SERE specialist puts wingmen in the water for survival training

  • Published
  • By Gene H. Hughes
  • 908th Airlift Wing
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  As a fully qualified Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion (SERE) specialist, Senior Airman Chad Braunschweig has one goal -- to make survival training for the 908th Airlift Wing as realistic as possible.

It didn't get much more realistic than on Sunday, May 2 at the Alabama River in Millbrook, where about 20 members of the operations group and life support received mandated water survival training.

"The majority of them are type-A personalities," he said. "When you tell them you're going to hoist them up in a helicopter, every single one of them is like, 'Heck yeah, let's do it!' There's not a lot of selling involved."

According to AFI 16-1301, water survival training has to be conducted every three years, and seven requirements have to be met. But Airman Braunschweig didn't want to stop there. Having been hoisted up in a helicopter and blasted by rotor wash, he wanted his people to experience it. He called the Army, Coast Guard and the PJs at Hulburt Field, Fla. without success.

"You don't say no to me," he said. "You just don't do it."

A couple of coworkers at his civilian job, former Montgomery police officers, put him in touch with Lee Hamilton, the Alabama Department of Public Safety's chief pilot, who was enthusiastic about the joint training opportunity.

The Alabama State Troopers of the marine, aviation and crisis response team divisions gladly shared their expertise with the wingmen. The state's Fish and Wildlife department and 42nd Airbase Wing Security Forces also lent support to the exercise.

The Reservists, along with two members of Air University, practised donning survival suits and carrying out emergency procedures for 20-man and one-man rafts. After a break, each in turn was hoisted out of the water and deposited safely ashore.

But getting wet wasn't the only challenge. There was also the combination of a 35-knot wind and a four-knot current -- enough to carry the swimmers about 150 yards within a matter of moments and separate rescue rafts from four 50-pound cinder blocks.

"Usually, it's a refresher course in a classroom or by the pool side," said Capt. John Moody. "To actually get in the water and experience the helicopter and watch the state troopers get involved was the best training I've seen in the last eight years. I think we walked away with a lot better experience than just looking at a slide show."

For Airman Braunschweig, feedback is the best part. It allows him to make program adjustments in real time. He'll make a few changes, such as anchoring the rafts, but he's satisfied with the day's results.

"I walked away thinking that if they ever had to (perform in that situation) in a real-world environment, they could," he said.