Aircrews practice survival, evasion skills

  • Published
  • By Maj. Don Jones
  • 366th Operations Support Squadron
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Aircrew spend most of their time training to kill and survive in the aerial battlefield, but every three years, aircrew are required to refresh in combat survival on the ground. 

Last week, three aircrew from the 389th Fighter Squadron and 391st Fighter Squadron practiced their survival and evasion skills under the expert guidance of the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialists assigned to the 366th Operations Support Squadron. 

The aircrew's day began at 5 a.m. with four hours of refresher instruction training covering combat first aid, surviving in various environments, evading the enemy on the ground and combat rescue procedures. After a mission brief from 366th OSS intelligence flight they were off to the field for some hands-on instruction in signaling devices, camouflage and concealment. 

"After the instructions, we went on our first training scenario," said Maj. David Perez, 391st Fighter Squadron. "We were equipped with an ejection seat kit and survival vest and were simulating that we had just evacuated our plane over enemy territory. We had to evade capture until Combat Search and Rescue forces could locate and rescue us.
With aggressors on the ground hunting for them, the aircrew low-crawled their way to a pre-determined pickup point. 

"While we were evading capture, we had to navigate to our point, use survival radios to make contact with Idaho Air National Guard A-10 Warthogs orbiting overhead and signal our location to the rescue pilots," said Major Perez. 

Once the A-10 pilots located the survivors, they escorted an Idaho ANG UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to the landing zone where the SERE specialists played the role of Pararescue, or "PJ," and pulled the survivors to safety. 

Although the odds of this scenario occurring in real life are low, it's a real possibility aircrews train and prepare for on a daily basis. This training, organized by the SERE specialists and supported by the 366th Fighter Wing and the Idaho Air National Guard, ensures that if this scenario does occur, Gunfighters are ready and able to return to fly and fight another day.