State of California – Military Department California Cadet Corps CURRICULUM ON MILITARY KNOWLEDGE Strand M10: Field Skills Level 11 This Strand is composed of the following components: A. Bivouac B. Outdoor Team-Building Activities C. Outdoor Skill-Building Activities “Rock the Bivouac!” Updated: 09 April 2019 California Cadet Corps Strand M10: Field Skills Table of Contents A. Bivouac .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................. 3 A1. Introduction to/Planning Bivouacs ................................................................................................. 5 A2. Knots ............................................................................................................................................... 6 A3. Knife Safety and Operation ........................................................................................................... 11 A4. Food Planning and Menus ............................................................................................................ 21 A5. Field Cooking ................................................................................................................................. 23 A6. Fire ................................................................................................................................................ 25 A7. Tent Shelters ................................................................................................................................. 29 A8. Hygiene ......................................................................................................................................... 30 A9. Map Reading / Direction Finding .................................................................................................. 33 A10. Bivouac Safety ............................................................................................................................. 38 A11. Guard Duty / Fire Watch ............................................................................................................. 41 A12. Packing Lists ................................................................................................................................ 42 References .............................................................................................................................................. 45 2 California Cadet Corps Strand M10: Field Skills A. Bivouac Standard #1: Students gain identity and belonging as a Cadet while developing self-control, respect, discipline and confidence. OBJECTIVES DESIRED OUTCOME (Self-Mastery) Unit conducts one bivouac per year that meets the parameters of the Annual General Inspection (AGI) to achieve a Superior rating and Cadets earn a bivouac ribbon. Plan of Action: 1. Leadership develops goals (in compliance with district guidelines), staff assignments, mission statement, risk assessment, logistical needs, OPORDER (CR 3-14, Appendix C), AAR, and training schedule. 2. Demonstrate the ability to tie each of the eight knots listed and give the purpose each knot is used for. 3. Demonstrate safe ways to use a knife in a field environment, and identify the rules associated with knife safety. 4. Discuss the options for individual Cadet meals and snacks at a bivouac. 5. Identify equipment needed to cook in the field. 6. Name the three types of material needed to start a fire; identify advantages to each of the named methods of building a fire. 7. Discuss where to put your tent or shelter, hazards to look for and avoid, and how to avoid having rainwater pool in your shelter. 8. Describe how to keep clean while in on a bivouac, what to do for a blister, and how to remove a tick 9. Use a compass to determine magnetic direction and how to proceed along a given azimuth in a compass course, plus establish the individual’s pace count. 10. Discuss the contingency plans a unit must have for medical care, Cadet safety (Rule of Three), and bivouac hazards. 11. Explain why a unit might have Cadets pull guard duty/fire watch during a bivouac and generally how it works. 12. Develop a packing list for a bivouac. 3 California Cadet Corps Strand M10: Field Skills Supplies Suggested (by lesson section): A2 – 12” lengths of rope for Cadets to practice knot tying A3 – “Knife” props (pens and pencils will work fine) A6 – “Wood” props (dowel rods, pieces of wood/bamboo, etc.) to demonstrate fire building A9 – Compasses (Silva and/or Lensatic); props to designate a 100-meter distance on the ground; Refer to the “Constructing the Course” supplemental (online) document for the list of supplies needed for the Practicum at the end of section A9 4 California Cadet Corps Strand M10: Field Skills A1. Introduction to/Planning Bivouacs A bivouac is like a camping trip but with a military theme. In Cadet Corps, bivouacs are an opportunity to go to the field overnight, learn basic field skills, and practice leadership in an environment that encourages independence, initiative, teamwork, and adherence to our core values of selfless service, integrity, and respect. We have a regulation that gives us guidelines for bivouacs: CR 3-2, Chapter 2. CR 3-2 lists some of the activities that you might find at a bivouac as: 1. Map reading 2. Compass use 3. Orienteering biv•ou•ac 4. First Aid (ˈbɪv uˌæk, ˈbɪv wæk) 5. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) 6. Marksmanship n., v. -acked, -ack•ing. n. 7. Hunter safety 1. a military encampment made with tents. 2. the place used for such an encampment. 8. Disaster preparedness v.i. 9. Mountaineering 3. to assemble in a bivouac. 10. Leadership Reaction Courses [1700–10; < French < Swiss German bīwacht 11. Survival auxiliary patrol =bī- by- + wacht patrol, watch] 12. Guard duty (Dictionary, 2010) 13. Field hygiene and sanitation 14. Team building We do all of these things at bivouacs, and many more. Each unit or brigade has its own traditional bivouac activities. If your unit or brigade hasn’t sponsored a bivouac in the past, it’s never too late to start. Bivouacs don’t need to be complicated! They just need to present the opportunity to practice the many military skills that the California Cadet Corps offers. Commandants and Brigade Advisors are responsible for ensuring the safety of Cadets in attendance at local field training. In addition, Commandants ensure that instruction during field training is of high quality, and whenever practical, delivered by knowledgeable Cadets. Further, Commandants and Brigade Advisors work with senior Cadet leaders to plan field training and allow Cadet leaders the opportunity to experience important responsibilities of command and staff operations, to include: 1. Command and Control 2. Accountability and Risk Assessment 3. Morale activities 4. Personnel management 5. Formations and foot movement of personnel 6. Supply & Logistics management 7. Radio Communications 8. Public relations 9. Lesson planning 10. Supervision of Cadet instruction 11. Development of Training Schedules and Operations Orders/Plans 5 California Cadet Corps Strand M10: Field Skills Cadet Commanders are responsible for developing mission statements for bivouacs, establishing goals that support that mission, and developing measurable objectives and assessment systems to determine the extent to which the Cadet Commander’s mission has been successfully achieved. Refer to CR 3-14 for more guidance on this process. Cadet staff members are responsible for developing an operations order (see CR 3-14) in response to the Cadet Commander’s stated mission and implementing that plan with support from subordinate Cadets. In addition, Cadet staff members assist the Cadet Commander in evaluating the success or failure of the stated mission, goals, and objectives. Use these lessons to get ideas for what you want to do at your own bivouac, and to help prepare yourself for the training you will receive when you go on a bivouac. A2. Knots When you’re engaged in outdoor activities, at some point you’ll need to tie a knot. Knot-tying is practiced by sailors and fishermen, outdoorsmen, scouts, and survivalists. Knowing how to tie a few basic knots, and what knot to use for each contingency, could save your life! Here are some rope characteristics and definitions. Use these when you’re learning to tie knots! Some knot-related terms: Derived, with some changes, from (Green, 2013) Bend: knots used to join two ropes. Bight: is a curve in the rope created by folding your rope in half so the working end and standing end are parallel to each other. Not to be confused with a loop! Binding Knot: used to hold an item in place or bundle several items together. Not to be confused with lashing, whipping, or seizing as these are technically not knots. Breaking Strain: or breaking load indicates how much strain a rope theoretically can handle before it breaks. Capsizing: a knot that has deformed into a different structure, sometimes the result of incorrect tying or misuse. Dressing (a knot): Finishing off a knot by tightening it while arranging the different parts into the right place to create a strong, tight and neat looking knot. Flake: Coil. “Flaking a line” is the term used for coiling a rope. Hitch: used to tie a rope to another object such as a pole. As opposed to a knot where you tie two ropes to each other or the rope to itself. Jamming Knot: