Jungle Warfare

[BenChug]

This thread reminds me of a recent trip to Fort Lewis USA. The buggers there have "a special type of ants," (F*ck that I says, the only thing special about them is they swarm you.) Upon arrival we were brieffed. There will be no T-Flashes, rounds, boots, fires or accidents of that sort involving these ants, because they are endangered. Who in the sam hells ever heard of bloody endangered ants. They took quite a disliking to the inside of my nose, nothing more satisfying than squishing the vinagerette pinching pricks if you ask me.

[TaffBoz]

Who in the sam hells ever heard of bloody endangered ants.

I refer you to recent news from Germany. Some building or other cannot be built because on endangered ants.

[BenChug]

goddam ants.

[Marina]

Hi Folks,

This is an interesting thread.
I am just curious to know a couple of things.

1)When you guys go out on your jungle warfare training (in a remote area) and if one is bitten by a really poisonous snake or spider. Do your team carry the antidote there or are you shipped out to a Medical facility ?

2)Which is the 'worst' and 'best' jungle warfare location you have ever trained or fought in ?

[Andy O'Pray]

Hi Marina,

You stay up late at night girl. The only thing that NCO's carried with them was morphine and that was meant to relieve pain for certain wounds. We were trained in first aid, including venemous bites, but would have to evacuate the person to an area where proper medical attention could be administered. We now have a new member "Doc" on the site and he will probably give you a more professional answer.

The only tropical jungle that I have had experience in was Malaysia. I will leave it to the more experienced to answer your second question. I was a dessert type person.

Aye - Andy.

[Andy O'Pray]

I do like dessert, but I really meant desert. What is that proof reading thing?

Aye - Andy.

[qcnr]

The only antidote we had was a radio and if you could contact the other end a helicpter would be sent.
This was in Belize.
But like most creepy crawlies they are well gone before you get there. In 6 months I only saw 2 snakes. The most venomous in Belize was a viper by the name of "Fer-de-Lance"

[JR]

Jungle Warfare during the early fifties,any casualties occured would be carried out of the jungle by the patrol and when you consider that most patrols operated in section strength of about 8 to ten men sometimes taking days to march a few miles to reach a rendezvou,I would think our main concern during jungle op's would be leeches and the best way to deal with them was to burn them off with lighted cigarette or if you were lucky Iodine to dab them off,just pulling them off would leave the head of the leech in the flesh causing the wound to fester and before entering swamp area cover the private parts with a 'condom',I cant recollect anyone being bitten by a snake most dangerous animals tended to keep clear of humans,there are the odd occasions of being confronted by a charging water buffalo and then it was a case of who was the fastest?.
Later on when Helicopters came into the arena it was then a case of clearing a place in the thick jungle for the 'Rotary air dryer' to land to take away the casevac,I would also say that Red ants and Mosquitoes were the most irritating but otherwise a most enjoyable commision.Aye JR :

[Marina]

Hi Andy,

I think I've got insomnia these days! I get too many hassles during the day, besides its peaceful at this time. I'm sure I was born a bat in my previous life !
I was actually thinking to ask a few questions about the desert.

Later

To all

You only carried morphine for pain relief and a couple of bottles of iodine !
I am surprised about the snakes avoiding you.
I know what you mean about mosquito and ant bites. (When I was living in Qatar, I had severe ant bite whilst sitting in my garden and I suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction, i.e couldn't breathe, heart rate went up, swelling etc and was given adrenaline, it was scary, I never went in the garden for 6 months).
How did you manage to sleep with these irritants ?
How long were you in the jungle for these exercises ?
Since you guys were wading in these tropical swampy rivers and lakes, I'm curious to know (from a microbiological view) were there any cases of parasitic infections such as schistosomiasis (or known as bilharzia), roundworm, hookworm ??
You guys are very brave, at least you had good time and have fascinating stories to tell.

thanks

[lew]

Join the army travel the world support your own colony of wormy things in your throat lovely

[veloman]

I still have a copy of "Jungle Survival "from my days in 40 cdo Singapore early 70s.In the section covering "venomous snakes" it instructs you to 'identify the snake that bit you'.No doubt a sensible request if it was'nt for the fact that you were in the process of dying at that particular moment of time and not filling out your note book for the doc' to read.I learned to draw my 'goluk' ten times faster than Wyatt Earp could draw his 45 when ever the hint of a snake was around.

PS I still shake out my shoes before putting them on ,and check the toilet bowl for ugly bugs.Conditioned paranoia or what?

Aye Veloman

[JulesB]

Whats the thing that swims up your willy when youre taking a pee in a river?

(Im afraid I dont know the medical terms, but please feel free to quote and edit my post with the appropriate phraseology!)

[Andy O'Pray]

Hi Marina,

I have known of cases of bilharzia in the Middle east, especially after the wadis had flooded. As you will be aware, it is quite common in Egypt. One of the nasties in the jungle is leptospirosis, (Weil's disease). In one case the guy died before they could get him out.

Centipedes are another one to look out for.

While in the then East Pakistan, one of our marines had to go into the water to fix an outboard engine. By the time we got back to Singapore he had broken out in scabs. I saw him 18 months later in the UK and he was still suffering from a skin condition. As the MO said before we went ashore in East Pakistan. They have diseases there that we don't have names for, let alone cures for.

Aye - Andy.