PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-664
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 664
MARCH 2008
28
PS 664
MAR 08
The movie
Behind Enemy Lines
, about a Navy navigator downed in the Balkans,
portrays the stress of Fnding yourself alone in a hazardous area. It also shows the
anxiety that fellow servicemembers feel for those missing.
The reality for isolated, missing, detained or captured (IMDC) personnel serves it
up in larger doses.
When the Army talks about “No soldier is left behind” it’s not just talk, nor is it
just about soldiers. Everyone connected with the DoD mission–service members,
civilian employees, contractors–is valued and needed. ±or all who are separated from
U.S. control, the Army wants them back—safe and unharmed. It’s a lot easier when
everyone in the system uses personnel recovery as they should.
Preferably you’ve done all that is possible to prevent isolation. But sometimes
things get grim!
There are steps to take when you’re the one who has lost contact with friendly
forces.
Your Personal Recovery Efforts
Isolated in an area where you don’t know who might be hostile, you evade.
Besides applying the code of conduct and your survival, evasion, resistance and
escape (SERE) training, there are some other things you must do:
•
Take stock of your assets.
How much ammo, food and water do you have? Where
is the nearest rally point? What means do you have to communicate? What are the
challenge/password, authentication codes, as well as other recognition systems?
•
Prepare for Friendly Contact.
Do you remember how to use ground-to-air signals
(GTAS) in daylight and darkness? What is your unit plan for personnel recovery?
What are you supposed to do? What will they be doing? Do you remember the Air
Tasking Order Special Instructions? What’s supposed to happen at recovery sites?
Knowing the answers and following the combat drills for SERE can give you the
conFdence you need to overcome obstacles. It can also be a source of hope when you
know your unit will be searching for you.
{ …rally point
delta is about
three klicks
out… zkrkz
k
}
charlie-lima six…
this is charlie
lima three-four.
come in charlie-
lima six!
great, I
don’t think
we’re trans-
mitting!
hey sarge, looks
like we got company
coming!
okay,
get the
ruck-
sacks
out!
let’s be
ready
to move
if we
have to!
let’s
move!
these
guys don’t
look very
friendly!
664.28-29.indd
1-2
2/4/08
12:35:22 PM
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