It is wise to take lessons from others’ experiences. It is wise to learn from the experiences of those who have faced similar challenges.
We should learn from their choices, attitudes, and skills. There is not much new to be learned when it comes down to the survival of mankind. Everything we may face has been faced before.
When it comes to survival, one group inculcates readiness, tenacity and self-reliance as a professional and a lifelong way of living. The Armed Forces are a group that includes both the United States military as well as militaries from around the globe.
Each soldier, sailor and airman will receive training in basic skill that can help them to survive and perform their jobs, regardless of the environment.
It is important to have the endurance necessary for survival.
We will examine 10 skills that can help us survive disasters, wherever they may strike.
How to Survive in Uniform or Outside of Uniform
It is often a mistake to copy or emulate someone else unless you take into consideration the circumstances in which they work or the reasons why they act the way they do.
The objective or mission should be the guiding principle for all decisions made.
This is one time when we as civilians can learn a lot about general survival skills by observing how the military operates.
Even though it is likely that civilians won’t be in a real battlefield when we are faced with a SHTF situation, the stress and uncertainty of a battle will remain.
What will it be like? We will experience the chaos, time pressures, and stress which are all part of life around conflict zones. It would be an understatement to say the situation we will face is not going to be pleasant.
If we want to succeed and achieve our goal, then we will need to be able to act quickly and decisively, set priorities correctly and implement swiftly, despite obstacles and conditions that are constantly changing.
Our goal is to keep ourselves alive and our loved ones, family, and friends safe. It’s better if everyone gets out of the situation with the same number of holes in their bodies and limbs that they had when they entered.
The high level of uncertainty, variability and stress that such events bring about allows us to make informed decisions, basing our choices on military standards for basic competence regardless of training or occupation.
Ten Military Skills that will Help you Survive SHTF and Emergencies
Basic trauma care and First Aid
It should come as no surprise that war is dangerous, regardless of where you are. The active battlefields, and areas surrounding them, are full of dangers that could cost lives or limbs.
Anyone who is going to work on or around a battlefield should have basic first-aid skills and, ideally, some trauma care.
Consider, however, that things which are likely to harm us may not be the same things as those that will hurt an infantryman.
Although we may still get shot, we should also be aware of and treat other injuries such as burns.
Many of the same hazards will be present for both servicemen and women when they are conducting extended training away from their base or camp.
While these injuries may be the most frequent, we should not ignore the importance of developing skills to help us intervene if someone has been seriously injured.
All kinds of emergencies, from the destructive might of a powerful tornado, and its wind-driven debris to the blink-and-you-miss-it carnage inflicted by an automobile accident, can levy gruesome injuries upon victims.
It’s a matter of seconds, as the blood is leaking rapidly and it must be kept inside.
If disaster strikes, even a basic understanding of first aid can increase the chances that you or another person will survive.
You should have a medical kit that complements your abilities. Don’t improvise when lives are at stake.
Land Navigation
The basic training of the military is devoted to teaching its members how to read a map and how to use a compass. Above all, it teaches them how to always know their location, where they’re going, as well as how to reach that destination.
It is true that the modern military has a strong preference and reliance on sophisticated GPS navigation systems and other technology. However, there will never be a substitute for basic navigational skills such as reading maps, using a compass and using basic land navigation techniques that mankind has used for centuries.
We would all do well to practice and learn this skill.
You can count on our technology to let you down in the event of a catastrophe. If you rely on it to keep you and your loved ones safe or out of harm’s way, you could be in for a very bad experience.
It is essential to be able to use a map at any scale, whether it’s a road atlas or a topographical map. You should also know how to maintain your heading with a compass, track your progress and make necessary changes to the course.
Even if you are on a well-known road, this can be useful in case the signs or other landmarks that guide navigation have been removed after a major incident.
Learn to use a map, compass and GPS in an emergency.
You can survive
The military may involve a lot of camping but it isn’t the same as camping. Anyone in the military can tell you about times when they have been in the “Suck”. This is usually a combination of rough or inhospitable terrain, combined with unrelenting and nasty weather.
As it turns out most military personnel do not conduct their operations within an office setting. This means that learning to cope with the dangers of living in a hostile environment is part of daily life for those who are deployed.
In a survival situation, you’ll have to deal with the same issues. You could very well be forced to leave your house. It’s possible that you won’t have your car to use as shelter.
You may be lucky enough to have a bug-out kit, or another cache of supplies, which you could use, but it is up to you whether or not you want to expose yourself to danger.
It is important to know how to stay warm, avoid heatstroke and exhaustion in extreme heat, create shelters out of any material, no matter what the weather, and deal with natural hazards such as bad weather, water crossings, or dangerous wildlife.
Mother Nature always has a say in what happens, so make sure that your vote is more important than hers.
Hand-to-Hand combat
Face-to face, hand-to-hand combat, is the most fundamental form of combat, from which derive all defensive and offensive tactics.
A member of the military must be able to demonstrate basic hand-to-hand fighting techniques, even if it is for the most basic self-defense.
Hand-to-hand combat is rare on modern battlefields, except in low-intensity operations where interaction with civilians requires the use of minimal force. However, basic training for all troops around the globe still includes this type of encounter.
Hand-to-hand skills are important to have for all civilians. The vast majority of the defensive situations we will face can be resolved without using lethal force. You shouldn’t be shooting at or stabbing people to solve most of your problems.
Even though the members of the military are required to follow the laws of war, they also have precedents that must be followed. The consequences of using force, even in an emergency, can have legal implications.
Prioritizing your knowledge of how to protect yourself using fists and feet, as well as grappling techniques should be at the top of your priority list. You will benefit from the skills and lessons that you acquire during hand-to-hand training when it comes time to master and apply armed combat techniques.
Marksmanship
Marksmanship is the other aspect of self-defense, and the civilians most often associate it with military service. Why else would a military exist, if it wasn’t to fight an enemy of some kind?
This is true. Every member of the military, regardless of whether their job is combat-oriented or not, will be intimately acquainted with basic weapons such as rifles and handguns.
Even bakers and cooks are expected to take up weapons when the chips and pressure are on to protect themselves and their fellow workers from harm. The same goes for us. We will never have the police, or the military to help us in times of need.
Self-reliance includes the ability to defend yourself and your loved ones from harm, whether that danger is a vicious animal, or a human who may be violent.
Since many generations, the firearm has been the most popular personal weapon. You would be foolish not to take advantage of the ability to fire a gun at distance and deliver power.
To use this ability effectively, safely and without endangering yourself or other people who don’t deserve it requires you to invest a lot of time. Just like the military, training, practice, and maintaining your skills will separate the good marksman from the bad.
Rucking
The military expects many members, especially the infantrymen to carry the equipment and supplies they require to complete their missions on their backs.
On and around military bases, you will often see rows and ranks of camouflaged uniformed troops carrying massive rucksacks. These men and women are well aware of how difficult this task can be.
You’ve probably created a bug out plan if you are serious about your prepping. The bug out bag is your own personal rucksack filled with “mission essential” items that you need for your survival.
Most preppers are not prepared to put themselves through the real test. They haven’t tried hiking bug-out routes while carrying a bug-out backpack.
The average bug out bag is not as heavy as a full infantryman’s combat load. However, it still represents a significant amount of weight for you to carry across uneven terrain.
It is important to develop and practice this skill if you wish to prepare your body and mind for the test. You don’t want to try this for the first-time at a live event.
You cannot risk injury or failure. If you don’t do the same, you’re not preparing for the worst.
Camouflage
All military actions that are related to war itself revolve around the idea of keeping your enemy away from what you’re doing. This includes and camouflage of all types from electromagnetic to visual.
You can extend your lifespan if your goal is to avoid being noticed.
The military camouflages everything from clothing, armor and vehicles to weapons and their own equipment.
Even their camps, fighting positions and other things are camouflaged. They use decoys, which fool the enemy into thinking they see what they want to when in fact they don’t. A clever deception.
Believe that when things are going to hell and everything is crumbling around you, there will be predators in all shapes and sizes, prowling about and growingling for prey, whether it’s new purchases or their next meal.
You and those around you may be the ones to cause harm. Therefore, whether you’re on your way or seated still, you should do all you can to prevent them from detecting you. Camouflage will be the watchword for many scenarios.
When you’re worried about threats from humans, it is best to keep a low profile.
Take the time to understand how you can camouflage your body, luggage, vehicles and shelter. You can do it in many different ways, including using paints or tarps with drab colours or camouflage patterns.
Signaling
Signaling, in contrast to camouflage is the art or attracting attention and communicating with visual means.
It is a valuable skill for the military in all sorts of situations, including discrete, stealthy missions in enemy territory, where an audible sound could result in detection and death. Or, it can be used to alert aircraft on their way but have difficulty finding the forces concerned on the ground.
You can signal using a variety of methods, whether simple or complex, electronic, or not. If you want to signal someone, use an audible/visual code such as Morse Code, transmitted via a torch, or a visual code similar to semaphore using two bandanas.
You can use hand gestures to communicate nonverbally. Smoke, large-colored tarps, or other methods could be used to alert rescue aircraft and searchers at a distance.
It is not always possible to use electronic means of communication such as radios or telephones, but it can be useful to be able get your message across.
Now is the time to start thinking of all possible ways that you could communicate your intention and message so that you don’t need to do it on the fly in an SHTF scenario.
Maintenance
Members of the Armed Forces receive constant instruction on how to inspect and maintain their equipment. This is because the equipment they use to accomplish their missions and survive are so vital.
It is easy to overlook simple checks, cleaning, and repairs of vehicles, boots, rifles and their own body. The consequences could be a disaster. Even a broken track, a malfunctioning rifle or a blister on the foot can be a sign of a loss in capability.
As a preventive measure and a daily routine, we should strive to maintain and inspect our equipment with the same diligence and passion.
When life is sunny and bright, we can get away with such things, because we have both the infrastructure as well as means to fix a broken part or to repair a breakdown. But in the event of a SHTF, we won’t have either.
It is important to regularly use your equipment, especially if you work out or do regular practice. All of your equipment is wearing down, so the more often you use them, and the harder they are used, the quicker it will wear out.
Preventive maintenance is therefore even more important to avoid a catastrophic failure or breakage. You can only be sure that equipment will work when needed by establishing a culture for inspections and maintenance.
Contingency Planning
Things go wrong in war. In war, things go wrong. People die or break down, schedules are blown, and equipment gets lost or destroyed. The enemy does something that you would never have expected. Things go wrong.
The military is famous, despite all of the jabs at their bureaucracy and the jives they throw, for its contingency plans. Each plan has a backup plan, a second back-up, a contingency plan for all of those plans and an emergency plan if things really go pear-shaped.
It is a form of redundancy in operations that attempts to take into account every possible variable, mistake, accident, or tragedy which could occur during an operation.
It is for this reason that there is a command chain. It is for this reason that members of the Armed Forces constantly drill to avoid communication lapses and to better understand their commanders’ intent.
The mission can still function even if one component fails.
It would be wise for us to plan and prepare in the same manner. You can never be certain of anything in terms of surviving major crises or disasters.
If it makes it that far, your plan is only going to survive the first time you walk out of the door! You might have a great case for improvisation, but it is only the domain of those who are ill prepared.
It was your responsibility to plan and prepare for this. It is highly efficient and comforting to be able switch gears easily when a situation or conditions change. You weren’t completely caught off guard.
Over-planning is not a good idea. Adding too much detail or “what-if?” scenarios can make the situation more complex, and you may be incapable of handling it as an individual.
Even a few simple plans to cover every possible and anticipated hiccup will make you better prepared for the future than someone who just assumes that all will be well.
The conclusion of the article is:
The military has a lot to teach preppers in terms of general preparedness, self-reliance and how to handle emergencies.
It is our responsibility to take these lessons to heart, to adapt them for ourselves, to practice them with the same vigor and seriousness as any Armed Forces member.
We would strengthen the nation if we took time to make sure that our people were less vulnerable to all types of disasters.