Escape and Evasion

Our next block of training was, I think, resistance and evasion training. We had academics on base where we recieved Code Of Conduct training. I don’t recall how long it was but it was at least a week, maybe longer. We were paired up in travel teams and we worked on getting our equipment prepared. Some of it was improvised equipment, pack straps, water bag carriers and some of the equipment we had made for familiarization. I was paired up with Scott Ernsberger. He was a tall slender guy similar to me. Later he married the daughter of Liz and Phillip Chapman, who we had met some time during training through another classmate. He was dating her. Scott and Barbara had a couple of children. I’m not sure how long they were married before Scott killed himself, several years though. Any way the class got on the bus and off to the field we went. We went to the LPO again. By the time we got to the field all the snow was gone. The first couple of days was spent learning about evasion camps. My element set one up and stayed in camp a couple of days learning such things as, evasion shelters, food and water procurement in a hostile environment, signaling in a hostile environment, map and compass work and evasion travel.
After a couple of days in a camp we headed out on evasion travel with the instructors. This went on for two days. We learned and practiced travel techniques, travel interval, being quite and keeping our eyes open. The evening of the second day we made a cold camp and evasion shelters. Our element was well spread out. I really can’t remember where the others in my element had placed their shelters or what they looked like. I was too preoccupied with making my own. It was just a tree that had fallen over, not quite on the ground. Tree limbs had fallen on top of the trunk and bushes were growing on each side. I just wove my poncho through the limbs to cover me and keep the cold and dampness off of me and rolled out my sleeping bag. By this time it was dark so I went to bed. I was very tired so I soon fell asleep.
I was awakened some time during the night, I don’t know what time, by a lot of shooting and explosions and people screaming. The aggressors had hit the camp. I could hear them screaming at my classmates whenever they found one. Boy, they sure found a lot of them. I stayed so still. I was afraid they would find me. I could hear them looking for me, saying “I know he’s here somewhere”. The raid lasted a long time. Eventually they went away and I was able to go back to sleep. I didn’t think it was safe to get out and see who was left so I waited until morning. I don’t know how Scott did it but he wasn’t captured either. We had the coordinates for the mid point so we took off. At the mid point we would get the coordinates for the point for that night and so it went for three days and nights. Later I would hear stories about those that were captured.
The night before the final point was at what we called the chimney. It was the chimney and foundation of a structure that had burned to the ground. We must have entered into an evasion net because we were allowed to have a fire and there were more of us present. Someone had killed a porcupine and we roasted it and ate it. It was the first time I had eaten porcupine. It sure was good.
The next morning Scott and I were off again, evading to the final point where the busses were to pick us up. When we got there about half of the class was already there. We all smoked and talked about out experiences while waiting for the rest of our classmates to come in.
Finally we were all gathered and the busses pulled up and we were loaded on and went back to the base. We were all in high spirits and talked a lot the first half of the trip back. By the time we arrived in Spokane we were all asleep I’m sure. We had all made it, we thought.
On Rambo road a truck pulled out in front of the bus and the bus driver had to slam on his brakes. Men with guns forced their way onto the bus screaming at us, telling us to put our heads down and shut up.
They threw cloth bags at each of us telling us to put them on our heads and to keep our heads down. Then we were driven to the resistance training camp where we spent the next three days.
Fast forward to repatriation three days later. We got back to our rooms and cleaned up. The hot shower felt wonderful. Then it was downtown to eat. We didn’t order quite as much food as the last time though.