Woman Who Made Air Force History Says Some People Are ‘Waiting for Me to Screw Up.’ How She Stays Winning (Exclusive)


Woman Who Made Air Force History Says Some People Are ‘Waiting for Me to Screw Up.’ How She Stays Winning (Exclusive)

By Dawn Klavon Published on March 7, 2025 06:00PM EST Woman Who Made Air Force History Says Some People Are ‘Waiting for Me to Screw Up.’ How She Stays Winning SERE specialists are the Swiss army knives of the military, teaching a myriad of versatile and vital skills like how to find food, build shelter, evade adversaries, navigate the terrain and assist in their own recovery “In order for me to be successful in my job I have to consistently outperform the men around me," Zaloudek tells PEOPLE In high school, Tiffany Zaloudek went so overboard on prom dresses and makeup that her mother had to put budget limits on her. “I would just go all out,” Zaloudek, who now holds the distinction of being the first female survival, evasion, resistance, escape (SERE) specialist to earn the Air Force’s highest enlisted rank, tells PEOPLE. “I love dressing up, it’s so much fun," she adds, "but at the same time, I can be at the complete opposite end — you never know what you’re gonna get.” Wearing a U.S. Air Force uniform for the past 18 years, the chief master sergeant — known as Chief Z — achieved her history-making rank on Nov. 1, 2024. She’s got a tough job: The 38 year old’s mission is to prepare military personnel in high risk of capture or isolation for survival. “SERE specialists are a MacGyver of the Air Force,” says Lt. Col. Levi Cass, referring to the enemy-thwarting 1980s television character.