Allison Black surprised her family by deciding to enlist in the U.S. Air Force after high school. She did it to be part of a mission bigger than herself. After basic training, Black spent the next several years as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape - or SERE - instructor, teaching service members what to do if shot down, stuck behind enemy lines, or captured. After several years of that she became an officer in Air Force special operations and served as a navigator aboard an AC-130H gunship. Shortly after 9/11, she and her crew were deployed to Afghanistan. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles , Col. Black describes her life in SERE training, making the shift to special operations and the AC-130, what 9/11 was like for her, entering combat in Afghanistan, and how a famed Afghan ally ended up dubbing her "The Angel of Death." Retiring in 2024, Black also reflects on the lessons she learned in 32 years of service and what she hopes others learned from her.
