Survivalist Forum banner

Military survival instructor

5K views 44 replies 33 participants last post by  Ricekila 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi my name is Dave and I am a military SERE (survival) Instructor. I have over 14 years of SERE experience and have taught everyone from aircrew to engineers to life support equipment guys to Special Forces from all arms of the military and several foreign armed forces. I have practical and applied knowledge in Desert, Jungle, Temperate, Urban, Coastal and Sea Survival as well as fast jet ejection drills and helicopter underwater escape training (the Dunker).

I have several other unique skill-sets to draw upon such as Team Medic, Combat Recovery, search and rescue, conduct-after-capture, fieldcraft, survival planning, Joint Personnel Recovery (JPR), combat first aid, evasion, resistance training, unarmed combat, psychology of survival, advanced driving/riding, Police Response driver, scuba diving, threat evaluation, intelligence preparation, electronic warfare, private pilot and many other niche areas.

I am a prepper, but rely more on knowledge and skills as my default setting, anything else I can buy to help me then my default position should the SHTF will be much more comfortable. I plan for the worst but hope (and prep) for the best :)

I intend to contribute as much as I can over the years by utilising my experience, knowledge and in-depth research with references for any opinions I have.

I have a dislike for the following -

- Celebrity survival 'experts' who either make things up, are down right dangerous or spend the night in hotels after filming. If you talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk!

- People who will not change their opinion despite overwhelming proof to the contrary.

- Bullies or intimidating those less able to look after themselves i.e. children, animals or vulnerable members of society.

- Racists, bigots, various flavours of 'phobes' or downright ignorant people. The world is full of unique people who are all different, this doesn't make them bad or lesser, just different. And no, I am not a 'snowflake' or liberal!

- People hiding behind a keyboard and using that disconnection from real people to exercise their stupid gene. If you wont say it in front of the person, don't say it. It's just plain cowardice!

- Politicians. No matter what flavour they are, they are all taking away liberties, raising taxes and making deals with the devil to further their own ends. The 'system' is built on inherent corruption, no matter what country you are from.

I have a love for the following -

- Healthy debate

- Being challenged

- Learning new skills/information

- Teaching

- Constructive criticism.

- Understanding that people who hurt, are normally hurting. Showing a bit of empathy and understanding can work wonders.

That's is me in a nutshell, please reach out and give me a shout if you have any questions or thoughts.

I also have a blog that I started called SurvivorChap.com which I intend to get back to very soon.

Chat soon

Dave
 
See less See more
#8 ·
Welcome.

Looks like you will be a valuable addition.

While looking through your introduction you mentioned advanced driving/riding.

I am familiar with defensive driving as well as driving in hostile environments...but curious as to what "advanced riding" is...are you referring to a gunner position, keeping a VIP in a safe position or?

I never thought of riding as a particular skillset, but never turn down a chance to learn...would you mind to start a thread on advanced driving and riding?

Thanks
 
#25 ·
Advanced Driving is a UK qualification that encompasses cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles such as HGVs (Semi trucks for those in the USA). I am a rare breed in that I hold all three qualifications, which is very unusual, but I love a challenge, lol.

The elevator pitch - Advanced driving/riding is all about using a system of car control to ensure a smooth drive, avoiding danger and making the maximum amount of progress whilst minimising risk to yourself.

The longer version - It is open to anyone and is run by the Institute of Advanced Motorists; their aim is to make the roads a safer place. You basically are taught certain simple skills and concepts over the space of 10 - 30 lessons before being put forward for your advanced test. This test is conducted with a UK Traffic Policeman who holds the highest driving qualification in the UK. It's pretty tough, but SO satisfying.

It is internationally recognised and helps to reduce insurance premiums due to the statistical risk reduction that IAM members who have completed the test present for an insurance company.

The riding qualification has saved me from 2 potentially fatal motorbike accidents and several smaller 'bumps'.

have a look at the link below

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAM_RoadSmart#Advanced_driving_test

On top of this I also completed a Police Response driver course in order to drive a high performance Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) for the ambulance service on 'blue lights'.

I was a volunteer medic for 5 yrs with a scheme run by the ambulance service which utilised military personnel in rural areas answering 999 (911) calls. For my last 2 years I ran the team for my unit which was a true privilege and was REALLY rewarding.

This meant I got a lot of medical training and they got a medic for 'free' and patients lived; win/win/win.

Regarding starting a thread, what exactly would you guys want to learn as I am more than happy to do that. I love teaching and sharing knowledge, just let me know.
 
#9 ·
Welcome.

I had a bit of interaction with UK Forces over the years. Army, Navy, Royal Marines, & RAF. Even Territorials. Cold War, BAOR, Gulf War, Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq. All of it good. Superb folks.

I was privileged to visit your scenic & friendly nation several times. Damn near pickled my liver in places like Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Oxford, Kings Lynn, RAF Sculthorpe, RAF Machrihanish, Catterick ITC... and a few other locations.

Take it slow and steady. It's a great forum. Credible experience gradually speaks for itself, but you'll encounter occasional folks who either don't appreciate it, openly doubt it, or just like to argue. Don't take it personally. There's always a much larger audience that tends to read more than they post. They'll appreciate the information sharing.
 
#26 ·
Why thank you! Truly humbled by your comments.

I know what you mean pickling your liver, the Brits love to show those from the other side of the pond how to drink properly :D::thumb:

I am mega impressed with the forum so far, it has a wealth of info. I have already stumbled across several 'characters' already, lol. Live is too short to stress about those that aren't worth the key strokes :rolleyes:
 
#21 ·
Cheers, Dave.. :cool:

..Ever plan to come to the US / teach any Classes / Courses? Specifically, keen on:

...Team Medic, Combat Recovery, search and rescue, conduct-after-capture, fieldcraft, survival planning, Joint Personnel Recovery (JPR), combat first aid, evasion, resistance training, unarmed combat, psychology of survival, advanced driving/riding, scuba diving, threat evaluation, intelligence preparation, electronic warfare and many other niche areas...
...Let us know, I'd, for one, Sign up... :thumb:

Thx, m8...
jd
 
#23 ·
Cheers, Dave.. :cool:

..Ever plan to come to the US / teach any Classes / Courses? Specifically, keen on:



...Let us know, I'd, for one, Sign up... :thumb:

Thx, m8...
jd
Hahaha, thanks for the vote of confidence, I am a busy, busy man between young children, a wife, work, completing a part-time Masters Degree and numerous other things.... If I get 2 minutes to myself over the next few years I will let you know :)

I will post on here though, so that will have to do for now I am afraid, lol. If you have any questions then I will do my best.
 
#32 ·
Welcome to the forum. I look forward to your posts and insights.

I got to serve with some really great British military soldiers when I was assigned at SHAPE. I loved their fondness of darts and a good beer! :thumb:
 
  • Like
Reactions: SSGNasty
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top