40th HS members endure critical SERE training

by Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen
341st Missile Wing Public Affairs

6/13/2014 - MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Every member of the U.S. Armed Forces must know how to survive in any environment - enemy or allied territory - should their aircraft go down.

Since 1973, the 40th Helicopter Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base has saved more than 400 lives and accumulated more than 135,000 accident-free flying hours. To maintain their 40-year safeguard status and to teach them everything they need to know how to survive in any environment, aircrew members from the 40th HS endured survival, evasion, resistance and escape training June 9 to 13.

"This is a refresher course that is done every three years as a requirement for their combat mission-ready status," said Corey Ask, Air Force Global Strike Command contracted SERE program analyst.

Airmen from the 40th HS started their SERE training at the base pool, where they honed water survival skills. There, they learned how to use a C-bottle, which provides 21 breaths of oxygen. After practicing breathing with their bottle underwater, they were then instructed to breathe into the bottle upside down. Lastly, they were strapped into a SWET chair, or shallow water egress trainer, and were flipped upside down, instructed to put their oxygen bottle on and egress to the side of the chair.

"They experienced water going through their nose so they would feel what it would be like in an inverted helicopter crash," Ask said.

According to Ask, water survival training is required for anyone flying a mission that goes over water - like the Missouri River.

"It's extremely important to know how to utilize these pieces of equipment, because bottom line, if they end up in a scenario that requires this training and they don't know how to use their equipment, they're not going to make it out alive," Ask said. "Any training we do is very effective. We always train for the 'what if' because we can never predict what will happen."

In addition to hands-on water survival training, Airmen also received in-class academics, combat survival training and a SERE field training exercise in Monarch, Montana.

"Basically what we do is train high-risk-of-isolation individuals - aircrew members, people who go outside of the wire for their job - and what to do in the event they are separated from their unit. Not only do they learn basic survival skills, they learn evasion [from the enemy] skills and resistance skills should they become a prisoner of war, or held captive. The last part of SERE is escape - how to escape from captivity. These skills may never be used, and we hope no one has to use these, but it's crucial."

As an Air Force SERE specialist since 1999, Ask's experience provided Airmen who are high-risk-of-isolation the skills they need to survival in any type of situation. From basic navigational skills to learning how to procure water and build shelters, the skills taught could be the difference in any crew members making it home safely.