From A SERE Specialist After signing up for the USAF in 2010, I knew I wanted to do something fun where I could jump out of planes and shoot guns, queue the recruiter SERE video. I spent 12 years in the Air Force as a SERE Specialist, where I worked as a combat survival instructor, a water survival instructor, and set up a base-level training shop to conduct refresher courses. I finished my 12 years by certifying as a Combat Aviation Advisor (CAA). I also deployed to CENTCOM