jhungary
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To all SPECOP fan out there
When you talk about SERE, the first thing you can think of is the intense beating, getting water boarded and stuff like that, well, at least this is what you saw in TVs or Movie. Well, yes, it have all that in a SERE course, well, and then some. But the fact is, SERE is a lot more than that.
So, it was 2004 after I went to Ranger School, i decided that this is the best time for me to go SERE. Well, back then I have been to Iraq, survived about 13 months of what Iraq have to offer in 2003, and I have been to both Ranger and Airborne school. SERE seems not a big deal for me, i mean, I have been to real war, what 3 weeks of SERE gonna do to me? And boy, How am I wrong....
SERE stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, which is a technique (or 4 technique) soldier learns to stay alive and avoid capture behind Enemy's line. All branch of US military offer their own SERE classes, and the Army offer those class to those soldier who are likely to be left behind the enemy lines and fighting for survival. Namely Air Crew and SOF soldiers.
Each branch have it own SERE and they all last differently, the Army's 3 weeks while the Navy's 2. But they all teach pretty much the same stuff and endure the same shit, maybe the only different i can gather from some Squid is that the Army Course focus on inland survival (Jungle environment) while the Navy course is surrounding Mountain/Cold Weather survival. But the principle were the same, and there are also Navy personnel teaching Army SERE class.
Coming back to me, well, i did SERE because i wanted to go SF, and after finished Ranger School, I passed on the Ranger Selection course and enrolled into SERE directly, many people call me nuts but well, a part of me want to proof myself, another part of me is just curious, I want to know what SERE looks like. So, I put my names in the bin.
So, i went.....
The Army SERE course have 3 parts, as with all other courses, they were started with orientation and classroom lecture, you may wonder how much they can teach you to survive in a class room setting, the answer is, A LOT.
The first thing you do is to sign a NDA, a Non-Disclosure Agreement, so I am technically breaking the code tell you all about it, but then i won't actually tell you all about it as there are operational security involve. After that and you have to sign your own insurance, kind of like if you broke a finger during the course you agree not to sue the Army or stuff like that, still scandal still around SERE course, I remember I have heard about a SERE class conducted by USAF Academy, the Sexual Assault resistance section of the course were "Too Real" and resulting some Airmen and Airwomen being actually sexually assaulted...And they sue the crap out of the Air Force, probably this is why we have to sign that.
Okay, the classroom section, The first thing I remember about the classroom is there are a lot of Firearms on the wall, some American, some OPFOR, but we are not to use any of that, in fact, they were there for declaration... In the Class room, they teach us the Code of Conduct of US Servicemen under hostile environment. The Geneva Convention and the Law of War.
Then they also cover a section of how to survive in wilderness, aka what you can eat would not kill you, you would also learn that Human body are not used to Bugs and Plants for an extended period of time, and hence you will have a running bile if you eat a lot of bug. The best thing you can do is to wrap a bug (snail, worm and so on) with some food first (Biscuit or any edible), then ease in... That way you can last longer.
What you also learn is the body condition, in other words, how your body works. if you have a running stool (I don't know how to spell that word...Diarrhoea?) You would need extra potion of water, same if you are suffering heat stroke, vomiting and well, you drank way too much water too (ironic isn't it?)
Then come the next important thing, how to find water, basically, you can either find water source, by either looking at vegetation or extract them from said vegetation. They also teach you how to filter water so they are drinkable with nothing.
Then come the last part of classroom lecture, how to make/find shelter. There, you will learn how to build shelter with things that lying around, and how to recognize natural shelter. And when should you get into a shelter and when should you move. And also weapon making.
After some test and some trial, then you pass the first phase. Then you are to report to a camp in the middle of nowhere and start phase 2.
Phase 2 is the Survival and Evasion Phase, there, you have 1 week to learn how to uncheck your pursuit, how to throw them off guard. And how to survive in the real wilderness. The Camp was somewhere South, you were never told the location, and it was a typical jungle vegetation environment. Maybe Florida or may still be Alabama.
The first day you are given a scenario, you are in a group of 10, comes with a handler, and the handler will tell you who you are and why you are here, and you were told you are escaping from capture and a group of people is hunting you down. You were told to move back with the main group and escape capture. The route were set by the handler, and your job is to survive with a merger ration and almost no water.
The handler will put you into a scenario and will push you and your group like they really are in a hurry. The first few day was quite easy, basically if you can stand hunger and thirsty and you do what the handler tell you, you will be okay, but the third day, your handler will come to you and say your group need to break up and will give each people in your group a map, and it's your job to get there, It will take about 24 to 36 hours just to reach that location but you have to survive on your own.
Now that's the real test, the distance is about 100 KM with no civilization in sight. you need to eat your way thru a forest and then find shelter so you don't suffer from heat exhaustion. You are advised to only travel by night and travel using landscape and moonlight as guidance.
But in reality, you were being follow, there is a team who actually watch your every move and they would decide when and where to "capture" you and how.
I can't tell you how the other was capture, mine is a bit lame, one day, some dude come to my hidy-hole and tell me the situation is over and request me to go with him, I honestly believe that was the end of the phase and follow him, and once i got to a clearing, a few other dude with weird camo and AKs were just waiting for me, and they fire the AK in the Air once they see me so I wouldn't run.
I think it was by design that we are all going to be captured one way or another, but when do they feel like "Letting you go" is a mystery, is that they have see I can't manage so they pull me out of 2nd phase and put in directly into 3rd phase? I don't know, probably you will never know, but that is the question you be asking all the time through phase 3 and it mess up your mind.
Now that you are captured, then the phase 3 officially begin. This phase is about Resistance and Escape. You are encourage to break out if you want, in fact, what I heard is, once you broke out, you are immediately finished with the course, but nobody know if that's real, nor do anyone know anyone actually broke out of captivities...Anyway...
After being "Captured", you were transport to a holding facilities, you were rounded up together and being process, you are not allow to talk, nor even fart. If you do, you'd get a beating.
Then the Commandant comes in and declare we all are now his prisoner, and we will be assigned to a number, when the guard call you, they will call your number and if you have any request to the guard, you will use this number. Failure to comply would result a beating.
Then the commandant declare "This prison is my Island, nothing here happens unless I say that happens, and if thing do happens, it does not happens unless I say that happens, is that clear?"
Then you are strip down to your underwear, and put into a stress position. And If you fail to hold this position, you will get a beating. So we all did this awkward one leg stand with arms extend position and there is a dude in that same room, and if you fell from your position he will come up to you and beat you up until you get up.
Okay, you make that position (With some intermittent beating) until the commandant come back, with a group of guards, they will lead each of us to a cell no more than 2 by 2. It is extremely uncomfortable and you have no table, chair or bedding, well, at least they have all that in a real prison...
The guard will push you in, and undo your hand cuff, and say, this is your cell, and you are my prisoner, and then he will throw you a bottle and said, this is your toilet. Okay, I can do number 1 in a bottle, but what if I want to do number 2? And that place actually have no toilet....But then maybe I am thinking too much, who said you are going to do number 2? In fact, I did only 2 number 2 for the whole week there....
After some talking to myself alone in the cell, they open the door and put a hood over me, and lead me to a room, make me sit down and then take off my hood. It's the interrogation. This is also the Good Cop/Bad Cop time...
THat guy sitting across the table looks kind of scary. But the first thing he do was stand up and walk over to me, and offer me a cigarette. I said thanks but I don't smoke, then he walk back to his chair, and start blasting me with questions.
Who are you and Why are you here? This is the question he asked. As a prisoner, I cannot tell him anything other than my name, rank and serial number. So I tell him just that. Then he blow a puff of smoke in my face, and said This is not what I want. So he ask me again, Who are you and Why are you here. I then tell him the same stuff i did, name rank and serial number. Now he is a bit agitated, and walk over to me and blow another puff of smoke, then out of a sudden, he push his burning cigarette into the back of my hand. I retract my hand immediately and he look at me and smile, You will tell me what I want. Just this not the time yet.
Then he go to the door and ask the guard to open the door, and put a hood back in me, then lead me back to my cell. I thought to myself, that aint that bad, little do I know the Good Cop/Bad Cop routine has already turn into Bad Cop/Worse Cop routine...
That night, we were led out to have dinner, the only meal on that day, but by no mean a meal at all, they have had some rice over with some meat, which looking kind of terrible. But we are not going to eat it, instead, the guard pour all the rice on the floor and use his foot to smear it over the floor. I look on, well......I ain't that hungry. So I back off, but some of us really going after the rice on the floor....
Day 2, sleeping with some sort of Death Metal music blasting out loud on the loud speaker, well being lived under an airport landing route, that's nothing to me, I still can catch a few hours of solid sleep, i can't say the same to the others...
Now, they force us out for a walk. and during the morning walk, you are in your underwear, no shoes, no cloths, nothing. It's was cold as hell. Breakfast is a tiny piece of bread and a half cup of water, well, at least they aren't in the floor like last dinner...
The bread, well, you guessed it, is stale, and well, nonetheless, you eat it like, well, you got nothing to eat... Then start the afternoon questioning. This time is another scary dude, but he have no mood of just talking. He is doing something, what he does was, well, beat you up, and pull your head as far behind your neck as possible, that will create a sensation of choking , as your neck bone expand and basically choking your airway.
Then he push your head back in the right position, you feel dizzy, you can't speak. And then he said, I am not here to ask you question, I am here to have fun.......Talk, don't talk, does not bother him....
Well, while I believe this is all just a farce, i started to believe those men are actual psychopath....But I can't even have time to get my head straight, in come second round. This time he have a gallon of water, a table cloth, and a funnel. Then he just kick you down and put a table cloth in my face, and start pouring the water. Midway doing it, he stuck the funnel in, meaning it was basically the same as chucking beer during spring break, only this time is half a gallon of water, and they won't stop...
Then is all other kind of torture which I am not in position to divulge, but in all, they were design to break your self esteem down. What worse is not anything that they done to you, but anything they have done to people to your group. Like they have 1 people in the group member eat the whole group lunch while the group look on, abusing and torturing one member of another group when you don't talk and so on.
But when you do talk, which is a big mistake, and i am not talking about the truth, because you tell them what you really are and what you really do, you will be out, but you can tell them lies, then that would just infuriate them further...
In All, if you hold on til day 6, then you will hear a mock rescue, and well, they say each one of us can punch one of the guard back...But who exactly still have strength after all the punishment ?? lol.
That's how you Pass SERE......
@AUSTERLITZ
@levina
@Slav Defence
@Nihonjin1051
@Krate M
@me_itsme
@truthseeker2010
@Neptune
@jaibi
@TankMan
@Gufi
@Manticore
@Oscar
@Side-Winder
@DESERT FIGHTER
@SvenSvensonov
@KAL-EL
@RescueRanger
@F-22Raptor
@third eye
@scorpionx
@hinduguy
@قناص
@Horus
@WebMaster
@AMCA
@Mugwop
@Azizam
@madokafc
@Omega007
When you talk about SERE, the first thing you can think of is the intense beating, getting water boarded and stuff like that, well, at least this is what you saw in TVs or Movie. Well, yes, it have all that in a SERE course, well, and then some. But the fact is, SERE is a lot more than that.
So, it was 2004 after I went to Ranger School, i decided that this is the best time for me to go SERE. Well, back then I have been to Iraq, survived about 13 months of what Iraq have to offer in 2003, and I have been to both Ranger and Airborne school. SERE seems not a big deal for me, i mean, I have been to real war, what 3 weeks of SERE gonna do to me? And boy, How am I wrong....
SERE stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, which is a technique (or 4 technique) soldier learns to stay alive and avoid capture behind Enemy's line. All branch of US military offer their own SERE classes, and the Army offer those class to those soldier who are likely to be left behind the enemy lines and fighting for survival. Namely Air Crew and SOF soldiers.
Each branch have it own SERE and they all last differently, the Army's 3 weeks while the Navy's 2. But they all teach pretty much the same stuff and endure the same shit, maybe the only different i can gather from some Squid is that the Army Course focus on inland survival (Jungle environment) while the Navy course is surrounding Mountain/Cold Weather survival. But the principle were the same, and there are also Navy personnel teaching Army SERE class.
Coming back to me, well, i did SERE because i wanted to go SF, and after finished Ranger School, I passed on the Ranger Selection course and enrolled into SERE directly, many people call me nuts but well, a part of me want to proof myself, another part of me is just curious, I want to know what SERE looks like. So, I put my names in the bin.
So, i went.....
The Army SERE course have 3 parts, as with all other courses, they were started with orientation and classroom lecture, you may wonder how much they can teach you to survive in a class room setting, the answer is, A LOT.
The first thing you do is to sign a NDA, a Non-Disclosure Agreement, so I am technically breaking the code tell you all about it, but then i won't actually tell you all about it as there are operational security involve. After that and you have to sign your own insurance, kind of like if you broke a finger during the course you agree not to sue the Army or stuff like that, still scandal still around SERE course, I remember I have heard about a SERE class conducted by USAF Academy, the Sexual Assault resistance section of the course were "Too Real" and resulting some Airmen and Airwomen being actually sexually assaulted...And they sue the crap out of the Air Force, probably this is why we have to sign that.
Okay, the classroom section, The first thing I remember about the classroom is there are a lot of Firearms on the wall, some American, some OPFOR, but we are not to use any of that, in fact, they were there for declaration... In the Class room, they teach us the Code of Conduct of US Servicemen under hostile environment. The Geneva Convention and the Law of War.
- I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
- I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
- If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favours from the enemy.
- If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
- When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give Name, Rank, SSN, and Date-Of-Birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability, I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
- I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America
Then they also cover a section of how to survive in wilderness, aka what you can eat would not kill you, you would also learn that Human body are not used to Bugs and Plants for an extended period of time, and hence you will have a running bile if you eat a lot of bug. The best thing you can do is to wrap a bug (snail, worm and so on) with some food first (Biscuit or any edible), then ease in... That way you can last longer.
What you also learn is the body condition, in other words, how your body works. if you have a running stool (I don't know how to spell that word...Diarrhoea?) You would need extra potion of water, same if you are suffering heat stroke, vomiting and well, you drank way too much water too (ironic isn't it?)
Then come the next important thing, how to find water, basically, you can either find water source, by either looking at vegetation or extract them from said vegetation. They also teach you how to filter water so they are drinkable with nothing.
Then come the last part of classroom lecture, how to make/find shelter. There, you will learn how to build shelter with things that lying around, and how to recognize natural shelter. And when should you get into a shelter and when should you move. And also weapon making.
After some test and some trial, then you pass the first phase. Then you are to report to a camp in the middle of nowhere and start phase 2.
Phase 2 is the Survival and Evasion Phase, there, you have 1 week to learn how to uncheck your pursuit, how to throw them off guard. And how to survive in the real wilderness. The Camp was somewhere South, you were never told the location, and it was a typical jungle vegetation environment. Maybe Florida or may still be Alabama.
The first day you are given a scenario, you are in a group of 10, comes with a handler, and the handler will tell you who you are and why you are here, and you were told you are escaping from capture and a group of people is hunting you down. You were told to move back with the main group and escape capture. The route were set by the handler, and your job is to survive with a merger ration and almost no water.
The handler will put you into a scenario and will push you and your group like they really are in a hurry. The first few day was quite easy, basically if you can stand hunger and thirsty and you do what the handler tell you, you will be okay, but the third day, your handler will come to you and say your group need to break up and will give each people in your group a map, and it's your job to get there, It will take about 24 to 36 hours just to reach that location but you have to survive on your own.
Now that's the real test, the distance is about 100 KM with no civilization in sight. you need to eat your way thru a forest and then find shelter so you don't suffer from heat exhaustion. You are advised to only travel by night and travel using landscape and moonlight as guidance.
But in reality, you were being follow, there is a team who actually watch your every move and they would decide when and where to "capture" you and how.
I can't tell you how the other was capture, mine is a bit lame, one day, some dude come to my hidy-hole and tell me the situation is over and request me to go with him, I honestly believe that was the end of the phase and follow him, and once i got to a clearing, a few other dude with weird camo and AKs were just waiting for me, and they fire the AK in the Air once they see me so I wouldn't run.
I think it was by design that we are all going to be captured one way or another, but when do they feel like "Letting you go" is a mystery, is that they have see I can't manage so they pull me out of 2nd phase and put in directly into 3rd phase? I don't know, probably you will never know, but that is the question you be asking all the time through phase 3 and it mess up your mind.
Now that you are captured, then the phase 3 officially begin. This phase is about Resistance and Escape. You are encourage to break out if you want, in fact, what I heard is, once you broke out, you are immediately finished with the course, but nobody know if that's real, nor do anyone know anyone actually broke out of captivities...Anyway...
After being "Captured", you were transport to a holding facilities, you were rounded up together and being process, you are not allow to talk, nor even fart. If you do, you'd get a beating.
Then the Commandant comes in and declare we all are now his prisoner, and we will be assigned to a number, when the guard call you, they will call your number and if you have any request to the guard, you will use this number. Failure to comply would result a beating.
Then the commandant declare "This prison is my Island, nothing here happens unless I say that happens, and if thing do happens, it does not happens unless I say that happens, is that clear?"
Then you are strip down to your underwear, and put into a stress position. And If you fail to hold this position, you will get a beating. So we all did this awkward one leg stand with arms extend position and there is a dude in that same room, and if you fell from your position he will come up to you and beat you up until you get up.
Okay, you make that position (With some intermittent beating) until the commandant come back, with a group of guards, they will lead each of us to a cell no more than 2 by 2. It is extremely uncomfortable and you have no table, chair or bedding, well, at least they have all that in a real prison...
The guard will push you in, and undo your hand cuff, and say, this is your cell, and you are my prisoner, and then he will throw you a bottle and said, this is your toilet. Okay, I can do number 1 in a bottle, but what if I want to do number 2? And that place actually have no toilet....But then maybe I am thinking too much, who said you are going to do number 2? In fact, I did only 2 number 2 for the whole week there....
After some talking to myself alone in the cell, they open the door and put a hood over me, and lead me to a room, make me sit down and then take off my hood. It's the interrogation. This is also the Good Cop/Bad Cop time...
THat guy sitting across the table looks kind of scary. But the first thing he do was stand up and walk over to me, and offer me a cigarette. I said thanks but I don't smoke, then he walk back to his chair, and start blasting me with questions.
Who are you and Why are you here? This is the question he asked. As a prisoner, I cannot tell him anything other than my name, rank and serial number. So I tell him just that. Then he blow a puff of smoke in my face, and said This is not what I want. So he ask me again, Who are you and Why are you here. I then tell him the same stuff i did, name rank and serial number. Now he is a bit agitated, and walk over to me and blow another puff of smoke, then out of a sudden, he push his burning cigarette into the back of my hand. I retract my hand immediately and he look at me and smile, You will tell me what I want. Just this not the time yet.
Then he go to the door and ask the guard to open the door, and put a hood back in me, then lead me back to my cell. I thought to myself, that aint that bad, little do I know the Good Cop/Bad Cop routine has already turn into Bad Cop/Worse Cop routine...
That night, we were led out to have dinner, the only meal on that day, but by no mean a meal at all, they have had some rice over with some meat, which looking kind of terrible. But we are not going to eat it, instead, the guard pour all the rice on the floor and use his foot to smear it over the floor. I look on, well......I ain't that hungry. So I back off, but some of us really going after the rice on the floor....
Day 2, sleeping with some sort of Death Metal music blasting out loud on the loud speaker, well being lived under an airport landing route, that's nothing to me, I still can catch a few hours of solid sleep, i can't say the same to the others...
Now, they force us out for a walk. and during the morning walk, you are in your underwear, no shoes, no cloths, nothing. It's was cold as hell. Breakfast is a tiny piece of bread and a half cup of water, well, at least they aren't in the floor like last dinner...
The bread, well, you guessed it, is stale, and well, nonetheless, you eat it like, well, you got nothing to eat... Then start the afternoon questioning. This time is another scary dude, but he have no mood of just talking. He is doing something, what he does was, well, beat you up, and pull your head as far behind your neck as possible, that will create a sensation of choking , as your neck bone expand and basically choking your airway.
Then he push your head back in the right position, you feel dizzy, you can't speak. And then he said, I am not here to ask you question, I am here to have fun.......Talk, don't talk, does not bother him....
Well, while I believe this is all just a farce, i started to believe those men are actual psychopath....But I can't even have time to get my head straight, in come second round. This time he have a gallon of water, a table cloth, and a funnel. Then he just kick you down and put a table cloth in my face, and start pouring the water. Midway doing it, he stuck the funnel in, meaning it was basically the same as chucking beer during spring break, only this time is half a gallon of water, and they won't stop...
Then is all other kind of torture which I am not in position to divulge, but in all, they were design to break your self esteem down. What worse is not anything that they done to you, but anything they have done to people to your group. Like they have 1 people in the group member eat the whole group lunch while the group look on, abusing and torturing one member of another group when you don't talk and so on.
But when you do talk, which is a big mistake, and i am not talking about the truth, because you tell them what you really are and what you really do, you will be out, but you can tell them lies, then that would just infuriate them further...
In All, if you hold on til day 6, then you will hear a mock rescue, and well, they say each one of us can punch one of the guard back...But who exactly still have strength after all the punishment ?? lol.
That's how you Pass SERE......
@AUSTERLITZ
@levina
@Slav Defence
@Nihonjin1051
@Krate M
@me_itsme
@truthseeker2010
@Neptune
@jaibi
@TankMan
@Gufi
@Manticore
@Oscar
@Side-Winder
@DESERT FIGHTER
@SvenSvensonov
@KAL-EL
@RescueRanger
@F-22Raptor
@third eye
@scorpionx
@hinduguy
@قناص
@Horus
@WebMaster
@AMCA
@Mugwop
@Azizam
@madokafc
@Omega007
. Yes, he would be able to undergo the process again, but would have to undergo the selection process again too. Just because you washed out or left before acceptance doesn't mean you have a free ride into BUD/s again, he will have to undergo the selection process again. That's the bad news.
