Ants, worms offer vital training for airmen

By John K. Wiley

Associated Press

COLVILLE NATIONAL FOREST – First Lt. Mike Gommel could soon be flying a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber 30,000 feet above Afghanistan, but for now, he’s got more down-to-earth concerns.

“Yesterday, we had a worm. It wasn’t too bad,” the 26-year-old co-pilot said as he and four others built a shelter using logs and a parachute in the Colville National Forest of eastern Washington.

Gommel is among 72 officers and air crew members going through a 17-day Air Force Survival School course that teaches them what to do when things go wrong.

Many of the pilots flying missions for the war in Afghanistan are graduates of the program, which is frequently required to qualify to fly combat aircraft.

The course duplicates what a downed pilot or crewmember might expect to find after bailing out of a crippled aircraft. The menu is sparse, but varied for the six days students are out in the mountains of the Colville and Kaniksu national forests.

“We’ve eaten some worms. I understand there’s some good stuff coming up, like rabbit tonight,” said Gommel, a Las Vegas native. “Worms taste like dirt. Ants taste like lemon drops, and termites are kind of bitter.”

Instructors teach troops how to find drinkable water, edible plants and animals, build shelters and fires.

The survival school at Fairchild Air Force Base – about 70 miles south of this wet and dark forest – trains 3,500 air crew members a year, mostly from the Air Force.

Former Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady is a successful graduate. When his F-16 fighter was shot down in Bosnia in 1995, he used what he learned – including eating bugs – to evade capture for six days before he was rescued.

Students also learn what to do if they are captured.

Course graduate Capt. Dale Storr, a prisoner of Iraqi forces for more than a month after his A10-A “Warthog” was shot down during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, has returned to brief survival school instructors on what pilots could expect as POWs.

The resistance and escape portions of the course are classified, but Col. Craig Jensen, survival school commander, said World War II prisoners of war have come to the school to see the mock POW camp and to share their experiences.

The Fairchild school – the 336th Training Group – also has detachments in Alaska, for Arctic survival training, and in Florida, for tropical training and for pilots and crew members of ejection seat aircraft.

Because airborne surveillance planes and satellites can pinpoint downed planes, most downed crews can expect just a short period of discomfort before being rescued, Tech. Sgt. Peter Kordelski tells a group of about 50 students before they board a mock-up of a transport plane to be dunked in the swimming pool.

“This is the new millennium,” he said. “I’m thinking, if you’ve been out there for 24 hours, then you’ve been out there too long, or we lost the war.”

Still, the classes stress techniques for surviving long-term periods away from base.

Much of the outdoor segment is dedicated to finding their way around and evading enemy forces using tactics such as rolling across railroad tracks and crawling through culverts to avoid detection.

“We take what the mountain men and the voyageurs all used and adapt that to modern times,” Sgt. Chip Willman, supervisor of training, said.

Established at Fairchild in 1966 after previous combat crew schools closed in Colorado and Nevada, the survival school gives students skills they may never have to use.

“I’ve had students who have never seen a tree before, other than in Central Park,” said Sgt. Tom Bonsant, who runs the outdoor school. “What we’re trying to do is to give them the confidence that, should it be needed, they’ll say, ‘I’ve done this before,’ “

Gommel will return to Dyess AFB in Texas where he will qualify to fly combat missions after his course ends next week. He could be deployed to Afghanistan, so what he learns here is meaningful, Gommel said.

“It’s something you want to do well, but you hope you never have to use it,” Gommel said.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Firefighters respond to a 911 call on July 16, 2024, in Mill Creek. Firefighters from South County Fire, Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Camano Island Fire and Rescue left Wednesday to help fight the LA fires. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Help is on the way: Snohomish County firefighters en route to LA fires

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused at least 180,000 evacuations. The crews expect to arrive Friday.

x
Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence

The 18-year-old victim remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River. Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves water, sewer rate increases

The 43% rise in combined water and sewer rates will pay for large infrastructure projects.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The Everett Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council approves $111 million construction of sewer project

The Port Gardner Storage Facility, in the works for more than a decade, will help prevent overflows of the city sewer system.

Two students walk along a path through campus Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. A group of nearly 20 community groups are planning to study how to make it easier for young people to find jobs. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Goal for Everett coalition: Make it easier for young people to find jobs

The organizations hope the months-long process will improve access to resources for young people.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.