The experience of hundreds of servicemen isolated during World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam conflict proved that survival is largely a matter of mental outlook The will to survive is the deciding factor. Whether with a group or alone, you experience emotional problems resulting from fear, despair, loneliness, and boredom. Also, your will to live is sure to be taxed by injury and pain, fatigue, hunger, and thirst. When you are not prepared mentally to overcome all obstacles and accept the worst, your chances of coming out alive are greatly reduced.

INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL

The shock of finding yourself isolated behind the enemy lines, in a desolate area, or in enemy hands can be reduced or even avoided if you remember the meaning of the letters in the keyword S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L (fig. 64).

l S-Size up the situation by considering yourself, the country, and the enemy.

When you think about yourself, hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Recall your survival training and expect it to work. After all, you have been

Figure 6-4.-Factors for survival.

through this before-the only difference is that this is the real thing. If you think this way, you can increase your chances for success by being confident that you can survive. Get to a safe, comfortable place as quickly as possible. Once you find a safe place, look things over, think, and form a plan. Your fear will lessen; your confidence will increase. Becalm. Take it easy until you know where you are and where you are going. Part of your fear may come from being in a strange country; therefore, try to determine your location by landmarks, by compass directions, or by recalling intelligence information passed on to you by your leaders.

When you think about the enemy, put yourself in the shoes of the enemy. What would you do? Watch the habits and routines of the enemy. Base your plan on your observations. Remember, you know where the enemy is, but he does not know where you are.

l U-Undue haste makes waste.

Do not be too eager to move. It makes you careless and impatient. You begin to take unnecessary risks, and you might end up like the man who rushed ahead without a plan. He tried to travel at night but only injured himself by bumping into trees and fences. Instead of laying low and trying to evade the enemy, he fired at them with his rifle and was caught. Do not lose your temper. Loss of self-control may cause you to stop thinking. When something irritating happens, stop. Take a deep breath and relax; start over.

Face the facts-danger does exist. Trying to convince yourself otherwise only adds to the danger.

l R-Remember where you are.

You may give yourself away because you are used to acting in a certain way. Doing "what comes naturally" could be the tip-off that you do not belong there.

. V-Vanquish fear and panic.

To feel fear is normal and necessary. It is nature's way of giving you that extra shot of energy just when you need it. Learn to recognize fear for what it is and control it. Look carefully at a situation and determine whether your fear is justified. After you investigate, you will usually find many of your fears are unfounded. When you are injured and in pain, controlling fear is difficult. Pain sometimes turns fear into panic and causes a person to act without thinking. Panic can also be caused by loneliness. It can lead to hopelessness, thoughts of suicide, and carelessness-even capture or Group survival activities should be organized. Group survival depends largely upon the organization of its manpower. Organized action by group members that know what to do and when to do it, during ordinary circumstances and during a crisis, prevents panic. One technique for achieving organized action is to keep the group well informed. Another is to devise a plan and then stick to it.

Assigning each man a task that fits his personal qualifications most closely is another way of organizing a group. If one man feels he can fish better than he can cook, let him provide the fish. Always determine and use special skills of members within the group.

Panic, confusion, and disorganization are lessened by good leadership. It is the responsibility of the senior member of a group to assume command and establish a chain of command that includes all members of the group. Make certain that each man knows his position in the chain of command and is familiar with the duties of every other man, especially your duties if you are senior. Under no circumstances should leadership of the group be left up to chance acceptance by some member after a situation arises.

If senior, lead your men. Group survival is a test of effective leadership. Maintain respect for your leadership by using it wisely; be the leader, set the example. Watch out constantly to prevent serious arguments. To keep troublemakers from attracting undue attention, to keep those who may "crackup" from disrupting the group, and to prevent carelessness caused by fatigue, hunger, and cold are important parts of your job. Know yourself and your men and be responsible for the welfare of each individual.

Develop a feeling of mutual dependence within the group by stressing that each man depend on the other men for survival. Emphasize that wounded or injured men will not be left behind-that responsibility of each member is to see that the group returns intact. This attitude fosters high morale and unity. Each member receives support and strength from the others. No matter what the situation, the leader must make the decisions. Because he needs intelligence upon which to base his decisions, he should ask for information and advice from other members of the group-much as a general uses his staff. Above all else, the leader must, at all times, appear to be decisive.

Situations arise that must be acted upon immediately. The ability to think on your feet usually determines successful survival. Consider the facts and make decisions rapidly.