Alive and Alone (26 page)

A little later, as the three of them sat in the Base Exchange Mall, sipping on ice cold drinks.  David looked over at Vittles and asked, “Did you find a place to stay for a while?”

“Yup, I did.  I’ve decided it’s time for me to live in town fer a spell.  I fig’ered at my age it would be smarter for me to live around folks than away from them.  I’m too old to be living like I was in the bush.”

“Will you be happy doing this?”  Banks asked.

“I think so.  I found me a good church, nice apartment, and even met me a woman.”

“Good luck on all three and I’m glad you’re doing so well.”

“Aren’t you?”

Banks grinned and said, “I’m about to be a father!”

“Well, I’ll be doggone, our Sergeant Banks will be a pa-pa!”

David grinned and asked, “Doesn’t it scare you to know you’ll soon be a father?  It would me.”

Growing serious, Banks replied, “No, I’m not really scared, but I'm concerned. You know, I jump out of airplanes and that doesn’t worry me as much as the thought of being a daddy.”

“Yep, the little critters don’t come with no owner’s manual or nothin’.  The Good Lord drops just them in the middle of our laps and we’re left to do the best job we can on our own.”

“John, you’ll make a good father and I know it,” David said and then smiled.

“How can you know that?”

“Because you’re cut from the same cloth my father was.  He was a strong man, just like you are.  He was tender when he needed to be, a teacher to me and my sister, and a fair but strict disciplinarian when it called for it.  I’m lucky to have had him in my life, especially when I was alive and alone on a mountain.”

THE
END

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Glossary

360:
When an aircraft flies 360 degrees, or a circle.  Often done when waiting for further instructions, to burn fuel on purpose, or preparing to land.

Abort:  
To cancel or call off the flight of an aircraft

AC:
Aircraft Commander, the pilot

AO:
Area of operations

Assistant Team Leader
:  The number two man in charge of a team of military men.

Band-aid:
Often a radio call sign for a medic

BDU
: Camouflage field uniform used by military personnel

Bingo on fuel:
 Running out or low on aircraft fuel.

Bird:
Helicopters or any aircraft

Blood trail:
A trail of blood left by a person who has been injured

Body bag:
Plastic or rubber bag used to transport dead bodies from crash sites

Bush:
Military term for the field (woods, mountains, and so on)

Chinook:
CH-47 cargo helicopter

Chopper:
A slang name for a helicopter  

Copy:
 I understand, hear you, know what you mean, etc…an acknowledgement of understanding.

Countdown:  
Used the by the survivor to indicate to a rescue aircraft when they fly overhead.  Used mostly in areas with limited visibility and is an actual countdown starting with any number, but when the aircraft is overhead, the survivor says, “Overhead now!

CP:
Command Post

Doc:
Medic, corpsman, or doctor

D-ring:
A D-shaped metal snap link used to hold gear together and used in repelling from choppers.

Dust-off:
Medical evacuation by helicopter

EM:
Enlisted man

ETA:
 Estimated time of arrival

Expectants:
Casualties who are expected to die

Fast Movers:
 Jet aircraft.

Field Surgical Kit:
Kit carried by medics in the field for small surgery and suturing.

Five by five:
Used in radio communications to indicate the radio is working and messages are heard loud and clear.

Flaky:
To be in a state of mental disarray or disorganized

Flare, MK-13:
 A flare that had both a day and night end.  The night end generated a very bright light that was visible for a long distance, while the day end gave off a thick cloud of bright orange smoke, see smoke grenade.

Flare, Pen-gun:
Illumination projectile; hand-fired

Grids:
Maps are broken into numbered thousand-meter squares and each is a grid.

HQ:
Headquarters

Huey:
Nickname for UH-1 helicopters

Hump:
Military term walk carrying a rucksack in the field.

IG:
Inspector General

Immersion foot:
Condition resulting from feet being submerged in water or being wet for a prolonged period of time, causing cracking and bleeding.  Easily prevented by keeping the feet dry and using clean socks.

Insert:
To be deployed into a tactical area, usually by helicopter

K-bar:
Combat knife

Klick:
Kilometer

Litters:
Stretchers to carry wounded

LT:
Lieutenant

LZ
: Landing zone. Usually a small clearing secured temporarily for the landing of resupply helicopters or Medevac’s.

Medevac:
Medical evacuation helicopter used in combat areas and in peacetime

Meals Ready to Eat (MRE):  
Military meals.  Small sealed pouches that contains an entrée and side dish, along with a dessert and other small food items.  They do not require heating but taste better hot.  Lightweight with a high calorie count.

MIA:  
Missing in action. Meaning lost or missing as a result of combat with an enemy force.

Mike(s):
Minute or minutes

NCO
: Noncommissioned officer.

Number one:
The best of anything

Number ten:
The worst or no good.

OD:
Olive drab is a color of green used by the military

Forest Penetrator
:  A device lowered by a winch from a chopper to the ground to pick up survivors.  Has a safety strap, seat, and can be used in thick forests or in limited visibility situations.

PJ: (Poppa Juliet)
Pararescueman, which used to be called Para-Jumpers.  A highly trained individual who works as a rescue specialist and medic.  Trained for rescue and recovery.

Point:
The forward most man on a military patrol

Poncho liner:
A quilted nylon insert to the military rain poncho, used as a blanket frequently.

Pop smoke:
To ignite a smoke grenade to signal a rescue aircraft or show wind direction.

PRC-25:
Portable Radio Communications, Model 25. A back-packed FM receiver-transmitter used for short-distance communications. The range of the radio was 5-10 kilometers, depending on the weather, unless attached to a special, non-portable antenna which could extend the range to 20-30 kilometers

PRC-90
:  Small portable hand-held survival radio, usually carried in a survival vest or packed in a survival kit for aircrew members.  Range was generally line of site and very poor in mountainous terrain.

RTO:
Radio telephone operator.

Ruck / rucksack:
Term used for a backpack issued to military personnel.

Saddle up
: Put a pack on and get ready to move out

Slack man:
The second man back, from the point, on a military patrol, directly behind the point man, or first man.

Smoke grenade:
A grenade that releases brightly colored smoke. Used for signaling Medevac and rescue choppers.  Used mostly by other services and not as much by the United States Air Force.  Air Force personnel would use a MK-13 smoke signal, with bright orange smoke.

SOP:
Standard operating procedure or the written way things are done.

Stokes litter:
 A basket looking device, similar to a stretcher that is lowered by wench from a chopper to a survivor for pick up.

Starlight scope:
A night scope to intensify images at night by using reflected light form the moon, stars or any other source of light.

SRU-21/P Survival Vest:
 A mesh vest worn by aircrew members that contains survival gear to keep them alive and to assist in rescue.  It has flares, radio, matches and much more for survival.

Strobe Light
: Hand held strobe light for marking landing zones at night

Team Leader:
 The leader of a team of military men and he/she is in charge. The team leader can be either an officer or NCO, depending on the mission.

UH-1H:
a Huey helicopter

Wood line:
A row of trees at the edge of a field

About the Author

 
W.R. Benton
is an Amazon Best Selling Author and has previously authored books of fiction, non-fiction and Southern humor.  Such notable authors as, Matt Braun, Stephen Lodge, Don Bendell, and many others have endorsed his work. His survival book, “
Simple Survival, a Family Outdoors Guide
,” is a 2005 Silver Award Winner from the Military Writers Society of American.  Additionally, this book added to the prestigious Estes Park Library in Colorado. James Drury, "The Virginian," endorsed his latest two Western books, "
War Paint
" and "
James McKay, U.S. Army Scout
."

Mister Benton has an Associate Degree in Search and Rescue, Survival Operations, a baccalaureate in Occupational Safety and Health, and a Masters Degree in Psychology completed except for his thesis.  Sergeant Benton retired from the military in 1997, with over twenty-six years of active duty, and at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (E-8).  He spent twelve years as a Life Support Instructor where he taught aircrew members how to use survival gear, survival procedures, and parachuting techniques. Gary has attended the following United States Air Force Survival Schools:

Basic Survival Training
Water Survival Training
Jungle Survival Training
Arctic Survival Training

Sergeant Benton also has over 12 years of classroom instruction as a Life Support Instructor, where he trained thousands of men and women.

Mr. Benton and his wife, Melanie, live near Jackson, Mississippi, with three dogs and two cats.  
To learn more about W.R. Benton, visit
www.simplesurvival.net
or
www.wrbenton.net
.

Other books by Gary Benton

IMPENDING
DISASTERS

“How you and your family can survive America's deadly changing weather”

Now available for Kindle, Nook and iPad e-readers:

Kindle version:  
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANV97IW

Nook version:   
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impending-disasters-gary-l-benton/1113924268?ean=2940015717310

Apple iBooks:  
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780985129279

This book covers most major disasters and how to stay safe if you decide to evacuate or stay. It has a section on prolonged survival, which will assist keeping you alive after the natural disaster has done its damage. Many people die following natural disasters, from one mishap or another, but you can learn to survive.