SERE

One of the areas of flight school most shrouded in intrigue and mystery is SERE school. If you are hoping I will tell you what is going to happen to you during this phase of training, you are wrong. However, I would like to pass along some tips that I was given or wish I had been given that would have made it easier. First, you are going to get a packing list a couple weeks or so before your report date. If it is on the packing list, bring it! I usually put a lot of stuff in ziplock bags to keep it dry and didn’t because I thought SERE would confiscate my bags. I was wrong and wished I had at least brought some to see if I could keep them. If there is something you are not sure about, bring it anyway; the worst they can do is tell you no. That being said, do NOT bring ANY food! Yes, you may really enjoy that candy bar while you are out in the field; however, if you are found with so much as a wrapper in your pocket it’s a guaranteed recycle at best. You’ve come too far now to throw it away for something stupid. There are some dull periods during SERE and the current packing list allows you to bring some reading materials. I would highly recommend you bring an approved book or two. SERE has a website on the AKO with the current packing list and other helpful information. A link to the website can be found from the Fort Rucker Newcomers page. You will need your CAC card to access the SERE site. As you are going through the school, remember it’s mostly mental. Keep your motivation up and your head in the game and you will do fine. Remember the end goal; you are going to be an Army Aviator. SERE is just a stepping stone along the way.

Bubbles

Bubbles, those dreaded down times between portions of flight school! While there are still some bubbles, many have been reduced and nearly eliminated. Students used to take 18 to 24 months to complete their training and might wait in bubbles for months between portions of training. Now, nearly all flight students are done in less than 18 months with many being done in just over a year. The longest bubbles at this time are about a month in length. So, what should students expect during a bubble? The Army tries to make use of their soldiers and students can expect some taskings. Most are sent to either Funeral Detail or the SERE Detail. A majority of the Funeral Detail is taken care of by the warrants who gained prior experience between WOCS and BOLC. That leaves a lot of the LTs for the SERE Detail. Students who are assigned to Funeral Detail will spend a couple hours a day practicing (after their initial couple days of learning what to do) and will go anywhere within a three or four state region around Alabama to provide honors at funerals as they are needed. There is usually lots of time off but funerals kind of have a way of being unplanned. The SERE Detail students will have a set schedule, but it will be all hours of the day; SERE does run 24/7 after all. For both details, there is time off, however, getting a pass can be a nightmare as it has to be approved by the detail and by B Co. Pass or no pass, there is plenty of free time to study or make up some time with the family you’ve hardly seen during the blocks of training.