SERE SKILLS FOR EVERY SOLDIER
THE FORT BRAGG POST
youtube.com/watch?v=rb_gCip6Nks
Marine Lance Corporal Jason Rother is left by his unit in the middle of the 29 Palms desert.
He tries to walk his way back to safety, making 15 miles before dying in the desert just 8 miles short of the town of Amboy.
Days pass before the marines realize he is gone and to begin looking for him.
Months later his body is found. Everyone from his Squad Leader to his Battalion Commander is punished for the incident. The BN CO, a promising tactician and leader retires early to his farm in NC, where he is killed in a tractor accident. Typical bureaucratic CYA that scapegoats individuals and leaves the institution corrupt...more proof that the U.S. military is a BUREAUCRACY--not a PROFESSION.
findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=rother&GSfn=jason&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=3495889&
"Semper Fidelis. Your death will always be the marine corps's fault."
- A fellow marine
Notice the "fellow marine" is absolutely RIGHT, yet a lot of stupid American go around proclaiming the USMC is "great" when its really a crap bureaucracy composed of lying narcissist tyrants and wannabe lemming victim door-mats easily defeated by mere Mother Nature long before even confronting any enemies. PROFESSIONAL organizations would have admitted to their faults like a lack of survival training and FIXED THEM--things the USMC has yet to do in regards to their betrayal of L/CPL Rother.
THE BODY HUNT
time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956525,00.html
A Marine's Mysterious DeathMonday, Dec. 19, 1988
By JACOB V. LAMARAug. 30, 1988. The searing Mojave Desert. About 2,400 U.S. marines conduct night maneuvers near the Twentynine Palms Base in California. Among them is Jason Rother, a 19-year-old lance corporal shipped in from North Carolina's Camp Lejeune for a special training exercise. While most of the marines directing convoys are posted around the desert in pairs, Rother, inexplicably, is sent out to guide troop movements without an assigned buddy.
Sept. 1. Almost two days after Rother went into the desert, he is reported missing. The marine corps launches a 1,758-man search, complete with helicopters and jeeps equipped with infrared thermal imaging devices, to track him down. The searchers find Rother's helmet, flak jacket and backpack. They also discover an arrow, laid out on the ground with stones and pointing southeast, that Rother may have constructed to indicate the direction in which he was traveling. But after three days, the search party fails to find him. A month later, a second marine-led search party has no more success in locating the missing Leatherneck.
Dec. 4. More than three months after Rother's disappearance, a third search party, composed of 130 civilian and marine volunteers organized by the San Bernardino sheriff's office, comes across the corporal's M-16 rifle, camouflage clothes and ID card. Not far away, they soon discover dry human bones, presumably those of Rother, scattered across the desert floor. Struggling for survival in daytime temperatures that reached 120 degrees F, the doughty marine may have made his way almost back to the base in Twentynine Palms. The remains are found only a heartbreaking two miles away.
In the wake of the accident, Rother's company commander and platoon leader have been relieved of their commands. Three more of the lance corporal's superiors face courts-martial for dereliction of duty and other charges. Perhaps the proceedings will answer some of the unsettling questions surrounding the case. Why wasn't Rother assigned a partner during the nocturnal exercises? Why did almost two days pass before Rother was reported missing? Was the required after-actions roll call performed promptly? How could Rother's fellow marines possibly have left him behind? "Accountability for your marines," says corps spokesman Lieut. Colonel Fred Peck, "is something that's drummed into you from Day One." In the case of the Rother tragedy, it may not have been drummed in quite hard enough.
With reporting by Karen Bates/Los Angeles and Jay Peterzell/Washington
THE WITCH HUNT
Marine Officer Charged in DeathSPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: January 13, 1989LEAD: The marine corps said today that an officer had been formally charged in the case of a lance corporal who was abandoned and died in the California desert last summer and that technicalities had been cleared away so that courts-martial of two sergeants could proceed.
The marine corps said today that an officer had been formally charged in the case of a lance corporal who was abandoned and died in the California desert last summer and that technicalities had been cleared away so that courts-martial of two sergeants could proceed.
First Lieut. Allen V. Lawson, who ordered Lance Cpl. Jason J. Rother to help guide a truck convoy at night but failed to have him picked up later, was charged today on three counts. He will be tried on a date not yet set.
Lieutenant Lawson has been accused of willful disobedience of a lawful order, dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming an officer. Another charge of disobedience has been dropped.
Sgt. Christopher Clyde, the platoon sergeant who had charges against him withdrawn yesterday because a court-martial had been convened by an officer who later was relieved of command, will face a new court-martial on the same charges of dereliction of duty and willful disobedience of a lawful order.
Sgt. Thomas Turnell, who was Corporal Rother's squad leader, will be tried on three counts, dereliction of duty, willful disobedience of a lawful order and unauthorized absence. As in the case of Sergeant Clyde, the original charges against Sergeant Turnell were withdrawn and refiled to avoid a conflict over procedure.
It could not immediately be determined what sentences could be given to the lieutenant and the two sergeants if they are convicted.
The battalion commander, battalion executive officer, company commander and platoon leader who were the leaders in Corporal Rother's unit are being relieved of their duties. That will effectively end their careers in the marine corps.
These tragedies from the usmc "witch-hunt" still leaves the problem itself unsolved: the need for every Soldier in the field to have organic Survival, Evasion, Resistance Escape (SERE) skills to survive off the land if lost/separated from his unit. This crap that everyone stay together like lemmings is often unworkable in war. Had Rother been trained to be more self-reliant and less as a weak lemming and known to walk only at NIGHT to conserve fluids, to leave more visible signals for searchers to find him, and make a solar still to collect water, he could have made it on his own to safety. Denying problems and "frying" leaders will not change the realities of the modern battlefield that every Soldier must be self-sufficient and resourceful, not a mindless, weak, dependant robot who must cling to his bureaucracy like a baby. Continuing with the "status quo" of parade ground, Drill & Ceremony instead of incorporating SERE skills into basic training is by definition insanity that will continue to produce future marine disasters and tragedies. Look at the lemmings that continue to drive wheeled trucks along roads/trails they cannot depart from into ever increasingly-sized land mines in Iraq/Afghanistan. Anyone who thinks the U.S. military is somehow the "best" are drunk on AmeroNazi fascist delusions fed them by the Neocons to con them into wars for Wall Street profits.
While the USMC still wants lemming robots, the other armed services have at least taken some steps to get some basic survival skills in its members and have even changed the acronym term from "SERE" to "Survival, Evasion And Recovery" (SEAR) which is what USAF survival school graduate CPT Scott O'Grady did in 1995 though the dumb marines almost got him killed. However, in this web page we are not going to go along with the BS Department of Defense (DoD) buzz word band wagon that paints false pictures that all is well and under control and will refer to SERE as SERE.
SURVIVAL CARDS: MINI-MANUAL IN YOUR POCKET
youtube.com/v/BnvG52osDm4
S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L
S ize up the situation, surroundings, physical condition, equipment
U se all your senses
R emember where you are
V anquish fear and panic
I mprovise and improve
V alue living
A ct like the natives
L ive by your wits
After the Rother fiasco, I published an article in the Marine Corps Gazette (March 1989, pages 31-32) describing how to make a solar still and how to create a mini-survival reference that can be laminated, folded and carried in the pocket of every Soldier to overcome the FIRST BATTLE which is against the earth itself; (TBATE). If you get beat by the earth you are not going to defeat any humans (TBAM). The best survival cards are Lee Nading's (POB 1805 Bloomington, IN 47402 (812) 336-8206), but are made of brittle plastic riveted together. Take his cards, lay them flat on a photocopier to create two 8 1/2 by 11 inch master sheets that can be reproduced front/back and issued out to the troops, who laminate them and take them into the field. More tedious, though effective would be to copy and compress FM 21-76 SURVIVAL which can be viewed online.
Sources to buy Lee Nading's SERE cards:
Source #1: Camp-Mor
The most comprehensive compact survival guide
Source #2: trailstuff.com
Survival Cards
Lee Nading
3x5" plastic cards/grommeted
US$4.95Stock No. HTU112
Set of 5 small plastic cards, grommeted in one corner to stay together; has 300 tips for prolonged outdoor survival: shelter, food, makeshift equipment, etc; FREE COUNTER DISPLAY WITH ORDER FOR 24 (see Merchandisers section)
Item Status: In stock as of this morning
ABOVE FREE DISPLAY WITH 24
(c) trailstuff.com 888-994-4677 425-355-8585 info@trailstuff.com
Wt. 1 oz.
Five sturdy 3 in. x 5 in. plastic cards
300 Facts and Techniques, 40 First Aid.
150 Illustrations, incl. 64 Edible Plants
contents field tested; military survival sources
bulk less, weightless, durable, weatherproof
Water: all climate zones, solar still, purification.
Shelter: lean-tos, natural hiding places, snow blocks.
Fire: tinder, flint/steel, bow-drill, burning glass, bone/fat, ammunition, battery, torches
Edibles: insects, birds, animals, reptiles, marine life; 64 edible plants. Hunting, Trapping: devices, tips, snares, spears.
Fishing: tips, traps, drugs.
Equipment: implements, chipping stone, cordage, sinew, bow and arrow, pottery, weaving, rafts, snowshoes, pitch, wooden knife, more.
Techniques: dressing game, rawhide, tanning, cooking, roasting, drying meant, pemmican and jerky, cooling food.
Desert, Arctic, Tropics: facts regarding dangers, water, travel, wild edibles. Survival Tips: plant edibility test, nutrition, packing equip., travel, knots, measurement equivalents and scales, rescue pick-up.
Emergency Signals: heliograph mirror, fires, ground-to-air symbols, body signals, code. 40 First Aid Topics: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, external heart massage, shock, pressure points, suturing, amputation, insect and snake bite, sunstroke, hypothermia, crushing wounds, gunshot, scurvy, typhoid, fractures, dislocations, and more...
These flexible SERE cards can be pulled out of the pocket for classes in the field during dead time to hone SERE skills of the men. SERE skills can also be enhanced by using the current FM 21-76 Armed Forces Survival Manual and John Wiseman's SAS Survival Manual for instructors to use.
Another good, though heavy pocket reference is John Wiseman's SAS Survival "Flick Book" available from Harper Collins books depicted below.
SERE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE (SME) IN EVERY USMIL UNIT
youtube.com/watch?v=7mFutYZzjH8
Every U.S. Army Drill Sergeant should be sent to SERE school created by legendary Special Forces Soldier, LTC Nick Rowe and the basic recruit training curriculum of the U.S. Army changed to build a self-reliant, intrepid warrior-lion, not a timid robot herd of sheep. Being a "POW" for a few days would be a lesson in humility for the Drill Sergeants who would then hopefully realize that everyone that wears "U.S. Army" on their nametape is FRIEND--not foe ie; some young punk who needs to be harassed and "pay his dues" to the BS bureaucracy. LTC Rowe, SERE school founder was one of the few to actually escape from the enemy during the Vietnam war. His book, 5 Years to Freedom is a must read for the military professional.
They would be connected to real world combat reality instead of parade ground drill & ceremony and equipped with the SERE skills to pass on to their recruits. Anything less than this handicaps us for the future 21st Century, Non-Linear Battlefield (NLB).
Every Company-sized combat arms unit of the U.S. Army should have a designated MOS Additional Skill Identifier (ASI) and SERE school slot for a SERE Subject-Matter-Expert (SME). Their job is to teach SERE skills to their units.
MUST-SEE SERE MOVIE 1: RESCUE DAWN!
imdb.com/title/tt0462504
youtube.com/watch?v=74JpGZKvT90&feature=related
youtube.com/watch?v=PxaLr_nVf_Y
MUST-SEE SERE MOVIE 2: THE WAY BACK!
youtube.com/watch?v=87kezJTpyMI
The Way Back is Peter Weir's epic movie of a real life story of how a group of men and women escaped from Communist Russia's Gulags in Siberia and then walked their way to freedom--4, 000 miles away!
Details:
MUST-SEE SERE MOVIE 3: DEFIANCE!
youtube.com/watch?v=WYZ2oYDSKHA
The Way Back makes an excellent book-end to the survival story Defiance with Daniel Craig since the latter details how a Polish survival group in the west prevailed against the Nazis who took over that part of the country while the former describes what happened to those in the east captured by Stalin--thanks to the evil Non-Agression Pact caused by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's absurd promise to somehow defend Poland. Note that the Communists INHERITED the death camp Gulag system from the previous monarchy government and as a murderer, Stalin spent time there and later escaped to be an even bigger tyrant. Brutalizing people is no way to reform them.
SURVIVAL CAPABILITIES FROM THE LACES.........
Replace the black laces that come with your boots with Type III, (550 parachute cord) because there are seven inner strands that can be removed and used to construct shelters, build snares, etc......there is even black 550 cord available that can be used that will look exactly the same as everybody else to keep any nit-picky superiors at bay. Having Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape capabilites in your boot can be a life-saver, because it may be the only thing the enemy doesn't take from you if captured. There are ways to hide covered razorblades etc....in the boot that should be taken advantage of for E & R (escape and recovery) operations that are better discussed behind closed doors at place like U.S. Army SERE school.
SERE Key Ring
SERE Key Chain 550 Paracord Braid
youtube.com/watch?v=cc1NQTxjrek
DIY: DO-IT-YOURSELF
SERE KITS: THEY ARE IN THE "SYSTEM"
The items above are suggested by the USAF Survival School.
youtube.com/watch?v=M-6YkLRAgC8
Survival Kit, Individual NSN 654-00-139-3671 costs $12.46 and is available in the supply "system". Ahem "supply system" is like the oxymoron "military intelligence". As long as the old men 3-star generals and above run the USMIL, there will always be monies budgeted for their video teleconferencing crap toys for them to play with and nothing left for the lower ranking younger men Soldiers who fight, bleed and die.
Every Soldier MUST have some basic SERE items on his person AT ALL TIMES in event he gets separated from his rucksack and/or supply lines. He must have the same resilience as a Russian partisan had during WWII when encircled by the German Army: the ability to live off the land and not be subject to defeat from dislocation. Western Armies need to learn from their Eastern counterparts the same hardiness of character that once existed in Sherman's Army during the Civil War to attain amazing 4-7 mph levels of foot mobility that defeated the Confederates. General William T. Sherman knew back in 1864 that being tied down to the umbilical cord of rear area supply is an operational and tactical handicap. When his men learned to become "light fighters" they gained an element of unpredictability and battlefield mobility that the Confederates were unable to match. Sherman's campaigns were THE decisive actions that ended the bloody, tragic U.S. Civil War.
SURVIVAL FISHING KIT
There is an excellent Survival Fishing Kit, NSN 4220-00-244-0764 in the "system", that weighs 6.5 ounces and fits inside a M16 magazine pouch. The metal case it comes in can be used to cook the caught fish portions or the lid as a survival mirror.
This kit provides excellent details on how to survival fish for food.
PARACHUTE SURVIVAL KIT
There is a small SERE kit that comes with parachutes that assumes you will use the parachute canopy for tent and suspensions lines for lashing, rigging, snares etc.. Details below:
COLONEL JAMES "NICK" ROWE BDU/ACU BELT SERE KIT
Many of us wear on our life support-capable, Rigger's belts on our BDU/ACU trousers a Gerber or Leatherman multi-tool pliers with multiple knives etc. This bulge is going to be there on your body. The question is are we getting all that we can or should out of that "bump" at our side?
Most Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape experts state emphatically you must have a survival kit on your body that will be with you no matter what, even if you dump or lose all your outer gear. Ranger Rick Tscherne has taken this ideal to heart and put most SERE items on a neck chain using a plastic drink tube with a wire saw inside. However, this attempt doesn't protect the body in the most challenging survival environment--the desert--because there is the least amount of natural resources to work with. The deserts of Iraq are where we might be fighting soon. We need to be able to carry a space blanket to reflect the sun and/or a clear plastic sheet to act as a solar still to use that neckchain drinking tube, which means material and we can't hang this around our neck but we can carry it on our belt if the multi-tool pouch were bigger.
Colonel Nick Rowe BDU Belt SERE Kit
Noted SERE expert, retired USAF instructor, Peter Kummerfeldt states on his www.outdoorsafe web site what SERE kits should:
- Be light weight and compact
- Be with you when you need it
- Contain equipment that you can rely on
- Be adjusted according to the season and the expected weather
- Include the equipment you will need to survive a night or two in the season
Basic survival kits should contain:
- Shelter material
- Large, heavy duty, orange, plastic bag
- Plastic or fabric tube tents
- Mylar survival bags
- Sheet plastic
- Parachute line
- Fire Starting Materials
- Matches contained in a waterproof case
- Cigarette lighter
- Metal match with a scraper
- Vaseline impregnated cotton balls in a waterproof container
- Candle
- Signaling equipment
- Whistle with a lanyard
- Glass, or good plastic, signal mirror with a lanyard
- Fluorescent plastic surveyors tape
- Brightly colored fabric
In addition to the basic three categories of equipment also consider the following equipment:
- Additional clothing for warmth and protection from wind and wet
- Sturdy fixed or folding blade knife
- First Aid Kit
- Metal cup
- Flashlight with a headband and spare bulbs/batteries
- Food bars high in carbohydrate
- Water purification tablets
- Folding saw
- Compass
Additional thoughts on survival kits:
- Periodically check the serviceability of all survival kit components
- It's no good to you unless you have it with you when you need it
- Each person in a party should have their own kit
- Commercial kits compromise the quality of the components in order to keep the overall price of the kit down -- it's better to build your own.
REMEMBER -- THE PURPOSE OF THE KIT IS TO KEEP YOU ALIVE WHILE YOU SIT OUT A STORM OR NIGHT OUT UNTIL YOU CAN BE RESCUED!
Notice the key requirement where we are failing in the U.S. military: "Be with you when you need it"; if the kit isn't there you don't have it! Right now there IS NO HOME on the U.S. Soldier's body for a survival kit. No home, ie; no space--no survival kit when you need it.
We've all watched for now collectively over 31 YEARS folks telling everyone to "go get a pouch, assemble a SERE kit", DIY--IT DOESN'T HAPPEN for the Type B personality lemmings that populate the USMIL.
So, we must take something the Soldier is already doing--like wearing dog tags like Ranger Rick realized and sublimate a SERE kit; ie; use the multi-tool pouch on the BDU/ACU belt Soldiers are already wearing now as the "home" for a SERE kit.
Our reasoning is that the neck doesn't give you enough "storage" for the larger items needed to make survival possible in the desert: a space blanket and a solar still plastic. In other words, with Ranger Rick's SERE neck chain in the desert, you could die from dehydration and exposure all things going wrong for you etc.
Thus, we have come together to form a BDU/ACU belt pouch SERE kit named after the founder of the Army's SERE School, LTC Nick Rowe.
The following items are needed to create the initial Rowe BDU belt SERE kit except for the solar still plastic sheet (go to local hardware store) and SERE cards [campmoor.com]. The majority of these items can be purchased at Brigade Quartermasters: actiongear.com:
ON NECK
________________________________________
ID Dog tags
P-38 can opener
Photon light $16.99 as lightweight light source
ON BDU/ACU BELT ON BODY
________________________________________
Carry Pouch
1. BQ Hi-Tac Gear belt or NiteIze "Pock-Its" or other organizer pouch to carry items 2-19 inside $12.99-$20.00
actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/level3c.tam?xax=32611&M2%5FDESC%2Ectx=%22Wallets%2C%20Personal%20Organizers%2C%20Dog%20Tags%2C%20Accessories%22&level2%2Ectx=level2c%2Etam&BC3%2Ectx=Watches%2C%20Writing%20Supplies%2C%20Wallets%2C%20Organizers%2C%20Dog%20Tags&BC4%2Ectx=Wallets%2C%20Personal%20Organizers%2C%20Dog%20Tags%2C%20Accessories&backto=%2Fagcatalog%2Flevel2c%2Etam
Candiates:
a. NEW SUN LIBERTY EXPEDITION ORGANIZER *NEW & IMPROVED*
Bigger and with more pockets (8 in all), to accommodate those who believe that you not only can, but should take it with you! Includes zippered storage for cell phone, FRS radio, GPS, binoculars or CD player. Carry it over the shoulder with the adjustable 3/4'' shoulder strap, clip it to your backpack's shoulder strap for easy access to trail necessities, or attach to belts up to 2-1/2'' wide using the "J-Clip" system without undoing belt!
Item No. Retail Our Price Stock
ELP97 EXPEDITION LIBERTY POUCH $26.99 $21.99
b. NEW SUN HANDYMAN BELT ORGANIZER
Uniquely designed compact belt pouch handles most everyday necessities in the three compartments. Keep your pocket tools, keys, change and business cards handy at all times.
Features:
• YKK® zippered curved front flap pocket holds cash, coin, cards; secures with Velcro® closure and secondary compressor elastic loop
• Two inside compartments for tools of the trade
• Key carabiner attaches through grommeted holes
• Attaches to belt with the unique J-Clip easy attach system
• Mini-Light loop holder
• 1000 denier DuPont Cordura® with waterproof coating
• Measures 3.5" W x 5" Tall
• Made in USA.
Description - Item No. Our Price Stock Qty
HANDYMAN BELT ORGANIZER - HMP98 $12.99
c. NEW SUN LIBERTY - WALLET SIZED BELT POUCH
You can never have too many pockets and the updated Liberty wallet-sized belt pack proves it. Wallet-sized fanny pack organizes pocket accessories and provides a secure place to put your valuables while allowing easy access to them. Measures 3-1/2'' x 5-1/2'' x 3/4'' with six pockets. Fits Palm Pilot and similar PDA devices.
Item No. Our Price Stock
LPO97 LIBERTY POUCH $15.99
d. NITE IZE® POCK-ITS® UTILITY HOLSTER
Nite Ize Pock-Its is designed to carry a mini-flashlight and multi-tool while organizing your smaller items into a single, convenient location. No longer do you need to wear a holster for each tool carried. Pock-Its securely holds these items while allowing them to remain conveniently accessible. Accommodates most AA & AAA mini-flashlights Fits most brands & sizes of multi-tools. Larger POCK-ITS includes two elastic loops- perfect for pens or small tools, and a D-ring and an accessory hook- ideal for attaching keys or lanyards. Bottom pocket for smaller items
Item No. Our Price Stock
NEPK1{ } $17.99
niteize.com/pockits.html
Email: info@niteize.com
Telephone: (303)449-2576
Toll-free U.S.A. and Canada: 1-800-678-6483
Fax: (303) 449-2013
Nite Ize Pock-Its® is designed to carry a mini-flashlight and multi-tool while organizing your smaller items into a single, convenient location. No longer do you need to wear a holster for each tool carried. Pock-Its® securely holds these items while allowing them to remain conveniently accessible.
Multiple Carry Options!
Backpack
Waist Belt Suspenders Horizontal
on Belt Lanyard
Features
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accommodates most AA & AAA barrel-shaped mini-flashlights.
Fits most brands & sizes of multi-tools.
Fits belts up to 3" wide.
Constructed of rugged, water-resistant material.
Front Side:
The hook and loop closures ensure safe retention of the contents, regardless of body position or extreme movement.
Two elastic loops- perfect for pens or small tools.
D-ring and accessory hook - ideal for attaching keys or lanyards.
Bottom pocket for smaller items.
Back Side:
Large pocket for longer items.
Permanent & quick-release belt loops
Lower portion of pocket can be accessed below quick-release belt loop.
Custom Embroidery
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Custom Pock-Its available with your company name or logo.
Colors
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nite Ize Pock-Its Utility Holster is available in the colors shown below.
Colors (Black, Forest Green, and Royal Blue)
Camouflage Colors (Mossy Oak Break-Up, Woodland, AdvantageÒ)
Look for this package where you shop!
e. NEW TRAVELER ORGANIZER
New version of the popular Traveler Gear Carrier! At home on a belt, pack strap or over the shoulder, the New Traveler keeps all the necessities at your fingertips and easy to find. Main cargo bay features a gadget tube. Two outside zippered pockets are great for small items.
Item No. Our Price Stock
NTO10 NEW TRAVELERS ORGANIZER, GREEN $19.99
f. NEW SUN PADDED ACCESSORY CASE
The Minimalist's Go-Bag! Handy padded, zippered-top pouch provides luxurious plush-lined protection for glasses, phones, radios, GPS or anything that will fit into its 3" x 6" compartment. Slip driver's license, credit cards, hotel pass card into the front zippered compartment and you're ready to move!
Item No. Retail Our Price Stock
PAC01 PADDED ACCESSORY CASE $12.88 $11.99
g. NEW SUN LIBERTY TRAVELER'S LARGE BELT ORGANIZER
Six compartments and pockets keep cell phones, calculators, small binoculars, sunglasses, tablets, tools, keys, change, business cards handy for instant personal access.
Features:
• YKK zippered curved front flap pocket holds cash, coin, cards; secures with Velcro® closure and secondary compressor elastic loop-over Outside slot pocket holds passport
• Mesh back pocket for even more documents
• Large main compartment with two pockets expands with unique ''V'' gusset to handle flip phones etc. Inside elastic strap secures tools of the trade
• Key clip snaps through grommets
• J-Clip system attaches easily to belt or use the neck lanyard
• Mini-light loop holder
• 1000 denier Cordura® waterproofed & ripstop nylon
• Closed measurements- 4'' W x 7'' T X 3'' deep at top/1.5'' at bottom
• Made in the USA.
Description - Item No. Retail Our
Price Stock Qty
TRAVELERS LARGE ORGANIZER - TPO98 $22.99 $19.99
h. NEW SUN TOTAL UTILITY POUCH
New style belt/shoulder organizer with nine pockets for everything from ID, passports, wallet, phone, multi-tools, notepads, to GPS. Great for work, travel, covert carry of Law Enforcement gear- anything. One pull on the bungee connecting cord gives you access to everything inside.
Item No. Our Price Stock
TUP01 TOTAL UTILITY POUCH, BLACK $24.99
i. SPEC.-OPS.™ FRONTAL ASSAULT™ MODULAR CARGO POCKET
This accessory pouch keeps you supplied on the move. Mounts on pack sternum straps or Load Bearing Suspenders, or as a centrally located, easy to access storage pocket for essential on the move items - food bars, repellent, lip balm, eyegear, camera, compass and more. D-ring positioned on the front allows attachment of whistle, flashlight or nav aids.
Item No. Our Price Stock
BMD03{ } $16.99
actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/results.tam?xax=28353&nextrow=11&maxhits=10&qrymark1%2Enew=598&qrymark2%2Enew=0&priorcase=main
j. We make a new pouch customized to carry the SERE kit items
Depicted here is the SKEDCO armored vehicle extraction strap pouch used to carry the Rowe SERE kit.
2. (2x3) Signal mirror $11.99
Signal for rescue
Focus light to start fires
Examine face for health check
3. Emergency Space Blanket $9.99
In the desert the sun's heat can dehydrate and kill humans quickly. The space blanket can cover a hole 6 inches down (temperate is a constant 55 degrees) to shield the Soldier. At night, if not moving, the cold of the desert can be sub-zero and kill by hypothermia. Its vital that every Soldier have at the very least an emergency pace blanket to prevent death from exposure to heat/cold since in the desert there isn't enough vegetation to count on building expedient shelter.
4. Ranger Rick's SERE neckchain $21.99 or items on their own:
compass
wire saw
whistle
reflective dog tag
sharp dog tag for skinning animals
firestarter flint
drinking tube
5. 2 x 1 gallon ziplock bags or clear plastic sheet for solar still
and for emergency water carry
2 gal ziplock bags; 1 for making above ground solar stills,1 for holding the collected water collection.
The Soldier in the day should stay still to conserve body fluids using the Space blanket below-ground shelter. As he's resting, a hole with a clear plastic stretched over the top with a canteen cup underneath could be collecting the evaporating water from the ground to gain distilled drinking water. The Soldier can place any vegetation and urinate under the still while he's still hydrated to collect more water. Water can be drunk from Ranger Rick's drinking tube without having to dismantle the still, or wait until nightfall's movement and drink the water after dismantling it.
6. Lee Nading's SERE 3x5 Cards $4.99
Lightweight essential knowledge, suggest laying cards out on xerox machine and condensing to one 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper back to back and heat lamination to a folding, thinner version. Can mass produce for others in unit that do not have the SERE cards.
Details:
combatreform.org/sere.htm
7. Survival water purifier drink straw $26.99
Approximately 80% of all infectious diseases are the result of drinking or coming into contact with contaminated water. 25% of the world's hospital beds are filled by waterborne disease cases.
Disease causing organisms (pathogens) include.
Bacteria.
Protozoa
Viruses
Multi-cellular parasites.
While water is one of the best things that you can drink, it is also one of the most dangerous. Animals and our ancestors took their chances. Of course, many of them did not live very long. Now we know better, and there are several things that we can do to render our water safer.
Sedimentation and Sunning
Even water from an apparently clear, fast running glacial stream will contain small particles of rock that will not do your insides any good. Allowing water to stand for a while allows grit and much of the suspended matter to settle to the bottom of a container, leaving the clearer upper water to be decanted off. If you have an open or glass container then placing it in sunlight will help kill many of the harmful organisms in the first few inches of water. This doesn't work with plastic containers since most plastics absorb UV light.
Filtration.
Filtration of water varies in sophistication. At its crudest you may just pour the water through a cone of twisted grass or a couple of folds of bandanna to remove any debris. This water will still contain pathogens and need further treatment. At the other end of the scale are commercially produced filters of ceramic with a pore size of 0.1-0.2. This can be relied on to remove all bacteria, protozoa and larger parasites from the water. In older literature you may find claims that these remove all harmful organisms from the water, including viruses, and that no further treatment was necessary.
When doing some background reading it occurred to me that most viruses are smaller than 0.2. Sizes of 0.018-0.13 are more usual. We contacted the Katadyn website about this, and was initially told that the filter would remove viruses attached to larger particles. We pointed out that it was likely that free-floating viruses would also be present. To their credit, the response was "Good point, we'll look into it". In fact, one of the older distinguishing properties of viruses was their ability to pass through porcelain filters. Notably, neither the Katadyn or MSR water filters still claim to remove viruses.
Not so commendable is that some other manufactures try to downplay the risk of viral waterborne disease. Here's a quick Myth-buster.
It has been estimated that 40% of cases of traveller's diarrhoea are of a viral origin.
While many types of viruses do not live long outside a host, many others do. The polio virus can live several days or weeks in sewage (ie, dirty water.) If there is a host in the area then the levels of viruses will be constantly replenished anyway.
Viruses are host specific, so you are most at risk in areas where humans may have contact with the water system.
In areas where there is a low chance of viral contamination using a filter such as a Katadyn may be the only treatment needed. In most parts of the Earth the water will need further treatment by heat or chemicals. Some filters (termed "Purifiers") have a device added to chemically treat the filtered water.
Before leaving the topic of filtration, mention must be made of the relatively new technology of Reverse Osmosis, or Ultra-filtration. These systems use a pore size so small it can actually filter the sodium and chloride ions out of seawater to produce freshwater. Water filtered this fine will be safe to drink without further treatment.
Chemical treatment
All chemicals used to purify water react with organic matter in some way. This is why water is filtered or settled as much as practical before chemical treatment. It assures that the chemicals are used up on pathogens rather than harmless muck.
Heat treatment
Heat treating water is often preferable to chemical treatment, since fuel can usually be found while sources of chemicals may be limited.
The WHO standard for heat treating water is to boil it for ten minutes at a rolling boil (surface disturbed by bubbles). While this is sure to kill anything present, rendering water safe to drink requires less heating. Heating water to 65°C for six minutes is sufficient to Pasteurise the water (just kill the harmful organisms). Since the relation between microbial death and temperature is exponential bring the water to the boil for 15secs is more than enough heat treatment.
This not particularly well know fact has two points of interest. The first is that it saves on fuel. You don't have to boil stream water for ten minutes before cooking instant noodles. It also explains why waterborne disease is not more prevalent among campers and cultures that consume a large proportion of their water as tea or coffee.
In the very worse-case scenario without canteens because the LBE has been lost, a survival straw will allow the Soldier to go to a stream, lake and drink somewhat safely direct from the source. With a multi-tool knife he could create a shave tinder and collect wood to build a fire to boil to purify water but this will take lots of time/energy better spent on evading the enemy.
My only concern is if the BQ survival drink straw will FIT inside the BDU SERE kit pouch....does the straw itself bend?
If it does not, we should use the McNett Frontier water purifier drink straw because the straw detaches so it will fit inside the BDU SERE kit pouch.
Brigade Quartermaster's SURVIVAL STRAW WATER PURIFIER
Complete pocket purifier more than meets FDA and EPA standards to kill viruses, bacteria and filter disease causing cysts. A must for campers & travelers. The improved and patented 100% KDF alloy media (not silver or carbon) destroys more than 99.9% harmful microorganisms. Kills bacteria and viruses, including E. Coli, Giardia lambli cysts, Cryptosporidia, Algae mold and fungi. Unlike filters that merely attempt to trap impurities, the Survival Straw eliminates them! Simply immerse the filter end in the bad water, and use like a soda straw.
Removes Ethylene Dibromide (EDB), and eliminates soluble heavy metal toxins such as Iron, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic. It also eliminates a wide range of carcinogens, including Pesticides, Herbicides, Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Radon, Tri-Halomethanes and other man-made chemicals. Odors and bad taste are removed as the water is purified. Guaranteed proven by independent Lab testing. Filter and detachable straw are only 7.25" long for easy packing. Backwash with a mouthful of good water to clean for indefinite purification use. Keep stored in a Zip-Loc® bag. Avoid the Aztec Two Step with this affordable insurance plan for all travelers campers, hunters, bikers and disaster situations. EPA Est. 67814-FL-001. [6oz]
Item No. Retail Our Price Stock
SSP98 SURVIVAL STRAW WATER PURIFIER $29.95 $26.99
FRONTIER Emergency Water Filter System
The ideal "just-in-case" filter for emergency use when traveling, hiking and fishing. Also ideal as a backup filter for multi-day backpacking trips. The Frontier Filter can be used to drink from any bottle or cup, or directly from water sources. Removes contaminates down to 2 microns in size including wide spread pathogens such as giardia, cryptosporidium and large bacteria. Frontier's ultra lightweight and compact package size fits in the smallest day pack, waist pack or pocket.
mcnett.com/images/FrontierFilter-big.jpg
Items 8-20 what you add to your BDU belt SERE kit:
8. Your multi-tool of your choice
Knives, pliers to fashion tools, items etc.
9. Small First Aid Kit: Band-Aids, pain relief pills, alcohol wipes
10. Anti-Septic cream
11. Safety pins for fish-hooks
12. Waterproof Matches or small butane lighter even at high altitude or if the gas leaks out you still have a cheap sparklite flint
13. Vasilene soaked cotton balls in a small plastic baggie
14. Silva Explorer compass $15.95
for surer navigating than button compass on Ranger Rick's SERE necklace, but also use the magnifying glass as a backup fire starter during the daytime
15. Safety razor blade in case I loose my knife or my hands are too cold/hurt to open it. (Can shave in case the park ranger that rescues me is a babe! :)
16. Hefty aluminum small loaf pan or 2 ft piece of heavyweight tinfoil as a lightweight cup to boil water in and in a pinch a poor signal mirror.
17. 10 meters of 100 lb fishing line. Is lighter and less bulky than the 550 cord in your boot laces which is better reserved for shelter building; if you have adequate water you can use the fishing line to catch birds and squirrels as well as fish
18. Sewing kit
To mend clothing and can turn one of the needles (Steel) into an improvised compass by rubbing with a cloth to magnetize or bent into a fish hook.
19. Infared Phoenix Beacon [IR-15]) and a 9v battery fastened with a retainer band [always kept visible so Joe will remember to periodically change it for a fresh one]. Many units supply these.
Total dimensions: 7" x 5" x 1.5" weight TBD constructed of Khaki Nylon Cordura with a belt loop for a 2" wide belt and a top closure fastened with 2" wide velcro.
ON LBE
___________________________________
20. 2 x First aid pressure bandages (on LBE)
If not hurt, can use for fire starting material/incidental water gathering as a sponge
21. Eyedropper of Chlorine bleach in outer pouchette of 1 quart canteen cover or the two component bottles of Aqua Mira (better than chlorine or Iodine).
WHERE ARE THE IODINE TABLETS?
As an 101st Air Assault 1SG recently reported from Afghanistan, there were no iodine tablets for Operation ANACONDA! If we ain't going to see them (like 40mm shotgun grenades for M203) we damn well better be executing "Plan B" and doing the chlorine bleach-in-a-dropper thing. Let's find a durable bottle no higher than 3 inches high that fits into the canteen cover's outer pouchette use that to carry your chlorine bleach.
Chlorine bleach
2 drops of chlorine bleach with 5.25% chlorite for every full 1 quart canteen's worth of clear water. 4 drops for cloudy water. Shake then let stand for 30 minutes.
Or carry the two component bottles of McNett's Aqua Mira (better than chlorine or Iodine) in your BDU belt SERE kit pouch.
Aqua Mira
mcnett.com/Camping/index.html
AQUAMIRA Water Treatment kills odor-causing bacteria and improves the taste of water from rivers, lakes, streams, tap water and more. AQUAMIRA is stabilized chlorine dioxide and contains no chlorine or iodine. AQUAMIRAs unique formula works quickly and efficiently by releasing oxygen in a highly active form to kill odor-causing bacteria without unpleasant taste or odor.
Directions For Use:
Place 7 drops AQUAMIRA (Part A) and 7 drops ACTIVATOR (Part B) in clean cup or the mixing cap.
Let mixture react for 5 minutes. (mix will turn yellow)
Fill container with 1 litre (1 U.S. quart) of water and add contents of cup or cap.
Shake or stir and let stand for 15 minutes. If water is very cold, cloudy, or if cryptosporidium is suspected, let stand for 30 minutes or more and use 14 drops AQUAMIRA (Part A) and 14 drops ACTIVATOR (Part B) to treat water. Turbid water with high organic load should be pre-filtered with a carbon filter before treatment.
Water is now ready to use.
For fruit and vegetable wash, soak for 15 minutes in treated water.
IMPORTANT STORAGE INFORMATION: For best results, cap bottles tightly and store away from heat and sunlight. Contact with extreme heat or extended direct sunlight will reduce the effectiveness of AQUAMIRA.
If concentrate is swallowed, drink large amount of water. Do not induce vomiting. If on skin or in eyes, flush with water for 15 minutes. Seek medical advice if irritation persists.
22. Camel-Bak with inline water filter and/or special flexible 1 Quart canteen with water filter. $28.00 Or $29.99
The U.S. military does NOT want dirty water going into canteens as a matter of policy. They want the water cleaned first before going into the container. This means purifying as you collect and pour into your canteen/Camel-Bak meaning a pump. A pump takes space and becomes a separate item problematical for every Soldier to carry. The Katadyne is the world class for a purifier pump though Recovery Engineering's ROWPU will purify seawater into drinking water.
Realizing this, the Soldier should have a last line of defense of a built-in filter into his Camel-Bak or via a specialty canteen ON TOP OF PURIFYING BY CHLORINE BLEACH OR IODINE TABLETS.
When author Sparks was in Korea, he ran out of water and had to fill up from the unit's water buffalo. For months afterwards he was sick from constant heartburn. You cannot ever ASS U ME that water coming from the unit in a field or combat situation is going to be pure. It might be some Soldier told to go fill up the M149 water buffalo from a local garden hose.
1 quart flexible canteen with water purification ability
www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/level4c.tam?&M5COPY%2Ectx=25106
PRES-2-PURE™ WATER FILTER CANTEEN SET
Reduces 99% of contaminants to make drinking water safe! This durable 32 oz squeezable canteen is a must have where pure water is not guaranteed. 2 micron filter stops organisms such as E. coli, Giardia, Staph and Crytosporidium. Retains helpful minerals - calcium and magnesium - while removing toxic metals such as lead, mercury, aluminum and cadmium. Meets stringent FDA, NSF and ANSI standards and protocols. Activated carbon removes unpleasant taste. Purifies over 100 gallons of water (500 refills!). To use, simply fill with untreated raw water and squeeze. If viruses are suspected, make sure you treat bad water with Iodine purification tabs fowlloing the directions BEFORE filtering.
actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/picsxl.tam?picsxl=ppc02a.jpg
actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/picsxl.tam?picsxl=ppc02a.jpg
actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/picsxl.tam?picsxl=ppc02b.jpg
actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/picsxl.tam?picsxl=ppc02b.jpg
Press-2-Pure is the most effective and economical water filter available. The Press2Pure Personal Water Filter is designed to clean 200 gallons of water ( California rating- 100 gallons)- a year's supply of fresh drinking water for the average individual. The filter will eliminate odors and bad taste in addition to reducing chlorine and particulate matter. The Press-2-Pure filter is unique in its ability to reduce a wide range of contaminants that are known to cause serious health concerns.
The filter is an Ionic Adsorption microfilter capable of up to 2 micron filtration. Organisms such as E.coli, Giardia, Staph and Crytosporidium are effectively filtered. The Press-2-Pure water filtration system has been engineered to retain helpful minerals such as calcium and magnesium while removing harmful inorganic metals such as lead, mercury, aluminum and cadmium. By meeting stringent FDA, NSF and ANSI standards and protocols, Press-2-Pure can assure the safest quality drinking water in the smallest most portable mode.
Potentially harmful substances reduced by the Press-2-Pure filter system:
INORGANIC ELEMENTS
TRIHALOMENTHANES
MICROBIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SYNTHETIC ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RADIOLOGICAL COMPOUNDS
Concerned about the presence of viruses in the water? Unless you are in the wild, it is unlikely to encounter virus-laden water in municipal drinking supplies because of the chemicals and treatment. Even in nature the presence of virus in water supplies is limited because of the nature of viruses. Viruses typically need a host in which they can survive and replicate. If you are concerned, we recommend pre-treating your water with a disinfection purification product, such as Iodine tablets or other bug-killing product. Follow the instructions and let the water stand long enough before filtering to effect a kill of potentially dangerous virus and bacteria. Made in USA.
Although it looks like a GI Canteen, the purification filter will not fit military 1 and 2 quart plastic canteens. We sell it without a canteen cover but it will fit the GI 1 quart cover we sell-
Item# CCR82
Replacement Filter Item# RCF01
Description - Item No. Our
Price Stock Qty &&&&
PRES2PURE CANTEEN, FILTERED - PPC02 $29.99
Camel-Bak In-Line water filter
In Boots
_________________________________________________
23. 550 parachute cord with 7 inner strands as boot laces
To survive, extra cords are needed to make items, insure you have some cords by using 550 parachute cord which has 7 inner strands as your boot laces.
DIY Putting-It-All-Together
BDU/ACU Belt SERE Kit components/costs (-) personal add-ons
Organizer belt pouch $12.99-$20.00
Emergency Space Blanket $9.99
Signal mirror with aiming sight $11.99
Ranger Rick's SERE neckchain or individual items $21.99
Photon light add to RR SERE neck chain $16.99
Hard-plastic SERE 3x5 Cards $4.99
Survival drink straw $26.99
______________________________________________________
Under $100 TOTAL for a high-quality BDU/ACU belt SERE kit.
Note: that the kit is composed completely of high-quality items as Peter Kummerfeldt advises. If you want you can buy the BDU Hi-Tac pouch, put your multi-tool in it and as you get the money obtain SERE items and place inside. You now have a coherent plan and a rallying point for your SERE items.
STORE-BOUGHT: 007/SERE/SHTF Belt Kits Available Now
So Mandrake, if you have neither the time nor patience for "strategic thought"--you cannot or will not put together your own SERE kit by DIY. The good news is a store-bought 007 James Bond, SERE, Shit-Hits-The-Fan (SHTF) belt kits are available now from aftonoutdoors.com from Best Glide:
Adventure Pocket SERE Tin
bestglide.com/pocket_survival_tin.html
$35.95
* Adventurer Pocket Survival Tin contents include:
(1) Weather Resistant Tin Container Includes Rubber Seal
(1) Adventurer Button Compass NATO/U.S. Military Issue
(10) All Weather Survival Matches NATO/U.S. Military Issue
(1) Derma Safe Razor Knife U.S. Military Approved
(1) Sewing Kit w/6 Safety Pins Assembled in USA
(6) MP1 Water Purification Tablets U.S. Military Issue
(1) Adventurer Survival Whistle SOLAS/NATO Approved
(1) Mini Survival Fishing Kit Assembled in USA
(1) Vinyl Tape Waterproof Kit Seal
(1) Type 1A Utility Cord U.S. Military Approved
(1) Brass Snare Wire Trapping and Equipment Repair
(1) Emergency Signal Mirror Daytime Emergency Signaling
(2) Beeswax Candles Made in USA
(1) Compact Flint Fire Starter w/Striker Adventurer Series
(3) Fire Starter Tinder Tabs Adventurer Series
(1) Adventurer Fresnel Lens Fire Starter Adventurer Series
(6) Band Aids/Butterfly Bandages
(1) Pocket Wire Saw Made in USA
(2) Industrial Grade Tie Wraps
(1) Water Bag
(1) Survival Instructions Made in USA
(1) Pencil
(1) Silica Gel Desiccant Moisture Absorbent
(2) Survival Instruction Labels Made in USA
USMIL Pocket SERE Tin
bestglide.com/military_pocket_survival_tin.html
$35.95
* Military Scout Pocket Survival Tin contents include:
(1) Weather Resistant Tin Container Includes Rubber Seal
(1) Adventurer Button Compass NATO/U.S. Military Issue
(10) All Weather Survival Matches NATO/U.S. Military Issue
(1) Derma Safe Razor Knife U.S. Military Approved
(1) Sewing Kit w/6 Safety Pins Assembled in USA
(6) MP1 Water Purification Tablets U.S. Military Issue
(1) Adventurer Survival Whistle SOLAS/NATO Approved
(1) Mini Survival Fishing Kit Assembled in USA
(1) Vinyl Tape Waterproof Kit Seal
(1) Type 1A Utility Cord U.S. Military Approved
(1) Brass Snare Wire Trapping and Equipment Repair
(1) Emergency Signal Mirror Daytime Emergency Signaling
(2) Beeswax Candles Made in USA
(1) Compact Flint Fire Starter w/Striker Adventurer Series
(3) Fire Starter Tinder Tabs Adventurer Series
(1) Adventurer Fresnel Lens Fire Starter Adventurer Series (green version)
(6) Band Aids/Butterfly Bandages
(1) Pocket Wire Saw Made in USA
(2) Industrial Grade Tie Wraps
(1) Water Collection Bag
(1) Survival Instructions Made in USA
(1) Pencil Made in USA
(1) Silica Gel Desiccant Moisture Absorber
(1) Heavy Duty Laminate Packaging Mil-Prf-81705 Type 1, USA
* Minor substitutions sometimes apply due to product availability.
Repacking contents:
Always start with the larger items, then put the smaller items in the spaces left and lastly place the flat instructions on top.
Best Glide ASE, Inc.
109 E. Ward
Robinson, Texas 76706
U.S. Toll Free: (888) 834-9971
International: (254) 662-5266
Fax: 9097
info@bestglide.com for general or sales information customer.service@bestglide.com for all things customer service...
We suggest using the new pouch to hold your multi-tool if you want to conserve belt space. We also recommend adding Lee Nading's SERE cards, a space blanket and water purifier straw to the Best Glide 007/SERE/SHTF Kit.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
The goal is the self-reliant Soldier/Commando who with a multi-tool buys the BDU/ACU belt SERE kit and switches his pouch on his belt, and then re-inserts his multi-tool; now he is immediately ready for even worse-case desert SERE situations because he should at least have 2 x 1 quart canteens and a cup for a solar still/water boiling. He should not have to die like marine L/CPL Jason Rother did because he was a part of a bureaucracy that only wants to use him.
We cannot advertise, but SERE items should be HIDDEN in the BDU and around the body in event of capture. However, let's get an OVERT SERE kit on the Soldier's body and a SERE mentality in every Soldier's brain housing group and then we can work on a covert one. PLs and COs should include an evasion annex in every OPORD and occasionally put it into play during field training exercise, Soldiers will learn to use their SERE gear and appreciate it.
Once we have an overt SERE kit, the Soldier can remove from his BDU belt and place anywhere he finds it comfortable. The point is we need a foot-in-the-door so HE HAS A SERE kit on his person when he needs it!
NOTES
1. OutdoorSafe, P.O. Box 62039, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-2039
719-593-5852 email: peterk@outdoorsafe.com
2. teachnet.com/lesson/math/units052499.html
teachnet.com/graphics/lesson/math/mrgallon.gif
"4 Quarts in a Gallon, 2 Pints in a Quart, 2 Cups in a Pint.....4 cups in a quart.....16 cups in a gallon"
3. securbar.com/purewtr.htm
HOW DO I PURIFY WATER?
If your stored emergency water is destroyed in the disaster, you may need to know how to purify water. Water, whether cloudy or clear, that has been exposed to the air for a few days should be boiled vigorously for 10 minutes to kill bacteria. Also water purification tablets are available at many drug and camping supply stores; follow directions on the label.
Some kinds of "Liquid Chlorine Bleach" can be used. Check the label; it should contain 5.25% hypochlorite to be effective in killing bacteria. Add to water using an eye dropper in the amount indicated below. Stir. Wait 30 minutes before drinking.
Amount of Water
Amount of Bleach If water is Clear
Amount of Bleach If water is Cloudy 1 gallon 8 drops 16 drops For additional information call the EPA - Safe Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
4. Water pasteurisation.
http://solarcooking.org/solarwat.htm
http://solarcooking.org/metcalf.htm
THE "HIDDEN" SERE KIT
5 gallons
1/2 teaspoon
1 teaspoon
Stock No. 202-717, LA form 974
Think outside-the-box, ehh SERE kit pouch for a bit. Raymond Benson's Agent 007 James Bond has a very clever hidden SERE kit in hit BOOT HEELS in his book Zero Minus Ten. However, getting boot manufacturers to create a hidden space in the heel is not likely unless someone pays $$$ them to do it--or someone very capable like Bond's "Q" does it.
We should always keep our SERE gear with us, notice that our marine corps brethren have started fielding their new "pixellated tiger stripe-style" cammies: as this points out, our BDUs/ACUs can be changed.
So what?
Well, why not start incorporating some of the larger/bulkier SERE items into the Soldier's uniform itself? Our issue boots are molded - that heel space could accommodate survival gear IF we could get that space utilized. Without modification, we can replace the laces with black 550 cord and have our survival line/fishing line, and place SERE cards under the insoles...
Our BDU/ACU pants or blouse could accommodate a very lightweight built-in space blanket, or we could simply fold one and put it into the otherwise unused lower pockets. A brightly-colored reflective area on the inside of the blouse could act as a VS-17 signaling panel. Waterproof one pocket and at least you'll always have an emergency canteen or a place for sensitive papers/notes. As to the material, we can start making our BDU/ACUs out of REAL thermally-dead material to assist in evasion, and use rip-stop that doesn't tear so easily. Sew the front of the BDU top to get rid of buttons and cover material, making it a pull-over...cut out vents under the arms.
The new marine uniforms add pocket to the sleeves (great idea) and remove them from the bottom of the blouse (not-so-great idea); let's add a couple of pockets on the sleeves. If nothing else, this adds to the number of uniform gigs possible, so it'll get the bored First Sergeant's [petty bureaucratic tyrants who obsess about BS like narcissism--while ignoring important things like COMBAT readiness] votes. Without modification, we can treat our uniforms to serve us better in extremis by adding Camp Dry to aid in waterproofness and reduce weight (water is heavy), as well as treating all uniforms with Permethrin to minimize insect bites. We can intelligently populate the lower pockets with survival gear - just because we can't get to them in a hurry while wearing LBE doesn't eliminate their usefulness. A space blanket wrapped around a signal mirror in one pocket, a flat survival kit (little tube of antibiotic gel, cleaning [iodine or alcohol] pads for debriding wounds, telfa pads, suture set, iodine tabs, matches, all in a small silvered case with the words "Don't Panic!" printed on the front in..
And we haven't even started on the TA-50...
Now comes the hard question: is it reasonable to prepare every Soldier for survival if he's turned out simply in his BDUs, or can we ASS U ME that he'll at least be wearing his bloody LBE/LBV? If we're trying to keep a Soldier alive with nothing on but his "garrison gear" we can keep him alive a bit longer than he wood be otherwise, but nowhere near what a Soldier wearing even rudimentary webbing is capable of.
An experienced Paratrooper replies:
Camp Dry does warm you up. Over a flak vest or IBA/RBA I'm not sure the difference is critical, however (yes, I've been to southwest Asia in August). It is a consideration, however. A water-beading formula that doesn't prevent vapor emission (ala Gore-Tex) would be ideal.
As far as thermal protection of BDUs is concerned, think about visual camouflage in comparison. Do you honestly think that smearing green and black paint on your face makes you invisible, which is why opponents can't spot you in the brush? No - it makes you unrecognizable: your shape/color/symmetry are displaced, and you register as *something*, just not the something the opponent's mind is looking for. In the same vein, thermal dye in BDUs that absorbed and dissipated heat at different rates might leave a streaked, mottled bunch of blobs on your TOW sensors, as opposed to a convenient bipedal man shape. Would that be enough to make you pause? If so, the camo was effective, even though it didn't make your target invisible.
The whole point is, let's examine what we wear every day, and intelligently re-engineer that as well as loading on extra gear that someone may or may be issued or carrying at the critical moment. We've allowed our imaginations to become constrained IAW Army policy. If something is too hot, look for a cooler alternative. If something is too heavy, find out what 'too heavy' really is and look for something lighter.
A space blanket on inside of BDUs would be too hot for use in the summer time at Ft. Bragg/Benning, much less July in the 'Gan. Forget Iraq. Same with Camp-Dry. Do you know Permethrin actually makes a noticeable temperature difference, too? But that's one I'll live with, given the sand fly problem in the 'Gan and the mosquito problem in Pakistan. That was also the problem with the anti-thermal chemical in the original BDU. It actually defeated thermal sights (1980s versions) but caused severe dehydration. As one who operates the ITAS (the premier thermal sight in inventory), I will say that nothing fully defeats thermals today short of a temperature regulator (maybe these Heinleinesque super-suits in the Army Times are a good thing...). Thank God we pretty much corner the market on that technology. BTW, I would rather have thermal than image intensification any day.
We have some items in inventory which can certainly plug some of the SERE gaps. If Squad Leaders will inspect for them every time units go to the field, Soldiers will get in the habit of carrying them."
"A space blanket can be sewn, folded up, into the area outside of a pocket. Likewise, because the marines use buttons for pockets doesn't mean we'd have to. In fact, replacing the buttons with velcro is an *approved* modification that can be done at any military clothing/alterations activity. However, I wouldn't do so, because velcro is either (1) noisy because it's grabbing well, or (2) quiet because it's not grabbing well, and (3) sure to open when you take opening shock, hit wait-a-minute vines, or hang up on a sharp corner. I put things in pockets so that they'll be there later - stuff I need instantly is in mag pouches. personal preference, from one who is also 'on the ground.' For garrison duty, however, velcro is ideal.
EVASION ANNEX IN OPORDs?
If Platoon Leaders and Company Commanders would include an "evasion annex" in every operations order OPORD and occasionally put it into play, Soldiers will learn to use their SERE gear and appreciate it.
SERE MANGUDAI WAR PRACTICE: YOU CAN DO IT NOW
Vietnam combat vet and noted author Ralph Zumbro was once a lightfighter, red leg artilleryman and Paratrooper before he became a mech guru. He suggests that unit commanders assemble their men for field exercises and suddenly inform them that they will only have the gear on them at that second to survive the next few days etc. General David Grange used to do this in the 1st Infantry Division and called it "Mangudai Training". Details:
Certainly, if one were to purchase dozens of 007/SERE/SHTF tins from Best Glide, they could be passed out to a small group for a "SERE Weekend". In other words, for 2 days, the group must do without and use only the contents in their kits to make shelter, collect/purify water, gather/hunt for food and land navigate to a rescue location. Instead of the immoral, back-stabbing on BS TV shows like "Survivor" why not do it for real and build moral character and SERE skills?
SERE WAR PRACTICE VIDEOS
SITUATIONS
http://youtu.be/4lFcEf6EAd4
CONTROL
youtube.com/watch?v=Nw2iagS5ymQ
LAND NAVIGATION
youtube.com/watch?v=VIZ3g-qGeQc
SHELTER
youtube.com/watch?v=yOpLVQJWXR0
youtube.com/watch?v=1iZg92QCVaQ
THE SERE BADGE: ON THE CLASS "A" UNIFORM
Those that pass SERE School should be authorized to wear the SERE logo in a metal badge. These Soldiers should also be the unit's Subject Matter Experts on TA-50 to avoid pitfalls encountered in Afghanistan. The SERE/TA-50 SMEs should meet annually and decide the direction the Army should go on field gear not a "Council of Colonels" who do not have to march into combat with gear on their backs.
THE SERE PATCH: ON COMBAT UNFORMS (NOT DURING MISSIONS)
http://www.flyingtigerssurplus.com/showitem-15726.html
U.S. Army SERE Training Patch
Size: 5"
SKU#P3855
PRICE: $7.75 ea.
Good News! A subdued version of the SERE badge is now available from flyintigersurplus.com and should be HQDA authorized to be worn on the BDU/ACU--but only during peacetime. During war/actual missions, there should be no badge telling the enemy someone is capable of resisting well. Simply remove with a knife or if wearing velcro uniforms like the Army ACU, peel-it-off.
Flying Tigers Army Navy Surplus
14812 S. Cicero Ave.
Oak Forest, IL 60452
Phone Number: (708) 535-9921
Fax Number: (708) 687-3017
customerservice@flyingtingerssurplus.com Ordering, Item Availiblity & General Inquiries.
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youtube.com/watch?v=4qCvZfZn680
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Now here is a young trooper who knows how to "live-off-the-land" from an early age...
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