Hunting
“If you get separated and the nearest point of rescue is more than a week’s walk away, your rations might not be enough. This has already happened to our teams many times in the past, so we will teach you how to hunt.
Hunting is difficult.
To survive in the jungle you'll have to hunt several hours a day, and this is going to condition your tactical choices... And this is the reason we are going to make you good hunters too, capable of surviving with nothing.
Our men who ended up in such a situation, they all made the same mistake: they were in a hurry.
They couldn't survive the jungle, so they had to get back home in a hurry, because they had no other choice... And that hurry was the reason they ended up recaptured.
On the contrary, once you have learnt how to pick up food and hunt, you'll be able to roam that fucking jungle for months if necessary, without ever having to worry about food and water, and just concentrate on avoiding being spotted by the enemy.
Because as any Vietcong knows very well, hiding in the jungle is easy. But surviving it, that's a completely different matter.
So the most important thing, for now, is that you simply learn how to survive.
We are going to teach you the hunting usage of the knife, which is also going to be the only piece of all of your gear that you won’t ever be able to live without. We are even going to teach you how to self-build one in case you lose your own.
We are going to teach you archery and how to build an emergency bow, in order to hunt without attracting the enemy's attention.
We are going to teach you which insects you should eat and which ones you should not, and the most hygienic ways of preparing them.
Rats mostly. If you're ever captured, they are going to be your most important key to survival.
Here in Fort Bragg you will have two months at your disposal to get used to this diet. And you should pray God you get used to it, because one day it could save your lives.
If you get the job done properly, Hanoi prisons will look like a hotel to you and when the Vietcong holding you prisoner think that they have broken you, you are going to slit their throats and escape”
Some recruits shared a nod of approval.
All of the others – on the contrary – remained silent.
They were thinking about what the hell of a situation they were getting ready for.