DESERT SURVIVAL

There are more than 50 named deserts in the World. Deserts cover nearly one-fifth of the earth's land surface. Therefore, the aircrewman must have a good knowledge of desert survival.

Deserts have extreme temperatures; hot days and cool nights are common. You may think of a desert as always being hot and dry. However, in winter months, the desert can become a freezing nightmare.

Hazards

Lack of water and exposure to sun and heat are the big hazards to health in the desert. One to five percent dehydration will make you lose your appetite, become sleepy and nauseated, and begin to vomit. As dehydration goes up to 10 percent, dizziness results. You will have headaches, difficulty in breathing, tingling of the legs and arms caused by poor circulation, indistinct speech, and, finally, an inability to walk. Still, 10 percent dehydration generally causes no permanent ill effects. When dehydration exceeds 10 percent, you will become delirious, spastic, almost deaf, and barely able to see. The skin shrivels and becomes numb. At temperatures above 90F, dehydration over 15 percent is generally fatal. At 85 and less, the body can stand up to 25 percent dehydration. Dehydration is quickly cured by water\in fact, only water can cure it.

When you are dehydrated, you don't have to worry about how much water you drink or how quickly you drink it if the water is warm or cool. Cold water, though, will upset the stomach.

Table 5-1 shows the number of days you can normally expect to survive on a given amount of water, according to temperature and whether you rest or walk at night until you are exhausted.

Aside from a lack of water, exposure to the sun is the foremost desert ailment. Stay under cover as much as possible. If you must be out in the sun, keep as much of your body covered as possible. Roll down your sleeves, button your collar and turn it up around your neck, keep your head covered, and, if possible, cover your face also. Tuck the legs of your pants into your socks and keep your shoes on. On any area of your body that is not covered with clothing, use a sunburn ointment. It is better to use it as a preventive than as a cure. Wear a cloth neckpiece to cover the back of your neck from the sun. If you have no hat, make a headpiece like that worn by the Arabs, as shown in figure 5-40. You can also adapt your pilot chute as a parasol for use in the desert.

Exposure to desert heat is dangerous. It may cause three different types of heat collapse\heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps. Another desert danger is sun glare. Glare is extremely painful. You can avoid it easily by taking the proper precautions. Keep your eyes protected from the glare of the sun by darkening the bridge of the nose and the area beneath the

Table 5-1.\Survival Potential as Determined by the Amount of Water, Temperature, and Activity

Figure 5-40.\Face and neck protection.

eyes; use sunglasses or improvise a mask for your eyes.

Clothing

Clothing is your protection against sunburn, heat, sand, and insects. Clothing also helps you get along with less water. Keep your body and head covered. During dust storms, cover your mouth and nose as shown in figure 5-40\parachute cloth will do.

Keeping your clothing loose and flapping will help you stay cooler. Light-colored or white clothing is best because it reflects heat and light, whereas black or dark-colored clothing absorbs it. Wear your clothing at all times even though you imagine it will be cooler to strip it all off. It won't. Stripping off your clothing will cause your perspiration to evaporate too rapidly, and you will lose its cooling effects. Besides, the rapid evaporation of perspiration speeds up the process of dehydration.

Shelter

Shelter in the desert is important not only to protect you from the sun and heat but also to protect you from the cool of the night and occasional rain. Use whatever materials are available to improvise a suitable desert shelter. Your parachute can be used effectively to make a good shade and serve as a signaling aid at the same time. Several layers spaced apart provide good insulation from the sun. Use your inflated life raft turned upside down to elevate your bed off the desert floor. By using the parachute for shade and the life raft for insulation, you will be 20F to 40F cooler than you would be in the outside temperature.

You will need fire in the desert, not only for cooking and signaling but also for heat at night. In some deserts fuel is extremely rare. Wherever you find plant growth; save all twigs, leaves, stems, and underground roots for burning. Dry animal dung often found along travel routes provides a very hot flame.

Food

Eat sparingly unless you have plenty of water. Of course, dehydration will help you out on that score\it will decrease your appetite. Whatever food you do get, eat it immediately; food spoils rapidly in the heat. Don't try to preserve food by drying it. Dehydrated food is of little value if you don't have enough water.

In most deserts animals are scarce. Look for them at water holes; in grassy canyons or lowlying areas; dry riverbed areas, in which there is greater chance of moisture; or under rocks and in bushes. They are most likely to be seen at dusk or early morning. The most common animals are the small rodents (rabbits, prairie dogs, rats) and reptiles (snakes and lizards). They are your best and most reliable source of food.

Travel

Don't travel in the desert unless you are absolutely sure you can reach your destination on the water supply available. When the days are hot, travel only at night. Stay in the shade during the day and rest. Follow the easiest route possible\ avoid soft sand and rough terrain. In the sand-dune areas follow the hard-floor valleys between the dunes or travel on the ridge of the dunes. Follow trails if at all possible.

Beware of flash floods when you are traveling along dry watercourses, particularly in the vicinity of mountains. You should never make camp in a stream bed; while rain in the desert is scare, storms can and do produce flash flooding very quickly.