After attending and surviving the US Army’s SERE Instructor Course (SERE Level B), I wanted to learn from the REAL SURVIVORS liked I learned from my unique military training & experiences (see About The Author).

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1. 2^nd Lt. Hiroo Onada
2. Eskimos
3. Texas Rangers
4. Mountain Men
5. Prisoners
6. Old West Pioneers
7. US Army SERE Instructor Course
8. The Donner Party
9. Shackleton Expedition
10. African Bushmen
11. Native American Indians
12. Mr. Lyon’s (a subscriber)
13. American Civil War Underground Railroad
14. Colonel Wendell W. Fertig
15. Critters Meek To Predators
16. Dr. Alain Bombard
17. Eric Robert Rudolph
18. US Army Ranger School
19. US Army Special Forces
20. 82^ndAirborne

I (author) really started gaining interest in wilderness survival while a student going through the US Army Special Forces SERE Instructor Course.  SERE stands for Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape.  I’ve seen it both ways – Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion. 

Idon’t know about now, but back then the US Army had 02 SERE Courses.  The SERE  Instructor Course (Level B) and the SERE Course (SERE Level C) Course.  We all called it ‘the beat em’ up course.’  And that Abu Graib crap is college prank crap compared to the SERE Level C Course.

I Got Suckered Into Attending SERE School!

I came to theTeam Room located at Fort Davis, Panama and the other team members told me that the SERE (Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion) Committee out of Fort Bragg – Camp Mackall, NC is here at Fort Sherman, Panama to do a SERE Course.  They said our team has a slot to go through aSERE Course and asked me if I wanted the slot. 

In a split second I said “NO.”  I was too busy with something else.  Then they told me it was a “gentleman’s course.”  I’d attend the course in the morning and be back by 1600 or 1700 hours every day.  Heck, I could kill 02 birds with one stone – attend SERE School and still work on whatever it was – I forgot, probably a new sniper class for an upcoming deployment.

Hey that sounded good to me so I like a dumb ass I said “OK, sign me up.”  The next thing I knew I and 50+ other SERE candidates were taking a swim test at the Olympic size swimming pool at Fort Davis, Panama.  The SERE Course was actually taught out of Fort Sherman, Panama. 

I didn’t see anybody till 30-days later.  I got suckered into that one BIG TIME!  But it was well worth it.  Another butt whoopin’ in my military career. Approximately 50+ SERE students started and only 23 graduated including me (SERE cadre took a picture of the survivors)!!!  I lost 25-pounds the last week of the course.  I give more details about the SERE Course andso much much more in my 521-page book – “American Elite Fighters, Are US Tax Payers Getting Their Money’s Worth?”   The SERE Instructor Course was another butt whoopin’ military course added to my military resume, but I’m glad I had the privilege to survive and qualify as a SERE Instructor.

Like I said, I started gaining interest in international wilderness survival while attending the SERE Instructor Course which focused on ‘evasion and living off the land.’  The US Army SERE Instructor Course has a saying –

‘It is better to evade for 06-months than to be a POW for 01-day.’

Iremember this distinctly.  We had several ‘must pass’ written test while in the classroom environment.  And after each test there was a critique and I always stated ‘even if I’m dropped from the course, I learned a lot of survival knowledge.’

The SERE Instructor Course was designed to get more qualified teachers to teach survival.  There’s no way the SERE Course itself can teach a high quality SERE Course to thousands of soldiers like theydid to us.  Massive amounts of money, cadre, and support would be required.  So why not teach and qualify SERE Instructors who could go out teach survival classes to soldiers throughout the Army.  Enough quality SERE knowledge to help em’ out when the soldier finds himself in a real survival situation.  You’ll understand more once you read my book – “American Elite Figters, Are US Tax Payers Getting Their Money’s Worth?”

So back in 1991, I was re-assigned to Mercer University as part of a cadre unit to teach Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps (SROTC) cadets military subjects.  The cadre member I replaced left me with ZERO – no syllabus no curriculum – nothing.  Nothing to work with on my assigned classes.  This was a BLESSING in disguise cause it FORCED ME to start writing my own wilderness survival classes from scratch and I’ve still studying survival from the REAL SURVIVORS decades later and I pass it on to you!!!

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I wanted to learn how the REAL SURVIVORS survived their specific wilderness environments.

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So I started from scratch.  And in 1991 I started doing my own ‘intensive research’ in international wilderness survival. 

And I started from scratch scratch.  Meaning I wanted to learn how the REAL SURVIVORS the REAL SURVIVAL EXPERTS who survived their specific wilderness environments not only in North America but from all over the world and throughout history to pre-historic history.

Even though I successfully passed and graduated from the SERE Instructor Course, I soon realized ‘I didn’t know as much wilderness survival that I thought I did.’

Since 1991, I’ve studied how the REAL SURVIVORS survived their specific wilderness environments.  They are the REAL SURVIVAL EXPERTS in their specific wilderness environments.  Their specific wilderness environments in thespecific area where they were brought up and raised, living off the land. 

For example, the Naskapi Indians are survival experts in their wilderness environment of the Hudson Bay, Canada area. The Naskapi Indians would have a rough time surviving in the Apache Indian desert environment who roamed what is now New Mexico and Arizona.  And the Apache Indians would have a killer cold time surviving the Naskapi wilderness environment.  So you see, the REAL SURVIVAL EXPERTS each have their own specific wilderness environments which requires different survival knowledge and skills. 

Back in 1991, I had no idea that I would be teaching Wilderness Survival as a business.  So as a business, I wanted to give my customers real survival from the REAL SURVIVORS.

So here’s a list of My Top 20Survival Teachers!  And thereare HUNDREDS of other REAL SURVIVORS not listed that come in a close 2^nd place.  OK, here’s the list and they are not in any order.  To me, they are all tied for 1^st place.  Let’s start with 2^nd Lt. Hiroo Onada.

2^nd Lt. Hiroo Onada:  On 06 August 1945, Hiroshima, Japan (southwestern Honshu Island) was the 1st target to be bombed by the United States using thesuper secret atomic bomb.  Ten square miles (68%) of Hiroshima was completely destroyed with another 24% damaged.  Approximately 129,558 people were killed, injured, or missing and another 176,987 were homeless. 

The US was seeking Japan’s immediate unconditional surrender, but Japan stubbornly continued the fight.  03 days later, on 09 August 1945, a second A-Bomb was dropped on Nagasaki (western Kyushu Island).  Approximately 33% of Nagasaki was destroyed with approximately 66,000 people killed or injured.  Japan’s own combined casualty count was estimated at 240,000 dead and injured. 

Finally, on 14 August 1945, Japan announced its surrender.  The formal surrender took place on 02 September 1945 at Tokyo Bay aboard the battleship the USS Missouri.

But there were Japanese soldiers that had no knowledge of their country’s surrender and of course never surrendered themselves.  And amazingly for up to 30-years after the end of WWII, one soldier carried-on as a proud Japanese Officer of the Japanese Empire and kept up the fight.  He used survival tricks that kept him and his comrades alive in the isolated Philippine jungle of Lubang Island (75-miles southwest of Manilla).   

2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda had a background in conventional warfare, intelligence, unconventional warfare, and commando tactics.  This combination of training will prove to pay off for the next 30-years.  On 26 December 1944, 2nd Lt. Hiroo Onada deployed and was ordered to Lubang Island where he led the Lubang Garrison in guerilla warfare.  The Japanese were anticipating Allied forces to retake the Philippines.  General Akira Muto ordered 2nd Lt. Onada  –

“You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand.  It may take three years, it may take five, but whatever happens, we’ll come back for you.  Until then, so long as you have one soldier, you are to continue to lead him.  You may live on coconuts.  If that’s the case live on coconuts!  Under no circumstance are you to give up your life voluntarily. “  2nd Lt. Onada responded with “Yes Sir.”

Lubang Island is located 75-miles southwest of Manilla.  Narrow in its dimensions, it’s 06-miles north to south and 18-miles east to west.  The Lubang Garrison was composed of a platoon – 50 soldiers, the airfield – 24 soldiers, radar & intelligence units – 75 soldiers, 07 Navy personnel, and an air maintenance crew of 55.

On 03 January 1945, Allied forces advanced on the Philippines.  The armada passing by Lubang Island, the Lubang Garrison counted 38 war ships and 150 troop ships.  The Allied invasion force heading to Lingayen Gulf was the beginning of the end.  On 01 February 1945, Allied forces landed on Nasugbu near Lubang Island.  2nd Lt. Onada took appropriate actions moving equipment & supplies inland to higher ground.  On 28 February 1945, approximately 50 Americans landed on the west side of Lubang Island at a village called Tomibo.  That evening US Marines made contact with Japanese soldiers at Tilik and engaged them in a killing crossfire; only 01 Japanese soldier survived.  As hours and days passed, the advancing battalion of US Marines supported by indirect fire killed-off more and more Japanese defenders.

On 03 March 1945, 22 sickly & wounded Japanese soldiers located in a sick tent requested permission to kill themselves via high explosives.  2nd Lt. Onoda granted their request only when Allied Forces were near the tent.  This way they could kill Americans and alert the Japanese evaders of the advancing Americans location.  Their suicides left no trace of them or their tent.  Just a large crater remained. 

By March 1945, the Japanese hold on the Philippines collapsed.  The surviving Japanese soldiers on Lubang Island separated into cells and dispersed themselves in the dense jungle.  In April 1945 and up to a year later, leaflets and loudspeaker calls ordered the Japanese evaders to surrender and some did. 

By April 1946 only 2nd Lt. Onoda, Corporal Shimada, PFC Akatsu, and PFC Kozuka were defending Lubang Island with their guerilla warfare.

2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda was the remaining lone survivor who survived 30-years on Lubang Island and I annotated several of his unique survival applications, techniques and tricks so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere!

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Joseph A. Laydon Jr.

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Eskimos:  Those amazing Eskimos and several other northern tribes throughout upper North America are true survivors who have Improvised, Overcame, and Adapted to their cold frigid killer environments where 99.999% of regular folks would surely fail and die real quick. 

Aboriginal Alaskans and North Americans include the Inuit, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Indians in Southeast Alaska (panhandle), Athabascan Indians in the Interior, Eskimos in the Bearing Sea and Arctic Coasts, and Aleuts in the Aleutian Islands.  Yes, there are several more tribes included in Canada but these Canadian tribes also used many cold environment survival tricks.

I annotated dozens of real cold environment survival tricks that are worthy of your attention, especially if you live or hunt in a cold weather environment.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Texas Rangers:  Back during the Old West, these bad ass hombres went up against them all from common criminals to Indians on the war path.  And many times, the brave Texas Rangers were outnumbered and outgunned and they still carried-on the bloody fight.  And in one lengthly story, I annotated the experiences and survival tricks of one Texas Ranger who was captured and enslaved by the Comanche Indians for 03 long years.  We can all learn from those bad ass Texas Rangers.  Get my Survival Book below so You’ll Be Ready Anytime Anywhere.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Mountain Men:  Some of the baddest men to ever walk this Earth are mountain men.  These very brave men ventured into virgin wilderness territories with not only the full wrath of Mother Nature and all She possesses against them but native American Indians – survival experts in their own right – who were out to capture them and kill them dead.  Some Indian tribes were experts at a slow tortuous kill. 

Mountain men in their own right were true survival experts and here’s a partial list of the mountain men, their survival tricks and associated survival facts that you’ll learn in this book. 

Here’s a partial list of the mountain men and their unique survival experiences: 

• Lewis & Clark Expedition
• Kit Carson
• Daniel Boone
• Jim Beckwourth
• Mountain Man Camp
• Samuel Houston
• Davy Crockett
• Bear Fighting
• Bowie Knife
• Mountain Man Cooking
• Art of Suffering
• Walker Expedition
• Digger Indians
• Jedediah Smith
• Secret Mountain Man Caches
• Jim Baker
• Bear’s Kill Spot
• Indian Fighter
• Tom Fitzpatrick
• Bill Williams
• Invisible Mountain Men
• Hugh Glass
• Mountain Man Fire-Starting
• James O. Pattie
• Mountain Man Torch
• Desert Survival
• Samuel Hearne
• Moose Fighting
• Fighting Blasting Cold
• Hearne Fire-Starting
• Indian Wisdom
• Deer Parts
• Alexander Mackenzie
• Mackenzie Fire-Starting
• Nowlin’s Fish Stunner
• Russell’s Wound Concoction
• Russell’s Fire-Starting
• Sage’s Cottowood Bark Food
• Sage’s Bear Food
• Sage’s Prickly Pear Dessert
• Sage’s Ant Food
• Joseph K. Meek
• Horse Snakebite Remedy
• Human Snakebite Remedy
• Buffalo Chip Stoves
• George Drouillard
• John Colter
• Rattlesnake Concoction
• Bear Grease
• Decoy Buffalo
• Salt Collecting
• Healthy Starvation Food
• Mosquito Repellent
• Injun Ways
• Water Finding
• Blackfeet Indians
• Deer Hunting
• Animal Awareness
• Marksmanship Is Life
• Skunk Vittles
• Hypothermia Fighting
• Charcoal Poultice
• Creek Indians
• Sparking Trees
• Twig Navigation
• Law Of The Wilderness
• James ‘Jim’ Clyman
• Clyman’s Evasion
• Clyman’s Fire-Starting
• Clyman’s Fighting Hypothermia
• Clyman’s 600-Mile Evasion

You’ll learn a great deal as close to ‘straight from the horses mouth’ as I can so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere!

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Prisoners:  I’ve always said – prisoners (POWs, Concentration Camp Prisoners, Abducted Prisoners, Incarcerated Prisoners,…) are ‘FORCED TO INVENT’ to so to Improvise, Overcome and Adapt to their miserable, deprived, tortured, hostile,… conditions and environments. 

In this book – “375+ International Prisoner Survival Tricks And More!” you’ll learn international survival tricks that are a combination of “thinking outside the box” and neat to ingenious.

You’ll discover life-saving prisoner survival tricks from Confederate & Union Soldiers of the American Civil War, WWII American & Allied POWs, WWII American & Allied evading POWs, WWII Ghetto & Concentration Camp Survivors, Korean War American & Allied POWs, Vietnam War American POWs,…

I know what you’re asking – I’m not a prisoner and don’t intend to be one (good thinking).  “Why on Earth would I want to learn “375+ International Prisoner Survival Tricks?”

When you’re exposed to these “375+ International Prisoner Survival Tricks And More!”, you won’t be the same person.  I guarantee you’ll be much more self-reliant or at least be able to have the capacity to be more self-reliant when ANY survival threat challenges you.  You’ll now be able to think what I call “sideways engineer” to solve that problem you face no matter what it is.  It’s like “thinking outside the box” on steroids!

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Old West Pioneers:  Old West Pioneers may not have been survival experts when crossing the Great Plaines enroute westward, but they had their own handful of survival tricks, plus they were just plain ol’ stubborn.  Pioneers Improvised, Overcame and Adapted.  Like the Mormons, these pioneers made history.  During the Fall of 1845, Winter of 1845-1846, and Spring of 1846, 15,000 Mormons planned to prepare for their journey from Illinois to the Great Basin area.  But through fear for their lives, the Mormon Pioneer Band departed in February 1846.

They crossed the several hundred miles of wilderness and survived near impossible conditions.  And you’ll learn their unique survival tricks as well as survival tricks from other pioneers so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere!

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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US Army SERE Instructor Course:  The US Army SERE Instructor Course not only taught me a great deal of survival applications, techniques and tricks but like the Special Forces Qualification Course and Ranger School, it taught me how much punishment the body can take and showed how deprivation, extreme stress can turn fellow soldiers into buddy fu8#&ers. 

But the SERE Instructor Course went one step further than the Special Forces Qualification Course and Ranger School.  It turned us into babbling idiots!  Meaning we had trouble talking normally.  Seriously.  We were so severely dehydrated during the evasion phase, we talked like we were drunk.  Were were broken into evading teams of 06 personnel.  There were about 09 teams evading 02 platoons of infantry throughout the Panamanian jungle.  And I gotta tell you, Panama is always hot and 100% humidity 24-hours a day.  And we were all sweatn’ buckets and not taking in any water. 

Thinking back, how we navigated with pinpoint accuracy while being babbling idiots is beyond me.  And I annotated my experiences in my Survival Book below.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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The Donner Party:  One of the most famous tragedies in early American history took place as pioneers ventured westward to California.  The Donner Party tragedy revealed both heroes that should be praised forever and cowards that will have to live with their cowardice forever – beyond their mortal lives! 

The famous Donner Party on their unbelievable and heroic quest to survive harsh rustic conditions, uncomfortable aggravating slow travel, extreme hunger, extreme thirst, bitter stinging cold, baking choking heat, great despair, great sadness,… but still they fought and fought and fought to live for themselves and especially for their children because they wanted to reach the promised land – California, a future for their family and generations to come.  They wanted to reach the promised land with their loved ones.  There were many many individual tragedies on the westward immigration by pioneers but no group of pioneers stretched the envelope of extreme survival like the famous Donner Party.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Shackleton Expedition:  On 08 August 1914, Captain Frank Worsley and British explorer Sir Earnest Shackleton (he joined the crew in Buenos Aires) and a crew of 26 set-off from England on the ship called the Endurance.  Their mission was to be the 1st to traverse Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to McMurdo Sound by the way of the South Pole.  The Endurance and her crew are part of history for they survived the unforgiving wrath of Mother Nature and all She possesses in one of the most unforgiving areas on Earth – Antarctica. 

On 07 December 1914, the Endurance located in the Weddell Sea came in contact with the outer perimeter of an innocent-looking broken ice pack and the Endurance ventured forward.  On 20 January 1915, the Endurance and her crew became trapped in an ice pack in the Weddell Sea.  For the next 04-weeks, the crew carved a path for the Endurance, but on 24 February 1915, the Endurance was finally trapped for good.  The ice pack like a boa constrictor slowly squeezing the life out of the Endurance. 

The Endurance was only 85-miles from their destination.   Months later the crew was finally forced to abandon ship and watch their ship die a slow death.  They attempted to free her but their brave efforts were no match for Mother Nature and all She possessed in Antarctica.  The crew of the Endurance were now marooned in the white bitterly cold barren wilderness. 

The crew of the Endurance survived the impossible.  Throughout their 22-month survival, the crew suffered hypothermia, frostbite, their bodies were covered with open sores, they suffered from sleep deprivation, they hallucinated, they starved and suffered from malnutrition, and despair enveloped them. 

Some sobbed like babies but all suffered from shock, and others knew their lives were at end but their feeble fighting efforts still resisted sure death.  The crew of the Endurance survived the impossible of the impossible and will be honored as long as people like you and I learn of their unquestionable bravery. 

I’ve annotated real survival tricks used by the brave & extremely stubborn crew of the Endurance in their 22-month killer cold survival to reach civilization.

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African Bushmen:  African bushmen are no doubt undisputable World Class survival experts in their specific African wilderness environments.  When you’re trekking in the African wilderness, you are in the food-chain.

African bushmen are World Class survival experts.  African bushmen like the:

• Congo pygmy bushmen
• Djonga bushmen
• Hadzabe bushmen
• Kalahari bushmen
• Massai bushmen
• Zulu bushmen

And they have their own unique survival tricks that are worthy of your attention so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere!

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Native American Indians:  Native American Indians tribes are without a doubt absolutely World Class survival experts in their specific wilderness environments.  Most Native American Indians tribes are now extinct or don’t practice their ways of a few hundred years ago. 

Indian tribes lived their lives 100% off the land they dominated.  Being expert hunters, expert foragers, expert fishermen, expert navigators, expert shelter builders, expert weapons & tool makers, expert fighters,…  they were indisputably World Class wilderness survival experts.  And I tried to annotate their unique survival applications, techniques and tricks in my 597-page Survival Book below.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Mr. Lyon’s (a subscriber):  Mr. Lyon’s related several survival tricks of his own and I named them after him.  Like the unknown Lyon’s Snakebite Remedy that he learned about in Central America jungles.  I have never heard of this snakebite remedy.  Not even in SERE Instructor Course that took part in Central America.  And this same snakebite remedy is good for venomous spider bites.  Absolutely fascinating.  And several more of his unique survival tricks that I cross-referenced in a few of my Survival Books.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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American Civil War Underground Railroad:  The famous Underground Railroad (UR) before and during the American Civil War (1810 – 1850) was a live network of overt, discreet and secret links (conductors) to pass enslaved negroes (approximate 100,000 – [6,000+ documented] passengers) from southern US states to free lands as far north as Canada using shelters (stations) along the way.  My focus here is not to cover the American Civil War but to cover survival tricks and facts associated with the Underground Railroad so you’re ready Anytime Anywhere!  Let’s get started with UR Secret Six.

Slavery in America started in 1619 when 20 black servants were indentured (under contract of their employer – usually 04 to 07 years) in the original 13 colonies.

Estimates of evading slaves that used the UR are as high as 100,000 but only 6,000 evaders can be historically documented.

International terrorist organizations have their own “underground railroad” to covertly transport fighters, equipment, weapons, moneys,…

The Underground Railroad is evasion at its best.  And back then, there were no modern technologies, transportation nor communications to enhance the successes of evasions.  These same techniques are worthy of your attention as a potential evader and even as a law enforcement officer to close-in on evading fugitives.

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Colonel Wendell W. Fertig:  During WWII when the Philippines fell to Japanese forces, Colonel Fertig didn’t surrender and evaded into the jungles to fight the Japanese on his terms.

Colonel Wendell W. Fertig, his American comrades and their Filipino guerrillas fought the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.  Even though Col. Fertig’s main overall objective was to kill Japanese at every opportunity, this segment concerns only the unique military tactics and survival tricks used by these soldiers & guerillas and are worthy of your attention so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere!

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Critters Meek To Predators:  First of all, my definition of “critters” includes dirt, plants, insects, small game, big game all water life (fresh water & salt water), birds and even all that Mother Nature possesses to include YOU – us humans.

All critters have their own unique survival tricks to survive their environments.  Even plants and insects have their own unique survival tricks to survive to see the next day.  And I try to give you these unknown survival tricks to give you that peripheral survival knowledge so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere.

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Dr. Alain Bombard:  Dr. Bombard studied the effects of consuming salt water and found that the body can consume allowable amounts of salt water to hydrate the body without deadly results.  To prove his research, on 19 October 1951, Dr. Bombard set out at sea on his 01-man rubber dingy. 

With no support, no food nor fresh water to consume on his 65-days out at sea, Dr. Bombard survived his deliberate castaway adventure.  And I give you the details of his unique survival tricks while out at sea for 65-days.  If you venture out at sea, You’ll Be Ready Anytime Anywhere when you learn Dr. Bombard’s unique survival tricks.

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Eric Robert Rudolph:  If you don’t know about Eric Robert Rudolph (ERR), here’s a LINK to a blog post concerning this lone survivor.  Please read that blog post and come back.

Why learn from this fugitive on the run?  ERR evaded and survived in a wilderness environment of the Nantahala forest for 05-years.  The best law enforcement the US of A has to offer was out to capture him, yet he avoided capture for 05-years.  I remember when he was on the run, a television news clip came on and a civilian said something like “hey, them Green Berets could learn from ERR” or something to that effect.  And he was right.  So I conducted ‘intensive research’ on ERR and was evasion and survival from the best law enforcement the US has to offer.  And we can all learn from his unique survival applications, techniques and tricks. 

Even though he’s a convicted killer, if he can prevent loss of life from anybody that copycats any of his survival tricks, maybe it will help his case when he leaves this Earth to meet his Maker.

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US Army Ranger School:  In my book – “American Elite Fighters – Are US Tax Payers Getting Their Money’s Worth?” – I relate how:

• I’ve seen SF soldiers that I know who I thought would never quit, just plain quit during the City Week (1^st week of Ranger School). 
• I’ve seen soldiers from Special Forces units, Ranger units, and other military units, quit, butty-f$#*d their fellow soldiers to survive Ranger Schools. 
• With just 10 more days, just 10-days to in Ranger School, I witnessed 17 Ranger students quit and being medivacted to the hospital.
• The RIs told us we were the worst Ranger Class in the history of US Army Ranger School and I believed them.  But I never quit.  I’ve never quit anything.
• The 02-month Ranger School, I feel I did what most Ranger students would NEVER NEVER NEVER do voluntarily.  And I tell you about it in my book below.

I, myself attended Ranger School during winter months.  In my humble opinion, winter Ranger School classes are more difficult than summer Ranger classes.  I can go to my grave and say I never outright butty-f$#*d a fellow Ranger student nor kissed any RIs (Ranger Instructor) ass.   Ranger School, like other military schools and training I was involved in, shows how much punishment the body can take, how much misery the body can put up with.  US Army Ranger School taught me I can survive conditions where most would give-up and a lot more wouldn’t want to try.

COMING SOON

“US Army Ranger School In A Bottle!”

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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US Army Special Forces:  The US Army Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) – the Q Course, nicknamed the ‘Green Berets’ are like Army Rangers with a college degree.  Like Army Ranger School, the SFQC Dr. is physically demanding but also academic demanding. 

But the Q Course is just the beginning.  Newly qualified Special Forces soldiers are given orders to A-Teams (12-man teams) throughout the world and some given orders to work in Training Group.  The deployments are numerous.  So numerous, during the fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat environments, Special Forces A-Teams were stretched to the limits.  Even before the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Special Forces A-Teams have been deployed in 00 different countries 24-hours a day.  And its been that way for decades. 

He Went Catatonic!

And sometimes the stress just puts you over the edge.  We just came off another combat mission.  Unloading off the Task Force-160 Blackhawk helicopters, we chuckled and pointed at the new bullet holes in the several Blackhawks as we walked past them heading towards our hangar for a quick refit for the next mission.  I don’t remember how long we were in the hangar but it wasn’t long when we started taking small arms fire directly into our hangar.  We all heard the multiple “CRACKS” of the near miss bullets that went past everyone. 

Bullets were slicing through the thick plywood walls with “heavy thuds” that separated the A-Teams of our makeshift quarters.  I still remember the loud “CRACKS” of the bullets and the hard knocks of the bullets slicing through the plywood walls.  Everyone was ducking, heading for cover,… when somebody yelled out “Get Down!”  At that “Get Down” many of us started laughing & chuckling including me at the dumb OBVIOUS command – and somebody said yelled out “No Sh!+.”

Hearing “No Sh!+” more of us laughed and chuckled like a bunch of kids playing.  All these near miss bullets didn’t even bother or scare any of us a lick cause we trained and drilled hundreds of times with this same Violence of Action on the ranges and our shoot house doing CQB (Close Quarter Battle).  We didn’t even think about returning fire because we had a perimeter of support personnel completely around our hangar.  To return fire might mean pegging our own friendlies.  Plus, we didn’t know if it was enemy fire or friendly fire that was coming at us.  After several more seconds the incoming small arms fire – it stopped.  Luckily nobody got pegged. 

However, I remember this to this very day – two soldiers on each side of another enlisted soldier walking him away from his bunk area.  He went catatonic.  He looked straight ahead staring without blinking.  I looked at him and “there was nobody home.”  He was eventually medivaced out of the area and nobody ever saw him again. 

He was a Charlie Company doorbuster for years and been on all the prior missions over the years just like all of us.  Like all of us, he never thought about being scared, quitting – we were all on “Automatic Pilot.”  I guess that incoming fire put him over the edge.  After all this time, I hope he has a good life today like the rest of the Charlie Company members.

I’m no bad ass WWII vet, or Korean War vet or Vietnam vet, but I always thought our training was more hazardous, more dangerous, and far more physically tasking than the combat missions I participated in. 

Bottom Line:  If I had to do it all over again, I’d try out for the Special Forces again and I’d encourage any new soldier to try out for Special Forces.

COMING SOON

“US Army Special Forces Qualification Course In A Bottle!”

Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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82^nd Airborne:  I was in an Airborne Infantry unit for 03 ½ years and when I first got there it was all miserable.  Jumping out of planes at midnight after a sickly rollercoaster ride from hell, followed by landing on a drop zone with CS gas and I loaded down with all this gear.  Plus, I’ve soaking wet from cold rain, sitting in the wet sand in my parachute, reserve and all my gear waiting to load the C-130.  Then once we all assembled off the drop zone, our company walked through the woods all night long till the sun came up and it’s still raining.  Then we dug-in making our foxholes by the book ready to defend our new muddy real estate.  You got the idea.  Welcome to the Airborne Infantry.

But the benefit from all this miserable training, is I was taught by all Vietnam veterans.  Them guys didn’t cut me or any of the other Privates any slack.  Surviving all the Infantry training turned us into true paratroopers which developed a camaraderie between us that can never be copied or experienced anywhere on the outside as a civilian.

The 03 ½ years of training with the Airborne Infantry probably saved my life more than a few times while in the Special Forces years later.  I’d encourage any kid right out of high school interested in going into the military, to go see an Army recruiter and sign-up to go Airborne, Airborne Infantry with the famous 82^nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, NC.

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