The author, Sgt Jesse Campbell - US Army Ret,
Leita Jones, Joe Coty, and John Hull
All photos used in article (c) 2010 Sandi Bird.
[This is the third part of a four-part eyewitness report. You can be notified when each article is published, just subscribe above. Your email address will be kept confidential. All photos (c) 2010 Sandi Bird]
As pointed out in my introductory article, National Geographic Adventure's #1 wilderness survival school located in Catawba, everyone at one time or another may be in a survival situation, whether or not you ever intentionally set foot in the wilderness. That being the case, it is important for every one of us to have some basic survival training. Even if you never need it yourself, you may come upon someone else who is in need of your help.
The course that I attended was Hidden Pursuit, a four day, three night, coed course for students 18-years-old and over. The particular aspect of this training that caught my attention when I skimmed the course descriptions was the escape and evasion training. Because I am, at times, in somewhat more dangerous situations than normal (given my penchant for overseas missions and international travel, my disaster-relief work, and independent-nature), I thought it would be beneficial to learn the fire "art" of evasion and escape.
You may be asking, "Why would I need escape and evasion training?"
There might be various different reasons, especially for those adventure traveling souls like myself and fellow-student Leita, who has been car-jacked at gunpoint in Kenya and held at gunpoint in another country. But for the "normal" person who doesn't go out of his or her way to end up in dangerous areas, there are still several scenarios that unfortunately might affect you some day.
Student Joe Coty
From the research I've been doing, it appears that home invasions are on the rise. Every year when I visit my mother in Connecticut that's the almost daily report on the news. It's downright depressing up there! And last year's home invasion in Florida, in which the parents of 16 children were killed, really threw the spotlight on the issue. Also called a residential robbery, a home invasion happens when the occupants are at home, and there is intent to do harm to the occupants, not just burglarize the home.
Scenario: You're sitting at home with the family, watching TV at around 8pm. Soemone knocks on the door. You ask who it is and they say they've broke down and need to use tthe phone. Glancing out the peephole you decide that they "look" safe, so you open the door a crack. Seconds later the person has kicked in the door and he and his armed accomplices have forced their way into the home and have your family at gunpoint. They begin binding you with rope, zip ties or duct tape. What you do during those few moments will affect the odds of you and your family surviving the invasion alive.
Scenario: You're out jogging. It's daylight and you are in a "safe" neighborhood. You're listening to your iPod as you jog, so you don't hear a vehicle slowing down as it approaches you. Suddenly, a man jumps out, grabs you at gunpoint, and throws you in a car trunk or the back of a van. Would you know what to do to increase your odds of escape and survival?
The Hidden Pursuit course is taught and assisted by instructors with military training in escape and evasion, including Sgt Jesse Campbell who was on the original SOG HALO team that extracted POWs from the VietCong during the Vietnam War...and has himself evaded the VC on multiple occasions in the Vietnam jungles. The knowledge you will gain will be invaluable in the event that you ever face one of these life-threatening situations. I can't really go into detail on techniques, because if I told you, I'd have to ki... Let's just say you'll have to take the course to learn the techniques.
Student John Hull
And for those of you who, like me, have always wanted to crawl around in the woods in camoflague in a big kid's game of "hide and seek", you can take the class just for the fun of it!
Aside from the Hidden Pursuit course, Mountain Shepherd offers a variety of other courses to meet the needs of every individual. The basic survival course is Wilderness Survival 101. Two days, one night, coed, 18+. In this course, instructors cover the same material that our class covered in our first two days.
Wilderness First Aid 101. Two Days, one night, coed, 16+. This course is recommended for anyone who may need to stabilize your own or someone else's injuries until help can arrive. In other words, everyone would benefit from this course. You never know when you might be first to arrive on an accident scene. For those who are certified National Registry Paramedics/EMT’s or Commonwealth of Virginia Certified Paramedics/EMT’s, this class qualifies for 16 hours of CAT II continuing education hours. Please notify Mountain Shepherd 30+ days in advance if you wish to receive the CAT II C.E.U.s.
Wild Comforts. Two days, one night, coed, children ages 10-17, with parent(s). This is a course that was developed for kids to attend with at least one parent. The program focuses on the seven priorities of survival and teaches families to learn how to work with and help one another in a wilderness environment.
Humble Thunder. Four days, three nights, co-ed, 18+. Listed as Mountain Shepherd's most difficult course, students will build and sleep in their own shelters. Along with the core seven priorities of survival: positive mental attitude, wilderness first aid, shelter, fire craft, signaling, water, and food, student s will also learn a variety of knots and lashings, become proficient in fire making, and will become proficient in using a compass and topographic map.
In part 4 of this eyewitness report, we will meet the third student and conclude with final thoughts from both instructor and students.
For more info: Visit Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School's website at: www.mountainshepherd.com. Mountain Shepherd trains military special forces groups and VMI cadets and are also available to schedule private sessions for Boy Scout troops and corporate groups. Special courses are available for parents and their children ages 10-17.
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