Tiffany Zaloudek informs Nation Daily News, "You don't need to behave like a man or appear masculine to achieve success."
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On November 1, 2024, Tiffany Zaloudek etched her name into Air Force history as the inaugural female SERE specialist to attain the service’s top enlisted position.
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SERE experts serve as the Swiss Army knives of the armed forces, imparting an array of adaptable and crucial abilities such as locating sustenance, constructing shelters, eluding enemies, traversing landscapes, and aiding in their own rescue.
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"In order to achieve success in my role, I must continually surpass the performance of the men surrounding me," Zaloudek shares with Nation Daily News.
During her time in high school, Tiffany Zaloudek got so carried away with prom dresses and makeup that her mother found it necessary to set financial boundaries for her.
"I would simply go completely all-in," Zaloudek, who has the notable distinction of becoming the first female Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) specialist to achieve the highest enlisted rank within the Air Force, shares with Nation Daily News.
I really enjoy getting dressed up; it's such an enjoyable experience," she says, "yet simultaneously, I could be entirely different — you just can't predict what you might end up being.
Having worn a U.S. Air Force uniform for the last 18 years, this chief master sergeant—dubbed Chief Z—made history when she attained her groundbreaking rank on November 1, 2024. Her role is demanding; at age 38, her duty involves readying service members who face significant risks of being captured or isolated, ensuring they can survive under such circumstances.
"SERE specialists are like the Air Force’s version of MacGyver," explains Lt. Col. Levi Cass, alluding to the resourceful hero from the 1980s TV show.
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SERE specialists serve as the Swiss Army knives of the military, imparting an array of adaptable and crucial abilities such as locating sustenance, constructing shelters, eluding enemies, navigating landscapes, and aiding in their own rescue. This instruction can mean the distinction between survival and peril.
“I think it’s a really impressive thing to be able to learn that big of a variety of skills and then teach them to other Nation Daily News,” says an airman who trained under Zaloudek. “She was out there moving heavy packs up and down mountains, certainly better than us students were — and absolutely equal to any of the male instructors.”
SERE specialist standards are the same for men and women, so Zaloudek is required to accomplish every task her male counterparts perform — eight pull-ups, 48 sit-ups and push-ups, a one and a half mile run in less than 11 minutes and a 200 meter swim in under 10 minutes.
“She's definitely one of the tough ones that made it through some pretty heinous training that I would say most guys don’t want to do,” says Cass.
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In the grueling six-month course, the former high school track star trained in remote forest, desert, coastal, tropic and open ocean environments — and mastered first aid and hand-to-hand combat.
“She’s a competent warrior,” says Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Geraghty, who has known Zaloudek for more than 10 years now. “I can’t even imagine an obstacle that would stand in her way between what she wants to accomplish and getting it done.”
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Zaloudek tells Nation Daily Newsshe has thrived by giving "100%" of herself at work — excelling at strength, speed and endurance alongside her colleagues in the largely male-dominated field.
"Some Nation Daily Newssay my gender played a role in my success," Zaloudek acknowledges. That's brought scrutiny and sometimes feeling like her detractors "have just been waiting for me to screw up."
She simply moves past all negative comments: "In life, regardless of circumstances, there will always be daily national news outlets that question your abilities and criticize you harshly. Sadly, some may dedicate their efforts to bringing you down. However, clearly, you mustn’t allow this to hinder you."
Today’s success is due to my skills and the backing I’ve had throughout," remarks Zaloudek. "Most of those around me were unconcerned with whether I was male or female; they focused solely on what I could do. They expected nothing less than excellence from me, backed me as part of their team, and looked after me like we were kin.
In 2007, when Zaloudek received her highly sought-after SERE specialist beret, she was acknowledged for her exceptional performance by the SERE staff. Her peers from her training courses characterize her as driven, competitive, and supportive.
She excelled at brightening spirits and was an incredibly extroverted and optimistic individual," remarks ex-airman John Michels. "This trait is crucial when discussing training in harsh outdoor conditions where everyone tends to be exhausted from lack of sleep and food.
Michels remembers an open-water exercise with Zaloudek during which the participants were set adrift in deep waters away from the coast and had to make their way back to shore using a life raft designed for 20 people.
It was incredibly tough, and everyone felt pretty queasy," he explains. "To distract us from our discomfort, Tiffany began improvising catchy tunes out loud. We were all crammed together in the raft, feeling extremely nauseated, much like sardines.
On her end, Zaloudek admits she’s a terrible vocalist, yet Michels argues that her jingles made the grueling training session somewhat easier to endure.
Zaloudek, the eldest of four siblings raised in a Christian household (she continues to recite Psalm 23 prior to each of her approximately 1,000 parachute jumps), credits her father's emphasis on readiness for significantly influencing her life.
When the year 2000 and Y2K approached, our entire basement resembled a bunker," she remembers. "I'm uncertain whether this influenced my inclination towards becoming a survivalist, but saying it aloud makes me believe it might have played a role.
As a schoolgirl witnessing the events of September 11thunfold, Zaloudek initially felt an urge to serve her nation. A year into her college education, she enlisted in the Air Force.
She admits, her voice trembling with emotion, "I felt an unease and sensed a pull towards something greater than myself." She continues, "As soon as I stepped into that Air Force recruitment center, I knew that inner flame, my true enthusiasm, had been reignited within me once more."
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The single airwoman states that her sexuality and appearance shouldn't factor into how effectively she carries out her duties. At one point, she altered her behavior to become more subdued, attempting to conform to what she believed was anticipated of her.
I significantly toned down my feminine traits," states Zaloudek. "I believed that I needed to behave more like a man and appear more masculine to excel in that role.
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However, time and experience taught her to be true to herself.
“You don’t have to act like a man or look like a man to succeed,” Zaloudek says. “You can be exactly who you are, exactly who you want to be and you can still thrive. Your uniqueness is what makes you beautiful."
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