2002 PJ's of the Year

Receive Awards

Each year three Pararescuemen are selected as the USAF Outstanding PJ's of the year. One is selected in the senior NCO category, one from the NCO category, and one from the Airman category. Each unit with PJs assigned gets to nominate one person in each of the three categories to their Major Command (MAJCOM). Each MAJCOM then screens the nominees and selects MAJCOM winners. The winners names are then sent to the Pentagon. The Pentagon forms a selection board that looks through all the nominees packages and selects the USAF PJ of the year. The winners are awarded a bronze sculpture of the Jack of All Trades.

This year the winners were:

The award presentations took place on Friday, 13 September at the USAF Pararescue School. A crowd of several hundred PJs was in attendance. These PJs were from the active duty force, the Air National Guard, the USAF Reserves, retirees, and past PJ's that did not make a career out of the Air Force. This unusually large group was a result of many of them being in town for the Air Force Cross ceremony for Jason Cunningham and/or the biannual USAF Pararescue Association Reunion. Following the Outstanding PJ of the Year award ceremony a barbeque was held. It was a grand affair and a good time was had by all.

Below are some pictures I took at the event. Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture.

1 Back yard of PJ School set up for ceremony	2 Jack of All Trades bronze sculpture presented to each winner	3 Assembled guests included many PJ retirees	4 Waiting for ceremony to begin
5 SMSgt Ryan Beckman narrates ceremony	6 Ceremony begins with national anthem	7 Winners from l to r SMSgt Dave Pickering, TSgt James Clark, and SRA Jason Andrews	8 A torrential rain forces the participants to move under cover
9 Gen. X talks to the assembled guests about the achievements of PJ's from Vietnam to Afghanistan	10 Gen. continues speech	11 Dave Pickering	12 James Clark
13 Jason Andrews	14 Beginning award presentations	15 Dave Pickering sure knows how to salute	16 Dave Pickering accepts award
17 James Clark accepts Gen. congratulations	18 James Clark	19 James Clark accepts award	20 Now it's Jason Andrews turn
21 Jason Andrews accepts award	22 The crowd is impressed	23 Vietnam AFC winner Joel Talley and his wife Joette	24 Active duty PJ's are not afraid of a little rain
	25 Much more rain and it might interfere with the following party	26 The PJ Chiefs at attention to honor the USAF PJ's of the year

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