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Surviving the United States Air Force Arctic Survival School

Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Surviving the United States Air Force Arctic Survival School” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/united-states-air-force-arctic-survival-school/.

Awesome article Mike! This sounds exactly like the Winter Survival Course I took in northern Alberta - at Jasper National Park. The only thing we didn’t do is the snow shelter stuff. Canada has a separate Arctic Survival Course. The scenario is basically the same. We were given a parachute canopy and cord, and everything else that was contained in an ejection seat seatpack. There were C-rations, sleeping bag, spare socks and mittens, first aid kit, a hatchet, fixed blade and folding knives, saw, wire for snares, wind proof matches, and a little book with instructions on how to build signal fires, snares, para lean-to, first aid instruments, how to make a fish net from parachute cord, etc.
I probably forgot something, been a long time. I just remember that when we got back to the base in Edmonton, I could have fit two of me in my uniform😳.
Every time an article like this comes out, I relive that course and realize that it was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done.
 
Blizzard Arms is located 4,000 feet from the gate to Ft Wainwright and I have lived in Alaska my entire life - I actually know what I’m talking about.

September is NOT what we consider cold!

December/January/February is when it’s actually cold.

-55 last January here at Blizzard Arms.

I went hunting with some soldiers from Ft Wainwright and they were using tents and heaters in September, I was using a tarp to keep my spot dry that’s all. Those are guys who went through arctic survival training.

They also were the most unethical hunters I have ever seen in my entire life.
 
Excellent and informative article. I was in the USMC infantry. I never went to a winter survival school, but spent nights in the snow during training when it was -20 F. Dang! It was cold! Thanks again for writing.
 
Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Surviving the United States Air Force Arctic Survival School” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/united-states-air-force-arctic-survival-school/.

I was fortunate enough to attend both. I went through basic survival school in February at Fairchild AFB WA. The snow was butt deep to a tall giraffe, but the temperature averaged a balmy 5 degrees. Later, when I was flying out of Eielson AFB, I got to attend "Cool School," also in February. It was a bad year for snow, only about a foot of the white stuff on the ground. It made building a snow shelter much more difficult. The high during the days in the field was -35. If you put the rabbits eye balls in the soup, it adds a little salt and tastes better.
 
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