I'm an ancient civilian - this doctrine applies to my preferred recreation of extended motorcycle touring.
Wet/damp riding, in wet/damp riding kit, day after day, is a reality. A system/practice of getting dry while not moving is critical to safety while riding and returning home intact.
One can fall victim to hypothermia in summer. How many stories have been told of hikers in summer being caught in a rain and or hail storm at higher elevations and come close to dying or outright dying from exposure. The Marine Corps clothing in the 1970’s was pretty consistently bad for any clime and place. Hopefully it is getting better. It is a simple way to keep morale up, dry clothing, warm clothing, hot chow even if it is a MRE. Some things never change. One wonders of the tens of thousands of casualties suffered by Napoleon’s Army in its retreat from Moscow, how many were due to weather. Germans at Stalingrad? Great post!
Great article. Also a civilian but one who ran a climbing guide service and taught winter mountaineering for decades, including to special forces. Always a dry pair of socks to sleep, do as much as possible from your bag— many similarities here, but you do lay it out very clearly and stress some things (changing back into wet for movement)that I now think I sometimes did but never stressed enough in teaching. Thanks.
What a great piece; it would be great to see some senior leadership let their people start implementing this. And for anyone worried about "staying hard" by just gutting it out, "old Corps" style, I'm sure there's a real mind-screw putting back on those wet clothes, so there you go.
The two things that surprised me most about trenchfoot is A, how fast it set in, and B, how much it hurt. One simply cannot stand on feet so affected. It hurt too badly. In less than half a day you are a casualty. It took me many days to fully heal from it.
I remember hearing that a Commando once told a bunch of Lieutenants he could fight better comfortable. I take it as if your legs are strong you can take more to be comfortable, if you're more comfortable you're more lethal. No one is ready to fight when it's 33°, pouring rain, and you're soaked to the bone.
Oh God, not the Wet-Dry Drill! An emotional experience for anyone who has done it in winter...
It's not just the Royal Marines that do so - we are taught the same in the British Army as well.
Excellent article...Thanks for sharing this!
I'm an ancient civilian - this doctrine applies to my preferred recreation of extended motorcycle touring.
Wet/damp riding, in wet/damp riding kit, day after day, is a reality. A system/practice of getting dry while not moving is critical to safety while riding and returning home intact.
Thank you for laying this out so clearly.
One can fall victim to hypothermia in summer. How many stories have been told of hikers in summer being caught in a rain and or hail storm at higher elevations and come close to dying or outright dying from exposure. The Marine Corps clothing in the 1970’s was pretty consistently bad for any clime and place. Hopefully it is getting better. It is a simple way to keep morale up, dry clothing, warm clothing, hot chow even if it is a MRE. Some things never change. One wonders of the tens of thousands of casualties suffered by Napoleon’s Army in its retreat from Moscow, how many were due to weather. Germans at Stalingrad? Great post!
It's great until you come under contact when in your dry kit, and your reactions quickly render your dry kit wet😩.
Great article. Also a civilian but one who ran a climbing guide service and taught winter mountaineering for decades, including to special forces. Always a dry pair of socks to sleep, do as much as possible from your bag— many similarities here, but you do lay it out very clearly and stress some things (changing back into wet for movement)that I now think I sometimes did but never stressed enough in teaching. Thanks.
What a great piece; it would be great to see some senior leadership let their people start implementing this. And for anyone worried about "staying hard" by just gutting it out, "old Corps" style, I'm sure there's a real mind-screw putting back on those wet clothes, so there you go.
The two things that surprised me most about trenchfoot is A, how fast it set in, and B, how much it hurt. One simply cannot stand on feet so affected. It hurt too badly. In less than half a day you are a casualty. It took me many days to fully heal from it.
I remember hearing that a Commando once told a bunch of Lieutenants he could fight better comfortable. I take it as if your legs are strong you can take more to be comfortable, if you're more comfortable you're more lethal. No one is ready to fight when it's 33°, pouring rain, and you're soaked to the bone.