I’ve been reading the FM 21-76 US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL lately and I’ve picked up some wonderful little tid-bits of info.
Here’s one of my favourites on the meaning of the word survival.

S -Size Up the Situation
If you are in a combat situation, find a place where you can conceal yourself from the enemy.
Remember, security takes priority. Use your senses of hearing, smell, and sight to get a feel for the
battlefield. What is the enemy doing? Advancing? Holding in place? Retreating? You will have to
consider what is developing on the battlefield when you make your survival plan.
Size Up Your Surroundings
Determine the pattern of the area. Get a feel for what is going on around you. Every environment,
whether forest, jungle, or desert, has a rhythm or pattern. This rhythm or pattern includes animal and bird
noises and movements and insect sounds. It may also include enemy traffic and civilian movements.
Size Up Your Physical Condition
The pressure of the battle you were in or the trauma of being in a survival situation may have caused you
to overlook wounds you received. Check your wounds and give yourself first aid. Take care to prevent
further bodily harm. For instance, in any climate, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. If you are
in a cold or wet climate, put on additional clothing to prevent hypothermia.
Size Up Your Equipment
Perhaps in the heat of battle, you lost or damaged some of your equipment. Check to see what
equipment you have and what condition it is in.
Now that you have sized up your situation, surroundings, physical condition, and equipment, you are
ready to make your survival plan. In doing so, keep in mind your basic physical needs–water, food, and
shelter.

U -Use All Your Senses, Undue Haste Makes Waste
You may make a wrong move when you react quickly without thinking or planning. That move may result
in your capture or death. Don’t move just for the sake of taking action. Consider all aspects of your
situation (size up your situation) before you make a decision and a move. If you act in haste, you may
forget or lose some of your equipment. In your haste you may also become disoriented so that you don’t
know which way to go. Plan your moves. Be ready to move out quickly without endangering yourself if
the enemy is near you. Use all your senses to evaluate the situation. Note sounds and smells. Be
sensitive to temperature changes. Be observant.

R -Remember Where You Are
Spot your location on your map and relate it to the surrounding terrain. This is a basic principle that you
must always follow. If there are other persons with you, make sure they also know their location. Always
know who in your group, vehicle, or aircraft has a map and compass. If that person is killed, you will have
to get the map and compass from him. Pay close attention to where you are and to where you are going.
Do not rely on others in the group to keep track of the route. Constantly orient yourself. Always try to
determine, as a minimum, how your location relates to–
· The location of enemy units and controlled areas.
· The location of friendly units and controlled areas.
· The location of local water sources (especially important in the desert).
· Areas that will provide good cover and concealment.
This information will allow you to make intelligent decisions when you are in a survival and evasion
situation.
V -Vanquish Fear and Panic
The greatest enemies in a combat survival and evasion situation are fear and panic. If uncontrolled, they
can destroy your ability to make an intelligent decision. They may cause you to react to your feelings and
imagination rather than to your situation. They can drain your energy and thereby cause other negative
emotions. Previous survival and evasion training and self-confidence will enable you to vanquish fear
and panic.
I -Improvise
In the United States, we have items available for all our needs. Many of these items are cheap to replace
when damaged. Our easy come, easy go, easy-to-replace culture makes it unnecessary for us to
improvise. This inexperience in improvisation can be an enemy in a survival situation. Learn to improvise.
Take a tool designed for a specific purpose and see how many other uses you can make of it.
Learn to use natural objects around you for different needs. An example is using a rock for a hammer.
No matter how complete a survival kit you have with you, it will run out or wear out after a while. Your
imagination must take over when your kit wears out.
V -Value Living
All of us were born kicking and fighting to live, but we have become used to the soft life. We have
become creatures of comfort. We dislike inconveniences and discomforts. What happens when we are
faced with a survival situation with its stresses, inconveniences, and discomforts? This is when the will to
live- placing a high value on living-is vital. The experience and knowledge you have gained through life
and your Army training will have a bearing on your will to live. Stubbornness, a refusal to give in to
problems and obstacles that face you, will give you the mental and physical strength to endure.
A -Act Like the Natives
The natives and animals of a region have adapted to their environment. To get a feel of the area, watch
how the people go about their daily routine. When and what do they eat? When, where, and how do they
get their food? When and where do they go for water? What time do they usually go to bed and get up?
These actions are important to you when you are trying to avoid capture.
Animal life in the area can also give you clues on how to survive. Animals also require food, water, and
shelter. By watching them, you can find sources of water and food.
WARNING: Animals cannot serve as an absolute guide to what you can eat and drink. Many animals eat
plants that are toxic to humans.
Keep in mind that the reaction of animals can reveal your presence to the enemy.
If in a friendly area, one way you can gain rapport with the natives is to show interest in their tools and
how they get food and water. By studying the people, you learn to respect them, you often make
valuable friends, and, most important, you learn how to adapt to their environment and increase your
chances of survival.
L -Live by Your Wits, But for Now, Learn Basic Skills
Without training in basic skills for surviving and evading on the battlefield, your chances of living through
a combat survival and evasion situation are slight.
Learn these basic skills now–not when you are headed for or are in the battle. How you decide to equip
yourself before deployment will impact on whether or not you survive. You need to know about the
environment to which you are going, and you must practice basic skills geared to that environment. For
instance, if you are going to a desert, you need to know how to get water in the desert.
Practice basic survival skills during all training programs and exercises. Survival training reduces fear of
the unknown and gives you self-confidence. It teaches you to live by your wits.