6A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2006
ROTC
Students learn, practice basic survival skills
By NICOLLE KELLEY
nkelley@kansai.com
KANSAST STAFF WRITER
Maggots and grasshoppers make a tasty meal in a pinch, but if you really want a delicacy, the black ant, which tastes like lemon drop, is the recommended bug of choice.
If you're ever stranded in the middle of the woods and forced to survive on your own instincts, it might also be good to know that about 90 percent of black or blue berries are edible, whereas about 50 percent of red berries are edible.
"If you don't know what it is, don't eat it," Staff Sgt. Duwain Aamodt said. "If you pick something up and say I have no idea that what is' put it back down."
This kind of information, in addition to shelter building, fire making and radio communication was all part of the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training the Air Force ROTC participated in over the weekend.
Twenty-eight students and two instructors left the comforts of their homes to learn basic survival skills. These skills are things they should know if one of their planes were ever shot down and they were forced to make it on
their own in the wilderness.
"We do a lot of class work and book learning, this is more hands on and practical," said Capt. Dan Hatchel, KU Air Force ROTC instructor. "It's a little more chance for them to lighten up and learn a skill. They may only take one thing away from here but that may the thing that helps them later."
Stephanie Langley, Leavenworth freshman, said even though she was a civil engineer major she came on the trip because the skills she would learn were basic things everyone should know.
"I don't know if I'll ever use this stuff again but it's just nice to know just in case you get in one of those situations where you never know," Langley said.
The first lesson of the day was learning how to make a shelter. Staff Sgt. Aamodt, one of the three SERE training instructors who taught the cadets during the weekend, said that building a shelter was one of the most important skills a person needed to survive.
"If you don't find something to get yourself out of the elements, you're as good as dead," he said.
The cadets learned how to construct a tent using their rain ponchos, some rope and the
rocks and trees around them. This would be their home for the next two days, where they would sleep on the ground with only a sleeping bag.
The cadets were then shown how to make a fire using a flint rock and piece of steel to create a spark as well as other ways using materials that can be found in the wilderness.
Staff Sgt. John Calder, another SERE training officer, said the secret to successfully making a fire was preparation. He said the most important thing was getting organized and making sure all the materials were at arms reach before making a flame.
Calder said this was a skill that pertained to all types of survival. He said in a situation such as being stranded in the wilderness, it's important to always be organized and think things out before doing it.
Before any pilot in the U.S. Air Force goes up in a plane, they are outfitted with a survival vest, which contains a radio, a Global Positioning System tracking device and other emergency equipment.
Master Sgt. James Gray, another SERE training officer, said that because pilots were being trained on how to establish communication for help as soon as possible, military services had improved their personnel recovery rate significantly.
Anna Faltermiej/KANSAN
Veronica Hoskinson, Burron sophomore, left, Erin Wood, Tonganoxie freshman, center, and Miguel Carrera, Allen, TX, senior, listen to Master Sergeant James Gray talk about survival radio equipment during ROTC survival training on Saturday afternoon.
Matthew Lawrence, vice wing commander of the cadet core and Lawrence senior, said one of the biggest things he would take away from his experience is the teamwork. He said it was important because everyone was working together and looking out for one another to get things done.
"I think it was a very humbling experience because you come out here not knowing a thing and these guys that are teaching us know everything." Lawrence said. "It's just a really good way to learn basic knowledge that everybody could use."
— Edited by Janiece Gatson
Anna Faltermeier/KANSAN
Veronica Hoskinson, Burton sophomore, center, adds some wood to a fire that was built during survival training for ROTC students on Saturday outside of Lawrence. Students learned things like building fires, what kinds of plants and animals are safe to eat in the wilderness, and how to use survival radio equipment.
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