How to Escape a Theater of War

With dramatic increases in the number of military situations throughout the world, it’s very possible if not inevitable for civilians to find themselves in a live combat zone. If they want to survive they have to get themselves and their families into a working mindset which allows everyone involved to stay focused on living so that they all stand a better chance of combat survival. This short article will offer some of the best advice for those caught in these situations.

The first point of your combat survival requires you to assemble your family and anyone who is going with you so you can make and explain your plans to everyone, including any children. It’s vitally important that you all decide which path is best and then rank any secondary paths in order of their usefulness should your preferred path be blocked.

You must then pack and ration any supplies your group will require and remember that each person must have some food and water on their person in case they get lost. Backpacks are pretty much ideal for this purpose.

In terms of getting lost or separated, it might also be useful to discuss some tactical code words that all party members will recognize. Should the escape party get separated, this would assure you that any messages given to the escapees by third parties are genuine or not. If a third party attempts to communicate with the escapees without the code, they should be considered dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

As it will be easier to get separated than it will be to stay together, particularly in the noise, confusion and mayhem of live combat, the party should determine some rally points before any escape. You should think of pre-planned landmarks or attractions, though it might be a wiser idea to use family-orientated landmarks such as an uncle’s house or somewhere that all family members are readily familiar with. Each member of the escape party must be aware of each rally point if they get separated and a new waypoint must be set and confirmed with each member every time a point is passed.

Everyone should be careful with every step so that the family can avoid trip wires, traps and IEDs commonly found in warzones, particularly at or near food and water sources as these areas often contain explosives. If an air flare is set off each member of the escape party must close both eyes, hit the ground and remain motionless.

Lastly,the escapees must travel by night and, unfortunately, you have to avoid other people at all costs as it can often be difficult to know who to trust in a combatescape situation. In addition, the larger your family group, it is much more likely that you’ll be seen and or killed. In essence, it takes extreme discipline to survive a combat zone by walking away from it.