Rowe Survival Kit

•COLONEL ROWE’S SURVIVAL KIT hen Lieutenant Colonel James Rowe hits the trail, he carries three separate survival kits. The first-class model stays in his rucksack, but if that one gets lost or has to be abandoned for a lighter load, he has the second-class unit on a harness that hangs between his shoulder blades. If that one must be sloughed off, there’s always his “last-line” kit in his shirt pocket. With this one, and his trusty knife, Rowe can live indefinitely. Bet on it. a FIRST-CLASSKIT a (About the size ofa cigurbox, weighs 24 ounces)

Medical Equipment IV tubing and dextrosesolution a Suture thread and needles (“Forget that Rambo garbage.”)a Scalpel blades a Betadine antiseptic solution a Tetracycline tablets a Bee sting kit (Epinephrine pills and injection) a Lomotil a.Aspirin Sunscreen a Alcohol wipes a Band-aids a Field compresses a Triangular bandage Eye-injury kit (ophthalmic ointment, eye pad, and eye wipe) Food and Shelter Equipment Small packets of curry powder (“for napalming your taste buds”) a Iodine tablets (for water purification) a Coffee and sugar a Signal mirror a Pen flare a Space blanket Wire saw a Compassa Candle a Waterproof matches a Maguesium-block fire starter Net hammock a Nylon cord a Five-quart water container with clamp and IV tube to run directly from pack to mouth a Fishing kit (fresh- and saltwater hooks and lures, gill nets, 25-pound test line, red felt, and sinkers) a Two ponchos and a poncho liner a Army Survival Manual FM21-76 (Pocket-sized compendium of “everything you ever wanted to know about survival,” and Rowe wrote the book. Literally. It’s available through the Government Printing Office.) a SECOND-CLASS KIT a

(About the size ofa 3-by-5-card box; weighs 12 ounces)

Small folding knife with very hard carbide-steel blade (doubles as a scalpel) Suture needles a Antiseptic solution a Silk sewing thread a Waterproof matches Strobe light a Iodine tablets a Coffee and sugar a Aluminum foil (for cooking, signaling, or fishing lures) a Bullion a Fishingline and hooks a Candle a Compass a LAST-LINE KIT a /

(About the sizeof a band-aid box)

I~odinetablets a ~Compass ~ Fishing line and o Waterproof matches Band-aids a Antiseptic solution a Butterfly sutures

OK, you’re stuck in the woods. And you’ve got the best-equipped survival kit in the territory so now just concentrate on Rowe’s Four Rules for Survival: 1. “Don’t Panic.”Being lost or hurt is bound to be unnerving, but panic is the biggest killer. Sit down, count to 100 (slowly), and get a clear head. Survival is just a matter of understanding your problems, considering your alternatives, and making logical decisions. Be rational. 2. “Assess the Situation.” Take stock of yourself and your surroundings. First, treat any injuries. Ignoring even small cuts can lead to major problems in the woods. Second, provide for the basic necessities: water, shelter, fire, food, and signaling, in that order. If you have some water to drink, a means of getting food, a~1~ioget out of the elements, and a fire for signaling and boosting morale, you’re going to be fine. 3. ‘Work on a Plan.” Think things through. Where are you, where do you need to get to, and what’s in between? Examine all available resources, and decide whether it’s bestto stay put and wait for rescue, or hike out. 4. “Head to Water” Everything else does, so why not you? Besides being the obvious source for drinking water, lakes and streams will be greatfood providers. Remember that the human body is a remarkably resilient machine: You can go for about seven days without food before your judgment will begin faltering. Don’t bother playing Jeremiah Johnson and tracking caribou; catch fish, snakes, and frogs. To set snares, look for tracks on lakeside trails to determine what animals are in the neighborhood and where’they’re drinking. Read their scat to see what they’re eating, and use it for bait.’ Just a.tip: Don’t mess with raccoons—they’reawfully nasty. 46

with that unchecked power of attorney, and the thought of it drcwe him on.

S

ometime after I heard that story a meeting was arranged with Colonel Rowe, who would be in his office at Fort Bragg. I had hoped to meet Rowe in the woods somewhere to share a meal of fresh-killed snake and cattail roots, but when you’ deal with the Army, you take what you can get. He is a compact man, 48 years old, probably 5 feet 8 or 9. Probably 170 or 175. Level, curious eyes and a face that is friendly, intense, and.shows the scars. He shakes his visitor’s hand, firmly, and offers him the best chair. in his office. Among the pictures on his wall is one of Rowe, in his dress uniform, sitting in the Oval Office with Richard Nixon. Theywere discussing the POWissue, says Rowe. “He was interestedin politics, and we were interested in accounting for the guys. Sowemade a deal.” Is he still active in the POW cause? “No. I’m doing this instead. This is something positive I can,4o.”. He started the SERE~ograrnin 1981, he says~At the time h:’~.was a civilian, active in the reserves. The Army had no central school to teach survival and the various skills a soldier wouldneed to make it as a POW A reserve military intelligence unit conducted an ad hoc course at Fort Gordon, Georgia, complete with a mock POW camp and interrogation sessions. It was filmed by NBC, photographed and written up by Star magazine as “Camp Hell—Where Army Tortures Its GIs.” The short exercise put some 20 troopers out of 40 into the hospital. “That’s when I came back on active duty,” says Rowe, “and started the SERE program. My job was to come up with an Army-wide school that would teach people what they’ had to know without doing dumb crap like that. And that’s what we’ve done.’ By we, Rowe means himself and his instructors. He is intensely proud of the men he recruited to help him start his program. “They were the absolute best,” he says. “1 couldn’t have gotten them if I didn’t have credibility.” He came by it because of a firefight in the Mekong Delta. The action took place in 1963, while John Kennedy was still alive and President. Kennedy’s solution to his problems in Vietnam had been the Special Forces—the Green Berets. Rowe was~ a Special Forces lieutenant when he was captured. Before he escaped, more than five years later, he had seen three other POWs die, at least one “because he didn’t believe the VC would just let him die. He didn’t understand that if he was going to live, it was going to be because of what Please turn to page 86 .p~B~Ri986 OuTSIDE.