Department of the Army - U.S. Army Survival Manual

Copyright 2011 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN: 978-1-60239-335-6

Printed in China

This manual is based entirely on the keyword SURVIVAL.

The letters in this word can help guide you in your actions in any survival situation. Whenever faced with a survival situation, remember the word SURVIVAL. Originally designed for use by soldiers in combat situations, the techniques and practices described in this manual are equally applicable to all who find themselves in any survival situation, particularly one in which they must endure the natural elements until they are rescued or return to safety on their own.

The following paragraphs expand on the meaning of each letter of the word survival. Study and remember what each letter signifies because you may someday have to make it work for you.

If you suddenly find yourself in a survival situation, if at all possible, find a place where you can be secure from immediate danger. Then take time to evaluate your situation and develop a plan to reach safety. Remember that when in a potentially hostile natural environment, you must constantly use all of your senseshearing, smell, and sightto evaluate your surroundings.

Determine the pattern of the area. Get a feel for what is going on around you. Every environment, whether forest, jungle, or desert, has a rhythm or pattern. This rhythm or pattern includes animal and bird noises and movements and insect sounds. It may also include noises generated by humans, machinery and equipment.

The pressure or trauma of suddenly being thrust into a survival situation may cause you to overlook wounds or injuries you have received. Check yourself carefully and give yourself first aid if necessary. Take care to prevent further bodily harm. In any climate, drink water whenever possible to prevent dehydration. Similarly, in cool, wet conditions, guard against hypothermia. The onset of hypothermia can occur even in mild conditions if you are wet and exposed to the wind.

Check to see what equipment you have and what condition it is in. If it is damaged and unusable, leave it behind.

Once you have sized up your situation, surroundings, physical condition, and equipment, you are ready to make your survival plan. In doing so, always keep in mind your basic physical needswater, food, and shelter.

You may make a wrong move when you react quickly without thinking or planning. That move may result in injury or death. Dont move just for the sake of taking action. Consider all aspects of your situation before you make a decision. If you act in haste, you may forget or lose some of your equipment. Hasty moves may also cause you to become disoriented so that you dont know which way to go. Plan your moves. Use all your senses to evaluate your situation. Note sounds and smells. Be sensitive to temperature changes. Be observant. Remember, your primary tool for survival is your ability to think and reason!

If you have a map, find your location and relate it to the surrounding terrain. This is a basic principle that you must always follow. If there are others with you, make sure they also know their location. Always know who in your group has a map and compass. If they are killed or injured to the point where they cannot continue, take the map and compass from them. Always pay close attention to where you are and to where you are going. Never rely on others in the group to keep track of the route. Constantly orient yourself. Always try to determine, as a minimum, how your location relates to:

• The location of the nearest inhabited areas.
• The location of local water sources (especially important I the desert).
• Areas that will provide adequate shelter from the elements.

This information will allow you to make intelligent decisions when you are in a survival situation.

The greatest enemies in a survival situation are fear and panic. If uncontrolled, they can destroy your ability to make an intelligent decision. They may cause you to react to your feelings and imagination rather than to your situation. They can drain your energy and thereby cause other negative emotions. Any survival training you may have received, including what you learn in this manual, will, along with your self-confidence, enable you to vanquish fear and panic.

In the United States, we have items available for all our needs. Many of these items are cheap to replace when damaged. Our easy come, easy go, easy-to-replace culture makes it unnecessary for us to improvise. This inexperience in improvisation can be an enemy in a survival situation. Learn to improvise. Take a tool designed for a specific purpose and see how many other uses you can make of it.

Learn to use natural objects around you for different needs. An example is using a rock for a hammer. No matter how complete a survival kit you have with you, it will run out or wear out after a while. Your imagination must take over when your kit wears out.

All of us were born kicking and fighting to live, but we have become used to the soft life. We have become creatures of comfort. We dislike inconveniences and discomforts. What happens when we are faced with a survival situation with its stresses, inconveniences, and discomforts? This is when the will to liveplacing a high value on livingis vital. The experience and knowledge you have gained through life will have a bearing on your will to survive. Stubbornness, a refusal to give in to problems and obstacles that face you, will give you the mental and physical strength to endure.

The natives and animals of a region have adapted to their environment. To get a feel for the area, watch how the people go about their daily routine. When and what do they eat? When, where, and how do they get their food? When and where do they go for water? What time do they usually go to bed and get up? Observing these actions can be important to you if you are suddenly in a survival situation. Animal life in the area can also give you clues on how to survive. Animals also require food, water, and shelter. By watching them, you can find sources of water and food.