Knowledge

Eventually, all the recovery equipment was expended, but vehicles continued to fail. As a result, the return road march lasted four hours longer than planned. Fortunately, no lives were lost and injuries were limited to smashed fingers and minor cuts.

There are good reasons emergency procedures (EPs) are developed, committed to memory and rehearsed before conducting training or combat operations. The moment an emergency occurs is not the time to become creative or develop a better way to handle the situation. As a Type A personality, I made the mistake of modifying a procedure while in the middle of an emergency, and it could have cost me dearly.