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BOISE, Idaho - Nearly two decades ago, an Air Force recruit, fresh out of basic training, had a significant career decision to make - he could become a SERE (survival, evasion, resistance and escape) specialist or a TACP (tactical air control party) specialist. The recruiter presented the two options to the “newbie” and said something like this, "You can either teach people how to camp or you can work with the Army and run a lot."
The recruit, with an affinity for the outdoors, opted for "camping." Today, with more than 17 years of active-duty SERE instructor experience, Master Sgt. Adam Young is now the first SERE instructor ever assigned to the 124th Operations Support Squadron at Gowen Field.
“I've been a SERE specialist since I was an airman first class 17 years ago, so I've got all of that experience that I bring with me,” said Young. “Plus, I've deployed a couple of times and helped coordinate recovery operations in combat.”
Young’s experience also includes five years teaching the initial Combat Survival School at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. After three years as a field training instructor, he transitioned to the Resistance Training Laboratory where they recreate intense interrogation scenarios to pry information from "captured" aircrew trainees.
Since October, Young has drawn from his experience and connections to develop a comprehensive training program that meets the needs of our aircrews and the mission of the 124th Fighter Wing.
“Face-to-face communication with the Mountain Home SERE specialist and locally with the Aircrew Flight Equipment shop has helped me establish my own program and the training capability that we need," said Young.
Planning a SERE training event takes a "monumental" amount of planning and coordination. Young explained that the logistics of getting land use agreements, vehicles, helicopter support, aircraft and personnel support can take around three weeks.
In December, Young coordinated with Mountain Home Air Force Base, who already had a SERE training event planned, to conduct concurrent combat survival training for one ANG aircrew member, with systems unique to the 190th Fighter Squadron.
Young’s long-term goals include developing a larger combat communication capability for the National Guard aircrews.
Warfighters must be self-sufficient in personal recovery training - proficient in the use of the radios that serve as their primary communication tool when they eject. Additionally he plans to develop the support infrastructure for training communications. Currently, this infrastructure doesn’t exist in the National Guard.
"One of my initiatives that, with the new survival radio, is to establish a full end-to-end architecture that can support not only our (radio) units but units throughout the northwest region," said Young. “If any unit wants to conduct a search and recovery exercise, we can support them out of Gowen Field.”
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.09.2015 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 151646 |
| Location: | BOISE AIR TERMINAL AIR GUARD STATION, ID, US |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New SERE instructor brings expertise, training capabilities, vision for communication infrastructure, by MSgt Sarah Pokorney, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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