West Point and the 101st Airborne Division Teaches Survival Training

West Point’s Department of Military Instruction and the 101st Airborne Division task force teamed up to provide cadets with a crash course in tactical survival—teaching them how to endure, adapt, and lead in austere, hostile environments during Cadet Summer Training June 9-14 at the U.S. Military Academy.

Cadets received comprehensive instruction on starting fires, finding water, foraging for food and other survival skills designed to reinforce discipline and focus in high-stress moments during a critical mission.

"The goal is to help cadets develop a mindset that can adapt, improvise, and persist under difficult circumstances in non-permissible environments," said Sgt. Tristan Murdock, the lead instructor of the training course.

With that mindset in focus, training kicked off with one of the most essential survival skills: building a fire. The task force split cadets into multiple groups and tasked them with gathering materials for a fire.

In a typical survival situation, people often think of crafting a bow drill from dry forest materials. However, in an emergency, a soldier must use whatever supplies are available.

"Pages from a notepad, alcohol from hand sanitizer, items from an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat kit) or wood chips carved from tree bark can all be used as tinder," said instructor Pfc. Cole Page. "The idea is to survive to complete the mission. Whatever you have on you at that moment can be burned to keep you alive."

After piling an adequate amount of tinder into their makeshift hearths, cadets began scraping the spine of a ferrocerium rod with a knife, igniting sparks to start flames. Afterward, Page explained how fires can regulate body temperature and prevent hypothermia, dry wet clothes, cook and eliminate harmful bacteria and parasites from raw meat, and make some unsafe water sources drinkable.

Understanding how fire supports survival is critical—not just for comfort, but for maintaining the strength and clarity needed to finish the mission. Murdock added to Page's instruction by stressing the importance of patience during a survival situation, especially during a critical mission behind enemy lines.

Because thermal imaging and night vision optics can easily detect heat signatures and smoke plumes, cadets learned how to dig and construct cover fire pits, trench fires and other hard-to-detect makeshift hearths.

"The human eye can identify a lit match at night (with no obstructions) from two miles away," Murdock explained. "When you're in these dangerous situations you have to keep calm and think. Be patient."

After building a fire, cadets turned to securing clean water, another vital component in sustaining strength and readiness. In austere environments, dehydration quickly affects cognition and physical performance. Cadets practiced ways to secure water—ensuring they stay sharp and mission-ready even when gear fails.

Pfc. Peyton Henniger instructed cadets on various methods of water filtration, conducting hands-on training with issued water filters, and how to use tools provided by nature to filter water in case issued equipment is damaged. Iodine tablets, LifeStraw, and rainwater gathering were also among the items and methods discussed during the lesson.

"If rainwater's coming down, you use your issued tarps and ponchos,” Henniger explained. “You can make a tarp, hang it from a tree at elevation, and pour it down to the five-gallon jug if it's coming down heavy that day. If not, you find a leaf, preferably head level and lower, and hold a canteen cup against the leaf. There's various ways of gathering water."

Henniger also showed how to build an earth filter using rocks, coarse sand, and charcoal. Cadets learned to layer these materials in a cone-shaped container—or funnel dug into the ground—to trap debris before boiling the water to kill pathogens. He concluded the lesson with a warning: avoid stagnant water, which is often contaminated with viruses and parasites.

Next, Pfc. Cameron Guimond provided detailed instructions on one of the toughest challenges in a survival situation—how to hunt for food in enemy terrain.

"If it's a team stranded in a survival situation, you want three or four people in your platoon setting traps. You're going to set 20 to 30 traps. They'll continuously rotate and monitor these traps, rebating, resetting and grabbing anything that's out there," Guimond said. "You don't just want your traps to be out there in the open for everyone to see because I guarantee you your enemies know the woodland terrain more than you do.”

Cadets then received a step-by-step demonstration on how to prepare a rabbit. Guimond showed how to skin, gut, and butcher the animal safely to avoid contamination.

During a mission, successful foraging isn’t just about abating hunger—it’s about keeping your team alive, undetected, and ready to move.

As the training concluded, Murdock emphasized that the most valuable lessons weren’t just physical.

“Survival isn't just knowing how to start a fire or find water," Murdock con. "It's maintaining mental fortitude and strategic thinking in challenging environments, whether it's in home turf or enemy territory."