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AF Suvival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Training
Fairchild AFB, Apr 18 - May 4 07
Well, here is the last step in the journey to being a pilot. SERE training is 17 days straight including weekends, so no days off. It definitely seems like ground hog day near the end. It is divided into two major parts, the SE and RT (resistance training). The first 10 days are S & E. I arrived the day before and didn’t really know if anyone was picking us up or what we actually needed to do. FYI for future students just call 509-244-0730 for the Stars & Stripes shuttle which will take you from the airport to Fairchild to the survival inn. The SERE complex is on the back of the base complete with its own gym, shoppette and dining hall. The facilities are new and pretty nice. You have refrigerators and microwaves in the room. Most people have roommates and they might not necessarily be in your class as there are several classes going through at one time. When you check in at the survival in they will give you a packet with all the info you need to know including start time in academics. We had 68 in our S & E class and we were divided into elements (3-7 people) for lab work and field exercises. I thought I might be SRO (senior ranking officer) but it turned out that we had 5 captains and two had more time in rank thereby making them SRO and assistant SRO. I ended up being element leader though. S & E begins with four days of academics before you go to the field. On day one we had introductions from the commander and staff and we were introduced to our element instructors. We were issued our field gear including sleeping bags, knives and back pack, etc. We also began the basics of what to do when you eject/bailout and hit the ground. The second day we covered medicine, land navigation and visited the environmental lab covering different climate regions and different ways to survive. Before coming here, I didn’t know why survival school was in Washington state. I now know that Washington is one of the only places with such varying climates. This state has a desert, tropical forest, snow/artic-type regions, coastal and forested regions. They have training sites throughout the state. On Day 3 we had signal labs with the different signaling devices ranging from smoke to gyrojets to mirrors. They have a barriers lab on the backside of the base that has ditches, culverts, railroad tracks, fences, wire, etc and we were taught how to cross these obstacles with varying threats in the area. On the final day of S & E academics we covered radios namely the one that has GPS and data burst capability. We also received various simulated intelligence briefings on each day covering our simulated conflict that we would be involved in during the field exercise. On Day 5 we traveled over two hours to the field and it is in the mountains packed with trees, streams and animals. We divided up into elements and on the first night we stayed in shelters made of raft canopies or parachutes. It was a full day of preparing camp and discussing initial actions after landing. You initially take tap water but you have to find a source out in the woods to use from there on out. You are provided with iodine tablets to purify your water. We set out squirrel snare traps but were ultimately unsuccessful in catching anything (although another element did). We all tried termites and they tasted a bit like lemon (come on we are in survival). I almost tried a worm but didn’t have any water to chase it down at the time. We were provided with rabbits (2) on the first night and that was a fun experience since I’m not a hunter at all. When the time came for a volunteer to end the rabbit’s life I volunteered. We used a stick to subdue the rabbit and I took him out on the first hit. If you don’t, he will squeal extremely loud and make you feel bad about it. This is suppose to be a survival situation and you are in need of food. We all took turns cleaning the rabbit and with the bullion cubes we brought it seasoned quite well. You are encouraged to bring heavy duty tinfoil and #10 cans (you get from chow hall) to do you stew in. I had a serious headache and indigestion from the rabbit the first night. Everyone seems to have a headache on either the first or second day due to the change in eating habits. We are provided a few energy bars and Gatorade packets because these would likely be in any survival kit you have in your aircraft. Each night we were assigned different tasks which ended up taking up all your free time such as trying to make a spoon or fork and cleaning up camp, purifying water, etc. The second day out in the field was navigation day. We were taught the 6 point process to navigate to different points based on both terrain features, pace counts and also by GPS. GPS can be unreliable at times because of error of up to 100 meters (the difference can mean in the drainage ditch or up on the cliff). Blisters on my heels started on this day as we covered a lot of ground and elevation. Some of the climbing required you to use your hands as well as legs to get up. Any more of an angle and a rope would be required. We also used triangulation techniques to identify locations without GPS (perhaps batteries are dead). On top of one high point we learned how and got to give vectors to an actual helicopter that would be coming to rescue you. You just have to remain calm and do what you are taught. It is pretty cool when the helo flies right over. All of this time you have about half pack ~ 35 pounds whereas the full pack on later days weighted around 60 lbs. On the second night we had to take down our larger shelters and make poncho shelters. You learn multiple knots and you get to use throughout making shelters. On the third day we had to completely pack up as we were now navigating and learning evasion movements and techniques. We went through all the steps of the rescue timeline. The scenario steps up on the third day and you begin to take on the role (from the previously briefed scenario). We also used face camo and I encourage you to get camo from the shoppette or BX because the issued stuff is awful. We got to vector the helicopter for a second time but under combat conditions. We covered a good bit of ground and split up at the end of the day to build individual shelters that were meant to be concealed. We received communications that also gave us instructions for the following days activities. On the 7th and 8th day you are given an MRE (meal ready to eat) so that you can concentrate on evasion and not food collection. The morning of the 8th we were let loose to evade to the prearranged rescue point in your travel team (2-3 people). It is very cool as you will see and hear the threats all around you as you sneak around. We arrived at the point and we were rescued. We again slept in ponchos before the final day out in the field. We knew that we would somehow convert to the RT portion of training. You are again let loose with actual people on your tail. You may be caught, then instructed and let loose to continue to the rescue point. You are shipped back to Fairchild and you begin the resistance training. I can’t really continue because RT is classified training and everyone signs a non-disclosure agreement. I would also scan and post the student handbook but it is for government use only. RT is very in your face and will shock most in the methods used. It was probably the some of the worst hours of my life but provided some information I will never forget. All students receive just a glimpse of what life without freedom would be like and it gave me a new appreciation for it. We finished with a closeout debrief and graduation on the last day. I enjoyed my time here but I can’t tell you how glad I am to be done with all training. God has been unbelievable good to me and it is time to begin my life with my new job of being an officer and C-17 pilot. Thanks for reading and email if you have any questions about S & E. I lost my disposable camera while we were evading but I did get several people’s pictures and included them below.
The above pictures are from the signaling lab and barriers lab
The unspecting rabbits we would enjoy
The Huey above was used for rescue and combat vectors.
Combat vector signal
Evasion shelter
Constructing a signal after crashing
Camp Shelter
Food Cache
Fun times with rabbits - the cleaning process
Rabbit stew (along with potatoes and carrots - provided)
Smiles after being done
Emergency Parachute Training
5/8/07
Well, with the revamping of survival and resistance training the day that included parachute landings and helo pickup were booted out and placed in its own one day course. If your aircraft has parachutes in an capacity you are suppose to take this course. It is a valuable course and I believe everyone should take it. The course involved one hour of academics, parachute landing falls (PLFs – same as in SUPT), parachute drag, practice getting down if hung in a tree, an actual hoist up to a helicopter, bailout demonstration and simulated rescue and the full demonstration of rescue devices that a helo could have. A fun day and we had a smaller group so we got out around 1500.
AF Water Survival School
Pensacola NAS, FL 11-14 Dec 06
All I can say is training was a blast. I had a great time and its pretty amazing what you get to do. I wasn’t able to take the pictures/videos I would have liked to due to obvious reasons but I did grab some pictures off the internet that directly applied to what we did. You are billeted on station and the accommodations where nice (TV, DVD, free internet, etc). I arrived on Sunday night around 2030 and you receive a welcome packet upon arrival. Classes start every Monday and they run through any holidays that fall on that week. On Monday a bus picked us up at 0700 for a full day of academics. The schoolhouse was right off the water (makes sense). We were introduced to our instructors and filled out in-processing paperwork. Our class was 52 members large and was about 1/3 officers, 1/3 pipeliners (airmen who are going through a series of classes after basic training), and 1/3 NCOs & Airmen with a few years. We went through multiple powerpoint presentations covering emergency parachuting, sealife, medical needs on the water and equipment that you might have out there. We were fitted for our issued equipment (we return on Thursday) which included parachute harness, LPUs (life preserver units) - see picture below), full wetsuits, mustang suit (yellow suit for additional cold protection), flightsuit, gloves and boots, and helmets. You were issued a red helmet if you thought you could swim and yellow if you were unsure or were afraid of the water. They watch the yellow helmets closely in the water.
The LPUs are the orange banana-shaped floats that fit right underneath your armpits. In a real bailout/ejection, these would inflate when you pull the lanyards. They provide 500 pounds of force helping you float - they work.
We got an hour lunch and the Naval Exchange with a food court is within walking distance. Most people had cars but the school issued out two vans to students for use during our stay. Day one was pretty easy.
Tuesday we went through two classes, one on signaling and communicating and the other dealt with water production/collection and boat repair. In the first class we reviewed the strobe light, PRC-90 and PRC-112. These two were radios that you communicate with, hopefully, friends for pickup and they also acted as a beacon if so desired. The second radio incorporated GPS which is highly desirable. The second class introduced us to the reverse osmosis pumps that extract the salt from the sea water for consumption. We were also shown how to fix holes in the raft if that occasion ever arises. We then went outside to hang from the harnesses and go through the common checklist that you should also go through after ejecting. Are you ready?... CANOPY, VISOR, MASK, SEAT KIT, LPUs, 4 LINE, STEER, PREPARE TO LAND...(splash)... RELEASE, SAFETY HOOK, CLOSE COVERS. There you have it. If you memorize the checklist training is a cinch. After hanging just above the ground to ensure your harness was sized correctly we went down to the basin (area right next to the schoolhouse) to go on the zig reel and jump in the water and practice getting into the twenty man raft and the one man raft.
Our 20 man rafts are yellow (for training only). Here the students have put up the canopy with the pink side up to attract attention. The other side is black to conceal their position to avoid enemy.
There is an apparatus, similar to what we had in SUPT but this time you actually slide down the cable into the water as if you are landing following a bailout/ejection. A safety hook is attached that can not be released until your weight is off it so that if you try to release early you will not fall to the water from an unsafe height. The instructors hook you up and they let you hang for a moment and then release you. You go through the checklist and wait to hit the water (59 F in Dec while we were here).
Picture above is of the apparatus we used on day 2 of training. You can see the cables that slope down into the water from the tower. Under the tower is also where we loaded into boats daily to go out to the bay area.
After you finished the reel you walked down the walkway to jump in the water and work on entering the liferaft. You use the SWIM acronym to enter (separate LPUs, wet the ramp, inspect to ensure your releases are closed - otherwise you will poke a hole in the raft and mount the raft). Once you are in the raft you use the 5 As; air (clamp off the upper tube from the bottom tube of the raft), assist others into raft, put out your anchor, get your survival accessories and analyze the situation. After some fun you jump out and swim to the one man rafts. You do the same procedures and practice getting in and putting the spray shield up (protects from stormy seas and jelly fish washing into your raft. Normally you will also practice getting out from under a parachute that landed on your head but we couldn’t do that because the parachute used for this was drawn underneath the surface from the incoming current. While we were in the water we practiced attaching the different helicopter recovery devices which included the basket, harness and the device that you sit on. We also practiced using see dye and mirrors for signaling and gyrojets for alerting aircrew to our position. When we were done for the day, we came back and dunked in the fresh water tank before we changed to get some of the saltwater off. Oh, by the way you are suppose to wear a swimsuit beneath all your issued gear.
Wednesday and Thursday are in the open water. We started at 0630 both days. On Wednesday we suited up and went straight out to the Pensacola Bay area. The school owns a big specialty boat used for parasailing and the drags while multiple other boats are used for pulling the parasailers and to pickup people in the water. We started with getting kicked out of the boat near a 20 man life raft and we swam over and followed our procedures.
We sat up the canopy, went through the survival kit and successfully produced some potable water. Afterwards the small boats took us to the large boat for the front and backwards drag. This exercise is used to simulate being dragged by your parachute due to winds before you disconnect. In the rear of the ship are two large beams that extend over the water (they said 12’ up but it looked like at least 20’). They connect you (as appropriate for the direction of drag), slide you out over the water and then let you fall before the boat begins to drag you. You are taught body positions to keep your head above water and slow the parachute so we got a chance to practice those positions. The initial drop was pretty fun. After all 52 of us in our class finished all of these we got in numerical order (as assigned) and began our first of two parasails. When you get to the front of the line the instructor gets you to chant your checklist again before calling you over to hook up. You are hooked up and your canopy is pulled open as in the picture.
Literally, you start marching as the boat pulls away and then you continue to march as you are being pulled away. The boats alternate sides that they turn to to allow more parasails at one time. So, the boat turns one direction and you are only extended maybe 150’ of rope. Then the boat operator lets out several hundred feet of line. As you are almost standing still while the boat moves away and the more rope is extended suddenly it stops and you are jerked up to about 500-600’ up. You hear the boat stop (barely through the significant wind noise) and the rope isn’t taunt anymore. You see an orange flag being waved and you release the rope. You being your checklist again and wait to hit the water. I, as many others, got tangled in our shoots the first time because we didn’t release our parachute as quickly as we should have once entering the water.
Everybody who was not parachuting on deck went below and ate Subway lunches that we ordered on Monday. It took awhile to get all 52 people through their first parasail but after we finished we boarded our smaller boats and then saw the helicopter fly overhead and drop one of our instructors and he parachuted in and we saw his one man raft inflate as he floated to the ocean. Then, we then saw the helicopter fly over and hoist him up simulating his rescue.
After the demo finished we were the first boat to start. Each one of us would be hoisted once (only about 8-10’ out of the water and then put back in due to time and resource constraints). They had everybody stand up and jump out in 50’ intervals to give the helo space. He pointed at me first and told me to jump in. You splash your hands to let the helo know you are next to go so he hovered overhead. The rotor wash spray was pretty intense, more than I expected, as well as the noise was very loud (as expected). They lowered the harness to me and after it had statically grounded out, you basically wrap it around you like a belt and attach the d-ring on the hook. You give the helo a vigorous thumbs up and as they begin hoisting you up you give the straps a bear hug to keep yourself upright and not sprawling around. Then they lower you back down and once you are clear you splash around. Going through 52 people took awhile and then we were done out in the open water.
On Thursday, we met again at 0630 and briefed up the day. We all went out to the bay area on the small boats and loaded onto the large boat used for parasailing. Everything was just like the first jump except they added a modified one man life raft in our seat kit. It doesn’t automatically inflate as it does in real life. We you go through the sequence of the checklist you pull the seat kit and it opens a velcro pocket that lets the raft fall out. Once you are in the water the boat picks up your parachute and you are left to blow up your raft and “survive” for 1-2 hours. I was left out there for an hour. I inflated my raft and my first priority was to get the water out so I wouldn’t be miserable. I used the anchor (cone shape made of fabric) to get the water out and then I covered up with the splash shield and enjoyed some food I brought. After an hour the boat came around and picked everybody up. That one hour of boredom let me know it would truly be awful to be left out at sea on this small raft. You have the option of inflating your splash shield and raft floor but after you are picked up you are responsible for deflating your raft and semi-repacking it. We were all boated back and we cleaned up and turned back in our gear. We went up stairs for the last part of training which was the test. It was a 30 question, 30 minute test. They sold some t-shirts and coins and we were done. We got our graduation certificates. In AETC, you can’t travel (by car) on any day when you have worked over half a day so we all relaxed on Thursday and headed out on Friday All-in-all...good times.
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