Outside of being a combat medic currently, I’ve served 3 tours in OIF. The first deployment I served as a Combat Engineer and the other two as a Combat Medic. (Demolitions expert w/ the power to heal lol) I’ve gone through numerous schools, including; SERE (Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape), LRM (Long range marksmanship course – polite term for sniper school), and AOEMS (Advanced Operational Emergency Medical Skill Course – Think 18D [special forces medic]Mod 2). I'm also a civ paramedic and hold a BS in Kinesiology.
Everyone is thinking about materialistic preparations. I was gonna add some things that get over looked a lot. A soldier going to selection asked about some preparation tips. The more I thought, the more I remembered. I began to realize that some of this was in the category of “Lost Knowledge” in the sense that many younger soldiers and leaders haven’t been taught this stuff. Below are some thoughts, collected over the years.
BOOTS AND FITTING THEREOF:
Go barefoot as much as possible to toughen the feet. I also found that soaking my feet in Epson Salt toughened them as well. I’m a huge advocate of the Vibram 5 finger toe shoes. Ditch the cushy insoles. This has to do with sense organs in the feet known as proprioceptors. (Beyond the scope of this paper. Look it up.) Getting rid of soft insoles reduces fatigue and improves balance. I almost sure cushy insoles are the reason most soldiers move with the grace of a pregnant giraffe in a wind tunnel. They also contribute to knee and ankle injuries.
Try to find lightweight boots. An old ultra-light hiker adage goes that a pound on the foot equals five pounds on the back. Desert or Jungle Boots are best.
Buy Gold Bond (mentholated is my favorite) powder. Works on all body parts, fights heat rash, cools, and soothes. Generic equivalent is great as it is about $3/bottle cheaper. Use, everywhere, especially the feet.
Pre cut moleskin in various sizes, taking care to round the corners. I usually keep about 10 pieces, ranging in size from a fifty cent piece to as large as a playing card. Get some tincture of benzoin to stick it down. Add triple antibiotic ointment for the ones that pop. If you get a blister, drain with a sterile needle, then protect as follows: Paint the area with benzoin. While waiting for it to dry, cut a donut of moleskin with the hole large enough to surround the blister. Save the donut hole. Stick the donut around the blister, then apply a dab triple antibiotic ointment to the PAPER side of the donut hole. DO NOT remove the backing from the moleskin on the donut hole. Place the hole, paper side down over the blister and cover with another layer of moleskin. Powder and get dressed. You can leave this in place up to 48 hours, BUT NO LONGER. When you remove it, peel up a corner and gently roll it up. This prevents tearing off new skin with old. Trust me.
Prevention, as always, is the best medicine. Use Moleskin at the first sign of a hot spot. Even 100mph tape (duct tape) will work if you round the corners.
Make sure to keep calluses dressed and under control. Getting a blister under a callus and then pulling off a slab of meat with your sock is one of those events you’d rather watch than experience.
Keep this whole mess in a zip lock bag (to keep it watertight).
HEAT INJURIES AND ELECTROLYTE BALANCE
Keep hydrated, and maintain salt balance. Don’t worry about high blood pressure. Less than 3% of the population is salt sensitive and even if you are, that’s a problem for a later date. Heat stroke will kill you today. Gatorade is not a replacement for salt and water. Their “electrolyte content” is measured in milligrams. The normal amount of sodium and potassium are measured in mEq (milli-equivalent). Which means for every 25mg of NA and K you ingest with Gatorade, you only get = 1 mEq of actual value. Your blood contains 135 to 145 milli-equivalents per liter of salt. This means you’d hafta ingest twenty 8 oz servings of Gatorade to replace your normal salt content. This also means you’re ingesting 280 GRAMS of sugar. Diarrhea will be your worst nightmare. Tastes like ass but remember that a good rule of thumb (and great for a hasty IV) is using 9 grams of salt / Liter of water.
BODY MAINTENANCE
Dial soap and Noxzema were developed in WW II for soldier hygiene. Dial is anti bacterial. Noxzema allows you to shave without water while it conditions the skin. Makes cleaning your razor easier, removes camo, prevents dry skin, etc. The advent of anti bacterial baby wipes makes Dial less useful for the field, but it’s still good to keep around. You can normally obtain "pack" sized bars of Dial soap whenever you stay at a chain Motel.
Use waterless hand cleaner for quick clean ups. Carry it in your pocket so you won’t be tempted to skip using it.
A small bottle of alcohol or peroxide is useful for disinfecting your toothbrush.
Use insect repellent. Every day. West Nile, malaria, etc. will kill you just as dead as bullets.
GORE TEX
Gore Tex gear is a waterproof and windproof shell. Complaints about it being cold can generally be traced to no insulating layer (long johns). The other cause is constricting clothing.
FIRST AID KITS
I usually keep Alka Seltzer Cold Formula, Benadryl, cough lozenges, pain pills for OTC medications. I keep Loperamide (Imodium) also, but am generally against this as an issue item unless you have a lot of field medicine experience. I have seen it stop people up so tight that parasites were forced into their bloodstream. Better for general issue is Pepto Bismol tablets or Kaopectate.
SLEEP QUALITY
At a bare minimum, you need to get four (4) hours of uninterrupted sleep for every 24 hours to maintain continuous operations. Six to eight hours is normally a luxury, but take it if you can. Cat nap every chance you get; 15-30 minutes can carry a long way.
Get a good quality traveler’s blindfold. They’ll be the best 5-10 bucks you’ll ever spend. Use earplugs also.
Two ponchos, one above the other, will lower the temperature drastically if forced to sleep in the sun.
Take 5 minutes to prepare your bed. Remove rocks, clumps, etc. An old saying is “One minute spent preparing your bed is equal to one hour’s sleep” is true. Keep clutter in your pockets to a minimum. Dig out a small hollow for your butt. (Or a large hollow if necessary) In cold weather, always put something between you and the ground. The bare ground acts as a heat absorber. As the night progresses, it will rob you of body heat. It pays to thatch a bed of pine needles or leaves together to add insulation between you and the ground. If you can carry one, take a thermal casualty blanket (aluminum on one side, green on the other) with you. Fold the blanket in half, (aluminum inside, green outside) and lay your bedroll on top. The Aluminum will help reflect body heat back up to you.
If it’s cold, eat some carbs and cover your head with a WOOL knit cap. Do about 5 minutes of brisk calisthenics. Do a quick set of stretches (full body) and off to bed. Keep your face outside the bag to keep the inside from getting wet.
Don't wear your boots to bed. If you must keep them on, untie and loosen the laces all the way down the boot to allow your feet to breathe. If it is cold outside, tuck your boots away in the bottom of your sleeping bag to keep them warm. Check boots for hitchhikers in the morning.
And of course, I saved the best part for last.
MENTAL HYGIENE
The “tangibles” (hits on target, rounds expended, etc.) are easy to see. The “intangibles” (confidence in self and leaders, aggression, etc.) can be seen but not measured. Both are important.
Combat: This is why you’re here. Always keep in mind you are in the best-equipped, most lethal Army in existence. This is probably the last reason you should be optimistic. The main reason? You’re leading Americans, the most dangerous combatants ever to hit the field. Some guy once said that Americans like shooting people so much when we don’t have a declared enemy, we shoot one another to stay in practice. He’s not far wrong….
The other reason to be encouraged is that you are the latest in a long line of warriors. There have been ups and downs in leadership and we’re going to have more before it’s over. But, on the whole, Americans have always done well. Take heart that many before you have done their duty, even to their end and have done it well. You will be no different. If you ever wonder where you should be and what you should be doing, go to the hottest part of the fight and set an example.
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