One of the documents I have spent some time reading recently is US Army Survival Guide FM 21-76.  It covers a wide range of topics related to various survival situations soldiers may encounter in the field.  A lot of this information is applicable to civilian life too, which is why it warrants our attention.  In fact, the very first chapter spells it all out for us in an easy to remember way.

The letters S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L spell it out what you should do in a survival situation.  Chapter 1 expands on the meaning of each letter but here are the top-level headings for each letter:

S-Size Up the Situation

U-Use All Your Senses, Undue Haste Makes Waste

R-Remember Where You Are

V-Vanquish Fear and Panic

I-Improvise

V-Value Living

A-Act Like the Natives

L-Live by Your Wits, But for Now, Learn Basic Skills

While the audience for this document is soldiers, ordinary civilians can still apply the principles contained within this guide to their emergency preparations.  It’s a great foundation with a lot of practical information you can use now.  Over time I will go into more detail about some of the important sections of the guide so we can learn how to effectively use the information contained in it.

By the way, you can download the full US Army Survival Guide on your smartphone.  Just do a keyword search on the title or number (FM 21-76) and you will find it.  If you want a PDF of the document, you can find a copy here to view or download.  You can always search your local Army Surplus Store, bookstore, or Amazon for the hardcopy of this document.  I’ll cover some of the topics in this guide in future posts but feel free to read this guide on your own if you have the time.