AZFlyer

YouTube - USAF SERE School

Can anyone tell if this video is showing aircrew SERE training or if its showing SERE Specialist training? I don't think it is mentioned in the video and it doesn't say in the youtube description. I'm guessing it is about SERE Specialists.

Did any of you guys have to make a meal out of bugs and raw rabbits at aircrew SERE? How about the downed helo water surivial sim? Looks pretty intimidating.

KC10 FATboy

Yes, this is aircrew SERE. And when I did it (not complaining or bragging), we had 4-5 feet of snow and it was a mess. But at the same time, the distance we had to travel each day was lowered significantly. After you go through initial, you do refresher SEREs at your base. And that varies base to base from a classroom exercise to possibly going out in the local woods.

Interestingly enough, I've been through both the USN/USMC and USAF survival schools. I was a Pensacola guy. The water survival training that the USN/USMC is absolutely the best. Don't get confused by the gay lightshow the USAF has. The USN/USMC had tougher requirements for the dunkers. The USAF has the best ground/land/capativity training.

Much of this stuff is protected by confidentiality statements so I'm going to cut this short. hahah

BDGERJMN

KC10, are you saying you went through the USN SERE school in addition to the USAF SERE(equiv.) school or just the USN Water Survival/Aviation Physiology training as part of API/Primary in Pensacola? I was just wondering because the two services recognize each other's SERE programs which removes the requirement for instance for a USAF exchange aircrew to go through USN SERE if assigned to a deployable squadron.

KC10 FATboy

I went through the USN/USMC API water survival and there was a land survival course we had to do out in the woods (near Corry Station??). When I went through API, the USAF was making a big issue about their guys getting injured going through the USN training. I know at some point, a lot of the requirements for the USAF was watered down (no pun).

KC10 FATboy

Even more bizarre, I did Air Force Water Survival for Ejection Seats, before UPT, at the same water survival school the USN used in Pcola. Airforce students using Navy equipment. We are becoming the purple force.

Hooverdog

Trust me when I tell you there is a BIG difference between Land survival in P'Cola and Navy SERE school!

Mink

"Starvival" in Pcola is how to not go hungry if you eject over LA (Lower Alabama). SERE is how to survive if you end up in bad guy land. Yes, big difference.

atpcliff

Hi!

USAF prison school was not fun at all, and I am one of the guys that had relatively little trouble with it.

The USAF dunker also went very smoothly for me. It IS psychologically difficult, and it was VERY hard for some guys. Once, I got another guy out, and then myself...he was just sitting there. Each time I got out of the pool, I waited 2-3 MINUTES for the last guy to come up....did not look nice for them!!!

cliff
LFW

USMCFLYR

So true! So True!

The Marines all have a great time a P'Cola after coming from TBS with the *almost* 3 days in the woods and that land nav exercise

SERE school on the other hand - well I had SO many copies of that scattered in multiple places because I was not going to go back through that basic course again! I did mine in Brunswick, Maine in December so I got the Cold Weather Survival qual out of the way too. >BURRRR<
But like KC10 said - enough details.

The Marines use to run their own SERE course in Camp Lejuene many, many years ago. One of our Maintenance GySgts was an instructor there and every once in awhile he would slip into that old voice and chastise a new Lt if he wrote a poor MAF

USMCFLYR

USMCFLYR

The wter survival part of the video looks more like our standard water survival training required every 4 years than anything I did at SERE school.
It didn't even look like they turned the helo dunker upside down. The worst ride was the blind ride with an assigned exit. That is the one they you prayed your assigned seat was right next to the exit or in the cockpit rather than the very back of the Helo.

The helo rescue was more fun too in the USN training. I did D-Jet training after what we called was AI because I was going to NAS Corpus Christi for Primary. There we parasailed down in the P'Cola Bay and then a helo came by and picked us each up and then set us back down in the water and then a boat came by and picked us up too. Does anyone on here know if they are still doing it that way?

As far as the training being *watered down* - I do believe that the Water Survival and Physiology has gotten easier through the years - less demanding I mean. For instance I believe their is only ONE helo dunker ride required now. The scenario based training flows better though and you get don much quicker.

USMCFLYR