

Such selfless service takes a toll on military families.  These warriors operate at a convergence of roles known to be high-risk for Post-Traumatic Stress: ground combat, trauma medicine, and the recovery of human remains.  Also, the physical burden of carrying patients, rescue equipment, and combat loads through parachute insertions, armed conflict, open ocean swims, glacier travel and mountainous terrain routinely results in chronic physical and neurological damage.

We execute our mission guided by three goals:

  • Relieve the physical and psychological demands of service

  • Provide tragedy, transition, and education assistance

  • Honor the commitment and sacrifice of those who live by the motto:  "That Others May Live" 

 
 
 

Our Programs

 
 
 
 

Our programs bridge the gap between government resources and the unique needs of Pararescue service members, veterans and their families.

  • Resiliency Services - For physical and psychological treatment that helps with injury prevention and rehabilitation. The Resiliency program provides relief from the physical or invisible wounds borne by service members, veterans and their families. We promote an evidence-based medical guide to our efforts to improve the long-term health and wellness of our community.

  • Transition and Educational Support - For post military careers, our Transition assistance program helps service and family members realize their value in the private sector, lead prosperous lives post-service, and enjoy the freedoms they fought to protect. For specific information about our Transition Program - click here for a PJF TES introduction

  • Tragedy Support - When a community member is killed or severely injured, our Tragedy assistance program provides immediate financial and logistical support to the families of service members in need.

  • Gold Star Family Education Program - This Program will honor the Pararescuemen who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and provide for those gone to soon.  We know our fallen heroes would want a quality Education for their children. Our aim is to help the Pararescue families whose unmeasurable sacrifice cannot be calculated. For specific information about our Gold Star Family Education Program - click here for PJF GSFEP details

  • Legacy Preservation - For ceremonies and memorials that honor the commitment and sacrifice. Through physical memorials, recognition ceremonies, and recording of historical events, the Legacy Preservation program seeks to honor those committed to the Pararescue Code and Motto: “These Things We Do, That Others May Live.”

Our programs are often sensitive in nature. Please contact us directly for more information.

 
 
 

About U. S. Air Force Pararescue

 
 
 

Pararescuemen - also known as PJs, are the only Department of Defense elite combat forces specifically organized, trained, equipped, and postured to conduct full spectrum Personnel Recovery to include both conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations. These Battlefield Airmen are the most highly trained and versatile Personnel Recovery specialists in the world. Pararescue is the nation’s force of choice to execute the most perilous, demanding, and extreme rescue missions anytime, anywhere across the globe. The 500+ PJs are assigned to Guardian Angel and Special Tactics Squadrons throughout the Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Air Force components. They operate most often as independent teams but routinely serve alongside other U.S. and Allied Special Operations Forces.

Pararescue Foundation Team

Staff

Ron Lennis, BSBA
Executive Director
email Ron    LinkedIn

Laura Lerdall, MPA
Development Coordinator
email Laura     LinkedIn

Ryan Darnell (USAF PJ, KYANG)
Transition Coordinator
email Ryan      LinkedIn

Dave Cruz (USAF PJ sep)
Accredited Veterans Services Officer
email Dave

Lori Kestranek
Store Manager
email Lori   

Marcus Truman (USAF ret) BS, MA
Human Performance Specialist
email Marcus   LinkedIn

Advisors

Dr. Stephen Rush, MD
USAF Pararescue Medical Director

Dr. Craig Bryan, PsyD
Stress, Trauma, & Resilience (STAR) Professor at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Dr. Doug Kechijian, PT, DPT, MA, PRC
Resilient Performance Physical Therapy

CMSgt Ryan Schultz, (USAF, ret)
Battlefield Airman Program Manager
USAF School of Aerospace Medicine

Erin Jenkins, MS, CSCS, ACSM EP-C
Director of Human Performance

Michael Malloy (USAF PJ ret)
Director of Strategic Alliances

Board of Directors

CMSgt Michael Jones, (USAF ret)
Resiliency & Wellness
email Michael     LinkedIn

CMSgt Douglas Kestranek, (USAF ret)
Legacy Preservation
email Douglas

CMSgt Anthony Negron, (USAF ret)
Personal & Professional Development
email Anthony     LinkedIn

Steve Goodman, (USAF ret)BS, MBA
Director
email Steve     LinkedIn

Tom Stephens (USAF ret)BS, MBA
Director
email Tom     LinkedIn

SSgt Dominic Luke (USAF PJ sep)
Director
email Dominic      LinkedIn

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Governance: Integrity, Transparency and Compliance

Integrity:

"Warrior, teammate, friend."

In a career field that has only produced 3,500 members since World War II, everything is personal. Our customers today were our teammates, mentors and students. Just as we fought alongside them on the battlefield, we now fight to stretch the impact of every dollar for the benefit of our small community.

Transparency:

Earning and keeping donor trust is fundamental to every choice we make. We adhere to voluntary accounting best-practices codified for not-for-profit entities by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

2022 Annual Report.pdf

Compliance:

The Pararescue Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) Public Charity
Tax ID: 81-1692762    

click to view Tax Exempt Determination Letter .pdf
2022 IRS Form 990.pdf

Questions about governance?    

click here to view our Frequently Asked Questions .pdf