An Air Force crew member was rescued in Iran after evading capture for 36 hours, according to President Trump.
Elite U.S. military aviators and special forces undergo intense training for the prospect they are trapped behind enemy lines -- like the F-15 crew member rescued in Iran.
The training is called SERE, which stands for "survival, evasion, resistance and escape." The idea, according to an Air Force recruitment video: "The survivor's mission is to return, with honor."
Pronounced "sear," the SERE instruction is taught in many ways across the U.S. military but is a particular focus for the Air Force.
"For aviators, the military considers SERE important because pilots can end up alone, behind enemy lines, or in hostile territory with little warning," says David A. Deptula, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who is now dean at Arlington, Va.-based think tank Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. "The training is meant to prepare them to stay alive, avoid capture when possible, resist exploitation if captured, and improve their chances of recovery," he said in an email exchange.
The Air Force crew member rescued this weekend was seriously wounded, President Trump said. The aviator survived and evaded capture for 36 hours in a remote, mountainous part of Iran, with local forces trying to hunt him down.
Had the crew member been captured, Iran would have had a point of leverage with the U.S. and a valuable wartime propaganda prize.
Here are the four pillars of SERE.
A pilot whose plane is shot down usually arrives back to earth by parachute after ejecting, the culmination of a series of rapid, disorientating and dangerous circumstances that introduce myriad physical and mental risks, on top of the war itself.
Under SERE, the first order of business is to survive, which includes prioritizing needs to minimize stress and calorie burn.
The military teaches that the best way to do that involves another mnemonic, where each letter in the word "survival" refers to a set of actions designed to save the person's life. "S" is for sizing up the situation, including addressing wounds and determining how to hide, "V" means value living in that doing so might require enduring discomfort, and "L" stands for learning the basics.
SERE training introduces pilots into multiple hostile environments, from deserts to the Arctic, according to an Air Force video. It shows trainees plunged into water and landing with parachutes. They gather drinking water from a river, start fires with sticks, arrange palm fronds for one type of shelter and ice blocks for another, as well as prepare meals of cactus and beetles.
"Survival goes hand in hand with evading capture," said Jason Smith, a retired master sergeant in special operations for the Army and head instructor at SERE Training School, a commercial business in Cameron, N.C. "The idea is not to be caught," he said.
Each mission plan includes contingencies for a rescue that are agreed in advance of a flight by the aviator and home base, so the pilot is both evading the enemy and executing an exit strategy. Ideally, said Smith,"he can put himself in the best position possible to be recovered."
Perhaps the most celebrated usage of the SERE system was by Capt. Scott F. O'Grady in 1995, when his F-16C fighter was shot down during the Bosnian War and he spent six days in hostile territory. O'Grady ate ants and moved at night, managing to signal base with radio signal bursts.
If a downed aviator is spotted by the enemy, the SERE training calls for resistance. But what that exactly means isn't public information. Hints in open-source material suggest pilots learn martial-arts style kicks and that they carry small arms, and that they are trained in rules of engagement consistent with the Geneva Convention.
Smith declined to talk about some aspects of SERE training because of the sensitivity, but said the aviator picked up in Iran knew the drill. "The pilot has certainly received training in both resistance and escape. And you can leave it at that," said Smith.
SERE's governing concept emerged in response to how difficult it was for Americans taken prisoner during the Korean War. An executive order by President Dwight D. Eisenhower set a standard for military members threatened with enemy capture, including that, "If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available."
Eisenhower's Code of Conduct dictated that American POWs will offer the enemy only name, rank, birthday and service number.
The idea is "so that if they do go down they can get home safely," a SERE trainer, Michael Salvaggio, says on an Air Force video from Washington's Fairchild Air Force Base, where the program is headquartered.
O'Grady was able to identify his position with a smoke flare when an American helicopter appeared. He was rescued amid Serb fire.
"Air crew members are taught how to use everything from flares, radios and other equipment to properly and effectively evade the enemy and return to safety," according to an Air Force account.