Thanksgiving: Plenty to be thankful for, but mostly for each other

Ah, Thanksgiving. The thought of delicious aromas emanating from the kitchen: turkey, stuffing, a lot of vegetable dishes and a vast variety of pies. Sitting with family at the dining room table and then retreating to the living room to watch football non-stop until the tryptophan coma calls and we drift off to nap — […]

Possibly The Worst Thanksgiving Day Ever, Courtesy of SERE School

Back in the day, we were in a support cycle having come back from a deployment with the 7th Special Forces Group and myself and another guy got ourselves put in a short course the Weapons Committee was running for some reserve Heavy Weapons guys. It was early November and the weather was turning crappy […]

SERE Survival: Sharpening your cutting tools in the field

“Ops are pushed 1 hour, remain on station.” My PRC-152 spit this information out matter-of-factly as wind and freezing rain pelted me and my crew of Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) members on the top of a mountain. These TACP’s were going through a Combat Survival and Evasion course and I was their instructor. They […]

5 Methods to Purify Water from a Military Survival Instructor

When I was in training to become a SERE Specialist I was sent on a second solo evasion living exercise because I did terrible at my first one. The weather wasn’t terrible and I mostly had sun. The temperature dropped well below freezing at night but I was allowed to have a fire. Life was […]

Colonel James ‘Nick’ Rowe assassinated on this day in 1989

On this date in 1989, the US Army Special Forces lost a legend in its ranks. Communist guerrillas assassinated COL. Nick Rowe while on his way to work as a military advisor to the Philippine Army. Rowe had escaped a Viet Cong prisoner of war camp on New Year’s Eve 1968 while being taken to […]

Colonel James ‘Nick’ Rowe Assassinated on this Day in 1989

On this date in 1989, the US Army Special Forces lost a legend in its ranks. Communist guerrillas assassinated COL. Nick Rowe while on his way to work as a military advisor to the Philippine Army. Rowe had escaped a Viet Cong prisoner of war camp on New Year’s Eve 1968 while being taken to […]

SERE Survival: Starting a Fire in a Survival Situation

One of the key outdoor skills you need to master is starting a fire. Obviously if you are evading an enemy, fire may not be feasible, but in a survival situation, it may save your life. You need to have items in your fire kit that are considered sure-fire items—supplies that will give you a flame in any […]

SERE Survival: Basics of sharpening your cutting tools in the field

“Ops are pushed 1 hour, remain on station.” My PRC-152 spit this information out matter-of-factly as wind and freezing rain pelted me and my crew of Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) members on the top of a mountain. These TACP’s were going through a Combat Survival and Evasion course and I was their instructor. They […]

SERE School: Myths vs. Reality

SERE School sucks, no getting around it, no beating around the bush here.  It isn’t fun and isn’t meant to be.  That said, SERE is critically important training for any soldier who could find himself (or herself) trapped behind enemy lines, such as pilots and Special Operations personnel.  SERE stands for Survival, Escape, Resistance, and […]