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Water Survival Training

Members of the 305th Air Mobility Wing sit in a boat on the way to the water survival training site in Barnegat, N.J. July 23, 2015. Water survival training is mandatory once every three years and focuses on teaching aircrews what to do when an aircraft goes down in the water, from proper use of flotation devices to all procedures and equipment involved with the life rafts in the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua King/ released)

Water Survival Training

Members of the 305th Air Mobility Wing link up and swim together during water survival training in Barnegat, N.J. July 23, 2015. Water survival training is mandatory once every three years and focuses on teaching aircrews what to do when an aircraft goes down in the water, from proper use of flotation devices to all procedures and equipment involved with the life rafts in the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua King/ released)

Water Survival Training

Members of the 305th Air Mobility Wing swim toward a raft during water survival training in Barnegat, N.J. July 23, 2015. Water survival training is mandatory once every three years and focuses on teaching aircrews what to do when an aircraft goes down in the water, from proper use of flotation devices to all procedures and equipment involved with the life rafts in the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua King/ released)

Bright blue sky to deep blue sea

Published July 30, 2015
By Airman 1st Class Joshua King
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

BARNEGAT, N.J. -- Contrary to their typical environment of flight suits and sky lines, Airmen in wetsuits, flotation devices and bright yellow helmets jump off a boat into the water of the Atlantic Ocean.

The aircrew left their element July 23 and headed to nearby Barnegat Bay to participate in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape water survival training. With varying missions often placing their aircraft over seas and oceans around the world, all pilots and crew members go through this training to prepare them in the event of a crash.

"If there is ever a malfunction with the aircraft and they have to put it down, they can stay alive and actually get recovered," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Schmitz, 305th Operations Support Squadron SERE NCO in charge of operations and training.

Water survival training consists of on-raft living, deployment of flotation devices, parachute drags, evacuation procedures, donning anti-exposure suits and more. The training is required every three years to maintain preparedness.

"We do this training so we know exactly what supplies we have in the raft and what the procedures are," said Capt. Doug Zschoche, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron pilot. "That way we know what to do if we go down in the water."

The SERE instructors took advantage of the base's proximity to the coast and held the training in Barnegat Bay - the waves and salt water ensured a life-like training event for those involved.

"Being out on the actual ocean definitely made it feel a little bit more real," said Zschoche. "The water was calm but we were actually in the ocean, in the salt water and swimming out in the open."

SERE instructors at JB MDL hold water survival training year round for the many flight crews on JB MDL. This particular crew was lucky - the weather was in the balmy 80's with a water temperature of 68 degrees. Others aren't quite so lucky.

"As long as the water temperature stays above 40 degrees it's within our risk management standards," said Schmitz. "If it goes below 40 degrees then we actually reserve the pool, we have it on standby during the winter months so we can still complete training."

Climbing out of the water and back onto the boat, the crew members were glad to be trained and ready to go back to the mission and the bright blue sky.