Stranded pilot saved: Misawa SNCO named best in SERE

by Senior Airman Derek VanHorn
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

9/27/2013 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Following the most challenging spell of his 14-year career in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, one Misawa Airman was named the top Air Force senior NCO of the year in the career field.

Master Sgt. Frank Smith, superintendent of the 35th Fighter Wing's SERE program, spent the past four years leading U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots through SERE training. He trained 93 combat-ready pilots between two fighter squadrons for more than 4,300 sorties throughout 2012, teaching them various aspects of emergency parachute, water survival and combat survival training.

"We're solely at Misawa to support our 35 FW pilots," said Smith. "It's important to me that I give our pilots the right information to keep them alive if the time comes where they're forced to eject behind enemy lines or survive in the environment of the local area."

Last summer, that's exactly what happened when a fuel valve malfunction forced an F-16 pilot to eject his aircraft into the waters of the Pacific Ocean about 250 miles from land. The pilot spent more than six hours stranded in the ocean as water temperatures dipped below 50 degrees. Smith provided the pilot water survival training only six days earlier, ultimately playing a significant role in saving his life.

Smith said he never expected to receive the award, but that he views it as a reflection of his job performance.

"It makes me feel great, it's validation that I am doing my job right," he said. "There are a lot of SERE specialists out there doing great things, and I have to credit my chain of command for recognizing the effort and the importance of our mission."

Running the SERE mission at Misawa is unique; it's only a two-deep shop supplemented by fellow specialist Staff Sgt. Mike Dixon. Rather than being stationed at a SERE-specific training base like most Airmen in the career field, Smith's assignment to Misawa forced him to reshape his view of the Air Force.

"In the past, I was always familiar with exactly what my role was within the unit," Smith said. "Here, I was put into a situation where I was directly supporting war fighters who were moving into theaters throughout the world and engaging enemies. I had to learn the processes and educate myself to areas around the world where conflict is present and how our roles change to train our guys."

Dixon said the opportunity to work with Smith has been great and he's learned a lot of lessons not only on the job, but in life as well. He wasn't quite as reserved as Smith when discussing the award selection.

"It's a pretty big deal to be the one guy recognized as the best at your level, especially with a competitive career field like ours," Dixon said.

Smith trained more than 300 Airmen for deployments, was key in guiding the 35th Operations Group to an "Excellent" rating in the base's compliance inspection and also supported cross-cultural relations by leading a 27-member parachutist team for Misawa's Airfest in front of nearly 100,000 spectators.

"I've been very lucky throughout my career," Smith said. "I've been able to take part in great training courses and experience some amazing things in the Air Force. This job has been very rewarding."