U.S. Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological And Chemical Survival Manual - Softcover

Couch, Dick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 046500797X ISBN 13: 9780465007974

Publisher: Basic Books, 2003

Synopsis

In this comprehensive guide, military experts teach you how to survive an attack on American soil, from North Korean missiles to weaponized smallpox

North Korean nukes. Dirty bombs in train stations. Chemical warfare. Americans have more reasons than ever to be afraid. If a nuclear missile strikes, will you know what to do? If a nerve agent is released in your office building, will you know the best way to avoid harm? The U.S. Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Survival Manual gives you the information you need to survive a terrorist attack. It contains the best practices of all the United States' military services, adapted for the first time for civilian use. Experts agree that the threats posed by terrorists and enemy nations have never been graver. This handbook is the single most effective tool you can own to protect yourself and your family against the danger looming over our homeland.

This manual will show you how to:
- Protect yourself during a chemical or biological attack
- Recognize the indicators of nuclear, chemical and biological attack
- Develop a simple and effective family action plan
- Guard against the radiological effects of a dirty bomb
- Assist victims of nuclear, chemical, or biological agents
- Assemble and store the everyday materials that could save your life

About this title

About the Author:

Dick Couch, Captain, U.S. Navy (retired), is a former Navy SEAL, combat veteran and CIA case officer. He is the author of four novels, SEAL Team One, Pressure Point, Silent Descent, and Rising Wind, and a nonfiction book on the training of navy SEALS, The Warrior Elite. An avid skier and fly fisherman, Dick and his wife, Julia, live in central Idaho.

From Publishers Weekly:

Preparing for the unthinkable is the key to our Code Orange way of life, according to this fact-filled but awkwardly packaged primer. Couch, an ex-Navy Seal and author of The Warrior Elite, has culled military and government publications for "best practices" in coping with nuclear, biological and chemical attacks, which he presents along with gruesome lore on the history, use and effects of NBC weapons. There's a lot of information, but much of it is not for the average reader. One chapter covers protective military gear that Couch concedes is not very appropriate for civilians, and half the book is taken up by appendices, including a lengthy one of NBC casualty treatment protocols for doctors and nurses. While many of the procedures here require special equipment and training, there are some simple tips for laypeople. Curling up in a basement corner after a nuclear blast, for example, can cut your radiation dose by a factor of ten (provided you are outside the "100 percent lethality " zone), while heavy clothing and a wet cloth over the nose and mouth help protect in a chemical or biological strike. After an attack, most fallout/toxins/spoors can be washed off, preferably with diluted bleach. And do use that duct tape. The manual is written in a dryly technical, safety-label style whose authoritative tone is reassuring ("If exposed to a chemical attack and protective gear is not available, attempt to seek shelter and to minimize the inhalation of the agent"). Readers will hopefully never need to use any of this advice, but some may sleep easier knowing they could.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 046500797X
• ISBN 13: 9780465007974
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256