Evading the Enemy: Reservists get SERE upgrade training

Published March 7, 2015
By Tech. Sgt. Abigail Klein
931st Air Refueling Group

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- With their knees and boots grinding into the Kansas soil, evading and dodging any shadowy or unfamiliar person that may cross their paths, the outside observer at first glance might think this was the setting of an action movie.

In reality, the setting was part of a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape training scenario for 931st Air Refueling Group aircrews. Fifteen McConnell Reservists participated in the training during the unit training assembly March 7, 2015. The training was a refresher, as all Air Force aircrew go through an initial SERE training course at Fairchild AFB, Wash., during introductory training.

After this, they are required to remain up-to-date on the training throughout their careers. The training covers survival training procedures including combat survival training, tactical evasion training and conduct-after-capture training.

The focus of today's scenario was evasion. To accomplish this, the reservists simulated an aircraft crash that had landed in enemy territory. Staff Sgt. John Michels, 22nd Operations Support Squadron SERE instructor, drove the reservists to a local wooded area in Derby, Kan., and divided the group into four to five-man teams. The teams were then driven to three different locations throughout the training site, and were given a limited amount of time to navigate their way to safe rendezvous point, using compasses and GPS radios.

"It's a training scenario but what I try to stress to them is that it's something that could happen to them in the real world, not just if their aircraft got shot down, but also if they are just flying TDY," said Michels.

Among the reservists, Capt. Brian Doom, 18th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 pilot, took the training as another opportunity to prepare himself for the possibility of real-world evasion and capture. During the training, Doom focused on maintaining cover, to keep from being "shot," and concealment to keep from being seen by the "enemy." To do this, Doom utilized everything from trees, high grass and short natural alcoves.

"It's important to review this seriously because you hope you never need this training, but it's good to refresh it every couple of years just in case you do," he said.

As the team rallied around their final rendezvous point, working their way through the muddy trails and dry branches left behind from melting snow, Michels also noted the importance of the setting for today's SERE training.

"This [location] reinforces all of the general tactics, techniques and procedures that we're trying to teach them in the safest way possible; its globally applicable, especially with the kind of anti-American sentiment that is going on out there," he said.

The team building aspect of the training was also a big part the reservists evaluation, though Michels admits, that's not that hard to come by in the Air Force.

"[As Airmen] It's usually easy for us to come together and say, 'alright, I need to do what I can to make sure my team succeeds,'" he said.

At the conclusion of the training exercise each team of aircrew members was able to successfully navigate to their designated rendezvous point and be "recovered" by friendly forces. It was just the type of happy ending one would expect from an action movie, and the type of real-world happy ending this training is designed to provide.