Hiding in Plain Sight

I was at the end of a week of S.E.R.E (Survive, Evade, Resist, Evade) training—better yet, lest I misrepresent, I should call it S.E.R.E.-lite training—it was by no means the intense course given to U.S. military air crews. This was simply a 1-week intro S.E.R.E. course given to 2nd-year Air Force Medical students at a military training area outside of San Antonio, Texas. After a week of instruction, we were ready for the capstone event, an evasion exercise.

It was nightfall and all the students were lined up at the top of a ridge overlooking a large tract of land composed of rock, brush, and gullies. Our objective was to make it to the outbuilding at the opposite side of the exercise area about 1/2 mile away without getting caught by the “enemy.” The “enemy” were our cadre S.E.R.E. instructors. Students who made it to the building without being apprehended were promised pizza. Those who were unsuccessful and apprehended would get the usual MRE. The thought of pizza sounded delicious. The exercise started at 9:00 PM sharp with a whistle blow.

I took a position of hiding just below the ridge and surveyed the small valley below me. Moonlight allowed a good view but did not bode well for us because the “enemy” had the moonlight too. As I watched from my hiding place over the next 15-20 minutes, it became very clear that the cadre (enemy) had done this exercise before. They knew every little crag and crack and there was literally nowhere to hide. My compatriots were being picked off and apprehended at will. No one was getting any farther than 3 or 4 hundred yards without being caught.

So I decided to get creative.

On the ridge behind me was a small service road. The road went along the perimeter of the exercise area and straight up to the outbuilding on the opposite ridge. So I scrambled back to the road and simply stood up and began walking along the road toward the building, not in a hurry, but with feigned purpose. The cadre “enemy” greeted me with waves and hellos as I walked but never challenged me. In short time, I walked through the doors of the little outbuilding and on the table were 5 Dominoes pizzas. The cadre member present informed me the pizzas were only for those students who successfully evaded capture.

“In that case, I’ll have a piece of pizza,” I informed the cadre member.

“But you were captured! Weren’t you? I saw you just walk up here like nothing”

“You just assumed I was captured. I decided to hide in plain sight. I evaded by not acting like I was evading.”

“It sounds like you cheated,” complained the cadre.

“I don’t believe there is such a thing as “cheating” in S.E.R.E., is there? Wasn’t that one of the main points? You do what you have to do to make it, right?”

“You have a point,” admitted the cadre member, “Enjoy your pizza.”

I dined alone that night.

The pizzas were delicious.