Airman prepares others for worst-case scenario

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Suzanne Ovel
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces-Forward Public Affairs
AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AFPN) --  Senior Airman Aaron Sanders spends his days teaching students information he hopes they never need to use. But he said he wants them to learn the material well, just in case.

As a survival specialist deployed to the Combined Air Operations Center here, Airman Sanders travels to bases throughout the area to give deployed Airmen a concentrated version of the combat survival course he teaches at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.

"(The) training gives our warfighters specific guidance on what to do if they are unable to complete their mission and have to bail out, ditch or eject,” Airman Sanders said. He teaches it to aircrew members unable to receive the training before they arrive in theater.

“Hopefully, they will never have to use any of the information we give them, but in the event they do, they will have the confidence to revert back to the procedures we relay to them, and [they can] affect their own rescue,” he said.

Airman Sanders explains theater-specific threats to his students, who are mainly aircrew members and other Airmen whose missions require them to frequently travel on military aircraft.

“They realize they are here for a reason, to fight a war, and this training seems to mean a lot more to them since they know they will be flying over hostile territory, often on the same day they receive this training,” Airman Sanders said.

Each student’s knowledge of threat levels varies, as does his or her basic survival skills. Experience levels range from aircrew members who went through combat survival training to those who are hearing survival information for the first time.

Airman Sanders keeps the lessons basic.

He said he teaches students the essentials of surviving in the elements, including what foods are edible -- all grasses and reptiles -- and what foods are not.

The 22-year-old instructor said he takes individual differences into account; he asked a recent class at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, how many of them would become sick if they ate an insect.

“Make the decision” he told the class. “If you taste it, and it’s just heinous, you might want to spit it out.”

Airman Sanders also warns his students about dangerous wildlife.

“There is some wildlife that can harm you out here. Getting complacent and not exercising good situational awareness in all situations can prove fatal,” he said, pointing out that Airmen could encounter poisonous and disease-carrying insects.

While downed Airmen are searching for food and water, Airman Sanders said they also need to focus on avoiding adversaries.

But he teaches them cultural tips on the Iraqi and Afghan people, just in case they do meet friendly local nationals.

Airman Sanders said he takes pride in explaining information that may increase Airmen’s chances of survival.

“He’s not comfortable with you walking away saying ‘Yeah, I know that.’ He’s one of those instructors who wants to make sure you understand and are able to apply it,” said 1st Lt. Erick Turasz, a KC-135 pilot with the 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Manas and former student of Airman Sanders.

Airman Sanders uses his briefings to fight complacency among Airmen, encouraging them to always be prepared for worst-case scenarios. He suggests Airmen always carry a simple survival pack when flying over hostile areas.

He emphasizes to students that most survival situations are unique.

“Although we include many concepts in this training, we let them know that there is not always a golden answer for what to do in every situation,” he said. “What may work in one situation could very well be the worst thing you can do in another.”

Airman Sanders went through survival training to be an instructor, training in terrains ranging from the ocean to the Arctic, and from desert to forest climates.

As a survival specialist teaching students at Fairchild or at deployed locations, Airman Sanders said he has the same goal for all his students.

“Basically [it is] to instill in them confidence that if they ever have to use the information we teach them, that their training will take over, and it’ll lead them back home,” he said.