United States Air Force Pararescue Badge
Criteria: The Pararescue Badge is issued to Air Force personnel assigned to the Pararescue unit. Pararescuemen are tasked with the recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. They are the only members of the Department of Defense specifically organized, trained and equipped to conduct personnel recovery operations in hostile or denied areas as a primary mission. These special operations units are also used to support NASA missions and have been used to recover astronauts after water landings. Pararescue personnel wear the maroon beret as a symbol of their elite status, and to symbolize the blood shed by past Pararescue Jumpers (PJs), as well as the blood current PJs are willing to shed to save lives.