SERE performs TRAP Exercise

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miranda Loera | U.S. Air Force Capts. Cody Williams, 336th Fighter Squadron weapons systems officer, and Steve Keck, 336th FS pilot, wait as an AH-1W Super Cobra assigned to the Marine Light Aircraft Helicopter Squadron 269 from Marine Corps Air Station New River, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, attempts to locate their position during a tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel exercise, Jan. 31, 2017, in Kinston, North Carolina. Williams and Keck played the role of simulated downed aircrew and established communcations with a U.S. Marine Corps rescue team and simultaneously evaded enemy forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Miranda A. Loera)  

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC, UNITED STATES

02.01.2017

Story by Airman Miranda Loera 

4th Fighter Wing   

Staff Sgt. Joshua Krape, 4th Operational Support Squadron survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialist was the lead organizer for the mission.
“The objective for this exercise was to test [the aircrew members] SERE skills,” said Krape. “We wanted to see if the members knew what to do after a crash, and if they could get the proper rescue from the allied team. Also, we were throwing opposing forces at them and seeing if they could stay hidden while waiting for help to arrive.”
Two Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson AFB, a UH-1Y Venom and an AH-1W Super Cobra from MCAS New River, were tasked to find the downed aircrew. In addition, the aircraft worked together to neutralize simulated threats as part of the combat, search and rescue team.
Communication played a key part in the exercise. The team on the ground coordinated with all aircraft to ensure a successful rescue. After the members were found, it was the rescue team’s job to authenticate the rescued participant’s identity.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Daniel Fitzgerald, a crew chief with the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, was one of the participants in the rescue portion of the training exercise. The scenario tested SERE capabilities of the downed aircrew and also provided an opportunity for joint training between the sister services.
“The scenario involved an F-15E crew go down over enemy territory and our unit was on-call for tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, or TRAP,” said Fitzgerald. “When we got the call that an aircraft went down, we started our planning process and prepared our aircraft and from there we took off and executed the mission.”
According to Fitzgerald, training in a joint environment allows them to not only practice proper procedures and gain confidence and familiarization with those procedures and equipment, but it also helps work out the minor differences between the services so they can make sure everything works well if a real-world situation arises.
“It’s important to have training scenarios like this, especially for our young Marines who are getting to practice TRAP for the first time,” said Fitzgerald. “We’ve been able to practice internally, but it’s never as effective as when we get to train with other [branches]. This one went way better than any other training mission I’ve done before.”

• Date Taken: 02.01.2017
• Date Posted: 02.02.2017 16:07
• Story ID: 222347
• Location: SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, NC, US