Always Ready: Aircrew undergo SERE training

Photo By Senior Airman Jacob Wood | U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to Royal Air Force Mildenhall paint their faces during a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training exercise at Suffolk, England, Jan. 20, 2022. The attendees were taught basic survival and evasion tactics, including firemaking tactics and communicating with locals. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jacob Wood)  

RAF LAKENHEATH, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM

02.04.2022

Story by Airman 1st Class Jacob Wood 

48th Fighter Wing

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - As a member of aircrew, the chance of becoming stranded in a hostile environment is always present. During these critical moments, Airmen must rely on their training and resilience to survive.

Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, or SERE, specialists from Royal Air Force Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, work closely with aircrew from nearby wings to provide in-depth refresher training to help them survive in less-than-hospitable conditions.

“SERE training can be absolutely essential depending on the situation aircrew members find themselves in,” said Staff Sgt. Zachary Mikolajczyk, 48th Operational Support Squadron SERE Training noncommissioned officer in-charge, “Once you’re down behind enemy lines, it can be very scary; you’re going to have a lot of adrenaline and a lot of things going through your head.”

Regardless of the equipment available, participants are prepared for any situation that comes their way.

“In the United Kingdom, we work with the 48th Fighter Wing, the 352nd Special Operations Wing and the 100th Air Refueling Wing,” said Mikolajczyk. “We take all of the aircrew members and train them to the specific equipment that they have, running them through an exercise that entails several different survival scenarios.”

The SERE program conducts refresher training for aircrew every three years. Some of the sections that aircrew members can expect include Local Area Survival, Combat Survival Training, Conduct After Capture, Water Survival, and Emergency Parachute training.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that they know everything from ejection to recovery,” said Tech. Sgt. Lance Paquette, 100th Operational Support Squadron SERE Operations noncommissioned officer in-charge. “If we can reinforce all those different stages, it builds their confidence.”

By providing multifaceted training, SERE specialists equip aircrew with the in-depth understanding of a variety of survival situations.

“We are trying to prepare you for the worst day of your life,” said Paquette.

Whether it’s in the air, ground, or water, SERE specialists work together to ensure that Airmen are ready to continue the mission in the most inhospitable of circumstances, promoting readiness across the force.

• Date Taken: 02.04.2022
• Date Posted: 02.04.2022 09:55
• Story ID: 413969
• Location: RAF LAKENHEATH, SFK, GB