Air Force Pararescueman Brandon Daugherty Part Two

About this video

Brandon Daugherty, an Air Force Pararescueman (PJ), recounts his upbringing in Florence, Arizona, a small prison town where his family struggled with poverty. He describes how the 9/11 attacks and his older brother’s Marine Corps service inspired him to join the Air Force, specifically aiming to become a PJ despite a recruiter’s discouragement. Daugherty details his grueling three-year training pipeline, which began with 130 candidates and graduated only nine, including himself, who received a “most improved” award. He passed out underwater twice during training and witnessed classmates dying and being resuscitated during selection.

Key takeaways

• Daugherty explains that he joined the Air Force PJ program after 9/11, motivated by patriotism and his Marine brother’s advice to choose the Air Force over the Marines.
• Daugherty describes the PJ selection process as designed to test candidates’ ability to compartmentalize and complete tasks under extreme stress, including oxygen deprivation, and argues that success requires specific psychological wiring rather than just mindset.
• Daugherty recounts passing out underwater twice during training (“seeing the wizard”) and notes that candidates in classes near his died during training, with at least one requiring resuscitation and defibrillation.

Episode details: published April 7, 2024 · 29.4K views · 2:44:34 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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