From Survival Training To Saving Lives
by U.S. Air Force Author July 29,
2023
Some Airmen join the Air Force to travel,
and some to learn a trade. For 1st Lt. David Foreman, it was to
start a new adventure away from home.
In 2006, Foreman
enlisted as a survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE)
specialist. During that time, he learned not only to protect himself
but to teach others to do the same.
July 19, 2023 - U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. David Foreman, 6th
Medical Group physician assistant, at MacDill Air Force
Base, Florida. Foreman enlisted as a survival, evasion,
resistance and escape specialist from 2006 to 2021, prior to
obtaining a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistance
Studies through the Interservice Physician Assistant
Program. Foreman now works at MacDill AFB, servicing the 6th
and 927th Air Refueling Wings, U.S. Special Operations
Command, U.S. Central Command and hundreds thousands of
retirees and dependents from the Tampa Bay area. (U.S. Air
Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Foster)(Image created by USA
Patriotism! from U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class
Zachary Foster.)
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“For the first four years [as a SERE
specialist] we focus on teaching aircrew survival skills,” said
Foreman. “After that time, we’re able to pursue positions that fit
into a bigger picture.”
Following the typical teaching
commitment, SERE specialists are given roles focused on planning and
recovery. According to Foreman, outside of a few classes per month,
his role was preparing aircrew for emergency situations.
“SERE specialists spend a lot of time developing
their individual survival skills, so they understand the situations
later in their career,” said Foreman. “A lot of the role SERE
specialists play is in assessing risk, creating an escape and
recovery plan for aircrew and ensuring that crew is adequately
trained to carry it out.”
While the SERE career field had
fulfilled his need for adventure towards the beginning of his
enlistment, Foreman started to feel the physical commitments
catching up to him.
“I remember towards the end of my
enlistment finding it incredibly hard to bend down to pick up my
daughter and play with my kids,” said Foreman. “That was really my
wake-up call to find something that gave me the flexibility to
continue serving but would give me the flexibility to live my life.”
After coming to the decision that a change needed to be made,
Foreman reflected on the skills he enjoyed most as a SERE
specialist. He found that he had an affinity for medicine and after
successfully teaching dozens of tactical combat casualty care
courses, he had the baseline skill to be competitive.
Shortly
after, Foreman discovered the Interservice Physician Assistant
Program (IPAP), a joint service commissioning program designed to
take civilians and prior enlisted service members and create
experienced commissioned leaders.
“I applied to the IPAP
board not expecting much because it’s incredibly competitive,” said
Foreman. “Soon after that, I found myself headed to Fort Sam Houston
for my first phase of classes.”
According to Foreman, IPAP is
broken down into two phases. The first phase is focused on the
medical background required for a physician assistant to be
successful. The second phase is tailored towards military education
and primarily serves to orient civilians to the lifestyle. The full
program awards students a Master of Science degree in Physician
Assistance Studies.
Upon graduation from IPAP, the newly
commissioned officers are sent to an installation where they undergo
on-the-job training. For Foreman, his initial training took place at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Foreman now serves at MacDill
AFB alongside a diverse team of medical professionals, serving the
6th and 927th Air Refueling Wings, U.S. Special Operations Command,
U.S. Central Command and hundreds of thousands of retirees and
dependents from the Tampa Bay area.
As an officer with
enlisted experience, Foreman brings a unique perspective to his
role, explaining, “there is a shared experience that connects prior
enlisted officers and their Airmen. I know how it feels to carry a
heavy workload and not see the impact of officers. Now that I fill
that role, I try my best to both mitigate that workload and better
communicate the administrative and managerial work that needs to be
done.”
Seventeen years into his military service, Foreman is
starting over, finding a new passion for the work he does every day.
He advises anyone looking for a similar success to be patient in
finding it.
“When I first enlisted, I waited 13 months in the
delayed entry program for that SERE specialist slot,” said Foreman.
“When I attended IPAP, I went through years of full-time school to
get where I am now. Patience is key. Anything that is worth doing,
is worth waiting for.”
Foreman is one example of Airmen
everywhere utilizing the skills they learned while they were
enlisted, now as a commissioned officer. For more information on
available commissioning opportunities, see your local education and
training center or recruiter.
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