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Ive heard that in extreme cases you can let maggots infest a wound to clean it as they only eat dead flesh.

Not so extreme. Hospitals still use leeches and maggots for certain wounds. Maggots are particularly useful in cases of gangrene.

Aye - Andy.

Hello everyone,

I would like to ask a couple of more questions but I am really shy and embarrassed to ask because they are probably too trivial to answer by your high standards. Its regarding personal hygiene in the jungle. Please may I get your permission first ?

Thanks Sticky Blue !

I was wondering, when you people are in the middle of this rough jungle on an excercise and its really hot, humid, sweaty and muddy with the snakes and creepie crawlies for company but...
1) Where do you wash yourselves without falling prey to potential infection (if you have no access to clean running water) ?
2) How many times in a week do you people take a proper wash (your jungle version of a shower ) in these places ?
3) How many times in a week do you change your combat clothes in the jungle ?
4)If your clothes get really dirty and soggy how and where do you wash them if these places are swampy areas (or do you take a spare set of clothing) ?


I feel really silly asking these questions, but I can't help being curious.

Hi Marina,

A shortage of water is not a major problem in the jungle, it is more of the type of body of water, streams, static pools, etc: When filling water bottles, never fill from the edge of a stream or static pool.

Depending on the operation will depend on how often you can wash. One can bathe in a pond surrounded by tropical fish, or if you are really lucky you will come across a small water fall.

Troops do carry spare kit which they can change into. Dhobi can be done if the situation allows it. After some exercises the men come out of the jungle stinking to high heavens and their clothes falling apart.

Everything depends on the tactical situation. You would not want to date any of them when they first come out of the jungle, but after a shave, hot shower, loads of foo foo and a change of clothes, stand by ladies.

Aye - Andy.

There's plenty of water Marina, it's keeping dry that's the problem.

I seem to recall that during jungle ops in Borneo we did not change, wash or clean our teeth ......... the clothes rotted on our backs, our boots fell apart but our AR15s were spotless !

As for baby-wipes .... they had not been invented then .... anyway they would have been totally useless since the smell would have told our friends where we were .........

As for a change ... no, just an OG greatcoat to keep warm at night.

Fubar is right, no washing, no smoking, no teeth cleaning (or not with toothpaste anyway) and no cooking were the order of the day. Even returning to the dugout that was home meant the other occupants (the two legged rats ) would refuse entry until you had divested yourself of the rotten OGs and jungle boots and showered. On returning from a cold water shower you started to smell the clothing you had got out of, not apparent whilst you were in it but after you were clean.. yuk!

Barry

No probs for Perce, then

Thank you for your input everyone,
It has been educational and enthralling reading your anecdotes about your military experiences around the world.
Please keep it up wherever or whenever possible.

Cheers !

"Please keep it up wherever or whenever possible.", she said,

Marina, I am sure we all try, we really do, but some of us are getting on in years.

Barry

Lets take this thread off on another tangent.Lets not forget the vegatation
in the jungle can bite back as well."Wait a while",I rest my case!.
SH
Jungle cabbage anyone?.