Military Skills to Learn for Survival
The men and women in the military are perhaps the best teachers when it comes to survival. They spend most of their time in some of the most trying environments. How can we learn these skills yet we are not in the military? The simple answer is to borrow a leaf from them.
These professionals are trained to thing rapidly, move with swift and shoot accurately. Even more importantly, they are taught how to make use of materials found in nature to survive various situations. Besides, they are able to survive under tremendous stress in some of the most dreadful conditions.
Would you not like to master these great skills? I bet you do. So, what are the best military skills you should learn to make it out alive in extreme conditions as the men and women in uniform? They are definitely many, but we will list 7 military skills to learn for survival.
1. Finding Life-Giving Water
The military knows it is impossible to live without rehydrating your body. To survive like one of them, you must learn how to find the life-giving commodity in the wilderness. You can carry water, but the reserves could dry up in a couple of days. You can then depend on nature to provide for your needs.
Always remember to carry a container of water. If it runs out then you can make a solar drill, collect water from morning dew, fruits and vegetations, rock crevices and tree crotches as well as other sources. Do some little research to master each of these skills. Rainwater is the safest. Collect it when it rains.
2. Finding Nourishment
Although finding water is the foremost skill you need to develop, most people fear starvation. Immediately you drift from known paths and you head into the wilderness, the thoughts of what to eat will immediately cross your mind.
The military value food. So, they will try to bring as much food reserve as they may carry. You should also form the habit. What if the reserves run out? If the days of the disaster stretch beyond a few days, you must think of ways to find food. You can fish, forage or hunt for food. You can also lay traps for small animals. Only go for those plants you know for certain are safe.
3. Creating a Short-Term Shelter
The elements have their wrath in the wilderness. Without any form of shelter, you stand the risk of dying from hypothermia. Besides, wild animals will be trying to find out who has just entered their territory. You can scare them away with your gun (if you have one). But that’s a double-edged sword because it can alert more daring predators and criminals to your location.
It is always good to carry a tent or a tarp. But if the situation catches you unawares, it will force you to use materials available in the wild to make a shelter. You can use tree branches, tree limbs, bushes and other vegetation. If you lucky, you can find some abandoned animal shelter. You can improve it and use it as your own.
4. Keeping Warm and Insulated Against Elements
Even if you build or find a shelter, hypothermia is still a major risk. You must be able to keep warm. You can use blankets or sleeping bags. However, those items may not be adequate. You cannot always cover yourself. You will need to start and tend to a fire. Besides keeping you warm, the fire will help you purify water by boiling. It will also help you cook food in the wild if need be.
Starting a fire could be a challenge especially if you do not have a lighter or matches. Learn of other tricks to start a fire. You can use a lens to direct a beam of sun-rays to a focal point containing litter such paper clippings. It is always a good idea to pack flint. This way, you will not run out of spark when you need it.
5. Signaling For Help
The military personnel know the value of being able to send out a signal for help. If you have been able to start fire, then it would be the best signaling method you have. Rangers and aircraft above can easily recognize fire alert. Ensure you send it in a way that is easily recognizable.
In most cases, people understand signals sent in three. For instance, you can set fire to three sports making a triangle. If you have a whistle, you can blow it three times. If someone in range, he or she will immediately realize that’s a survival signal and that someone needs help. The military may have some corded signaling messages that we may not recognize. For you and me, sets of fire, whistle or a mirror are perhaps the best.
6. Finding Direction through Navigation
Simply because you have lost your way does not mean you should stop the search for a way out. The process of finding your way back to know locations could be much easier if you had a map, a compass or a GPS. Even with these, you will still need to be skilled in reading them. A GPS may not work since most wildernesses do not have reception.
The lack of these navigation tools does not stop the military from trying to find direction reading signals from nature. The sun and the North Star are the safest and most reliable indicators of direction. The sun travels from east to west. The North Star is always headed north. A caution though is that you should try as much as possible not to travel at night. Only travel if it is absolutely necessary.
7. Learn How To Use Firearms
There are many legal hurdles to owning and using a firearm. However, you need it for survival. The first thing to learn is the basics of firearm safety. You can then go ahead and learn the reasons why you will need a gun. The next thing is to choose the ideal firearm for your situation.
Your knowledge base should have what different terms such as caliber converters and adapters. Finally, you must train adequately to use the firearm you have chosen. It would be unfortunate to accidentally shoot yourself, your loved one or someone passing by because you do not have the skills to shoot accurately.
Wrapping It Up
Learning how to survive like a military is a daunting task. But, if you master it well, no situation can threaten your survival. There are tens military survival skills. We have only presented you with 7 of the military skills to learn for survival. You should practice these skills so that you become proficient in them. Only by doing this can you make it out of a dire situation victorious.
