The advances in the development of outdoor clothing, equipment and techniques have been growing rapidly in recent years. For those beginner Young Marines out there, interested in using the outdoors for everything it has to offer, there is unlimited information out there readily available in your local library, magazine store, and even the internet. However, experience is the best teacher in any outdoor situation and I highly suggest that you pick away at your unit’s Special Operations / Training Officer for every tidbit of information they may have on this issue. If your unit doesn’t have one of those positions, look towards your peers who hold leadership positions in your unit. The primary purpose of a leader is to BE, KNOW, and DO everything in their power to train their subordinates.

Wilderness survival and camping is not something that should be brushed off as a subject that anyone can figure out if they sit down and read about it. It doesn’t work that way. Practice makes perfect in my book. It should in yours too. Those Young Marines who are mentally and physically prepared to deal with the elements of a cold weather environment must also be able to make decisions, improvise and remain calm when the situation requires them to do so.

Let’s talk for a moment about the seven enemies of a Young Marine out in the elements. They are FEAR, PAIN, COLD, THIRST, HUNGER, FATIGUE, BOREDOM & LONELINESS.

FEAR: For anyone faced with a new situation fear is a completely normal and absolutely human reaction. Even the most professional people we can think of can experience fear. Unless emergency situations have been previously anticipated, fear is usually followed by the other six and in no specific order. It is extremely important for you, the individual Young Marine, to assess your situation and not allow the enemies of survival to interfere.

PAIN: It is extremely easy to ignore small cuts and bruises when faced with a situation that has the majority of your thoughts geared towards adapting and overcoming some other obstacle. Remember to always deal with injuries no matter how small they may seem immediately before they become more serious.

COLD: The cold lowers your ability to think, numbing the body and reducing the human will to continue on. Never allow yourself to stop moving or fall asleep if you become too cold, you may not wake up. If in fact you have found yourself to be exhausted and feeling that rest would be the best bet for the moment, construct some sort of a shelter that will protect you from the elements.

THIRST : Dehydration is a common enemy in the cold and should never be ignored. The quickest way to tell that your body doesn’t have enough fluids in it is by observing your urine when the time comes to relieve yourself. Dark yellow to gold, foul smelling urine is a safe bet that you are not getting enough water in your body. Eventually, dehydration can dull your mind causing you to overlook more important things.

The rule of 3’s comes to mind. This means you can go three days without water, three weeks without food, and three minutes without air before death is almost certain.

HUNGER : Being hungry, especially nowadays when most American teens have a fair amount of insulation from eating the different styles of foods available at a moments notice, is dangerous but seldom deadly. After your body has lost enough energy providing nutrition that food offers, your ability to think logically may decrease and increase your susceptibility to the effects of cold, pain and fear.

FATIGUE : Getting tired is unavoidable. All Young Marines should remember that getting fatigued is normal during any type of physical activity. It is the body’s way of trying to escape a difficult task. That is why our society has so many “couch potatoes” in its midst.

BOREDOM & LONELINESS : A Young Marine should never find themselves alone at any time. The buddy system should be more than just being paired up with some other person out of convenience for the rules of the program. But, if you have ever been truly alone for any long amount of time, the threat of loneliness can hit you like a ton of bricks.

To summarize the aforementioned, the individual Young marine should always keep in mind that fear is a normal reaction for any person in an unfamiliar environment. Fear influences a person’s behavior and thus the chances for success, or even failure. You must always remember that there is always something that can be done to improve your situation. It isn’t always the physically strong or happy-go-lucky person that handles fear effectively. Usually the timid, more anxious persons respond in a more cool, calm and collected way of handling stress with better results thereafter. The worst attitude that a Young Marine could ever have is an “it won’t happen to me” point of view.