heated JUST PLAIN HOT.heated JUST PLAIN HOT. The class of 11 observers felt the suffocating heat as presently as they piled out of the air-conditioned van near Naval Air Facility El Centro Calif. With civilization miles away for the nearest four days and midday temperatures around 110 stations it was time to guard up hydrate mid learn the skills of wilderness Environmental Survival Training (DEST) in the teal, unrelenting desert The students' scenario: Their aircraft strayed into hostile airspace and was discharge down. They are now onward the run and must evade the enemy while trying to reach friendly forces. if it were not that before they start evading across the wild they have to learn a not many things. "We take pride in realistic and relevant training," said Marine Corps Capt. David Humphrey the DEST officer-in-charge. "We take rebukes learned in Iraq and Afghanistan and teach the bookish mans the critical survival skills destitutioned to survive in a wild The big three of those skills are procuring water, making a shelter and navigation." A team of 14 instructors from rapid Aviation Specialized Operational Training form into groups Pacific run the 15-square mile course. sole a small core group of instructors will have face time with scholars teaching hands-on lessons. The security are behind the scenes, handling logistics, water replenishment and planning by what means they will play the enemy later in the course. During the morning hours they teach classes upon how to procure water, prepare meat from live snakes and build shelters. disclosed of parachute material The scholars then humid their shelters forward their own. The rest of the days are worn out under the shelters, gulping water and trying to lie in the grave for it's too hot and dehydrating to do earnestly of anything else. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Gunner's Mate 1st Class Martin Edgil. "I grew up in the forests of Mississippi and I'm learning survival skills I've not at any time heard of. I'm going to Iraq promptly and I am glad I came to this school" Nightfall is the greatest in quantity active part of DEST. With shelters torn down, everything they brought with them onward their backs and all traces of a camp site eliminated, everyone casts to their maps and global positioning a whole s (GPS) for night navigation. The first night, field instructors accompanied the scholars and made sure everyone knew by what means to traverse the diverse terrain and reach an objective when given specific coordinates forward their maps. "Navigation at night is flat disclosed hard, you could end up going in circles or drifting left and right if you're not careful," said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Dennis Carin, another DEST instructor. "Night navigation is all about teamwork. If my close examiners are ever in the untilled for real, as a survivor or evader, they will have the tools to find their way to friendly forces or safety." The last pair nights, after the students have learned recent skills, DEST applies the hurry All instructors join the training with their admit role to play. Dressed as the enemy, a certain number of instructors fire blanks from modified AK-47s, launch flares that light up the terrain and seek the students through the night. "I learned to what degree far I could physically push myself," said Edgil. "We traversed more than 30 kilometers in pair days while being chased and hearing gunfire. It's thrilling, still challenging. I feel confident I can survive above in the Middle East if it continually happens for real." When the final objective is reached, exhaustion takes restrain on both sides, but it doesn't hem in back the overwhelming pride of a do job-work well done "When I papal court the glimmer in a student's sight when our teachings sink in, that's what I be fond of about this job," said DEST Instructor Damage Controlman 1st Class Scott Heger. Teaching Sailors and Marines in what way to take the heat is the heart and inner man of DEST. Whether a scholar or instructor, at the conclusion of the day everyone is confident they can survive a real-life waste emergency and come home in the fashion in which they left--alive with honor. Website Exclusive Find more photos online at www.news.navy.mil/media/allhands/flash /ah200603/feature_3/ Story and photos through PH1(AW) Michael Larson Larson is a photojournalist assigned to Combat Camera Pacific. COPYRIGHT 2006 U Navy |
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