The following mistakes can lead to capture for you and your group: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Lack of, or insufficient, preparation and poor physical condition Absence of either opportunity or motiva- tion Failure to realize civilians areas dangerous to an evader as members of the military Attempting to fit into the society rather than into the background Knowing nothing about the topography, climate, or people of the area Not knowing how to use your equipment, where it is located, or its purpose (and thus its value) Failure to use any opportunity to leave the vicinity of your landing when the enemy is in the area Failure to properly hide discarded equip- ment or trash Improper cover and concealment while traveling Improper and careless use of fire Ineffective and insufficient camouflage of persons, equipment, and shelter Leaving evidence of passage, such as tracks in soft ground and broken twigs Approaching  members  of  the  local population, assuming them to be friendly Lack of noise discipline Traveling too near to roads, streams, lakes, or populated areas Not treating injuries, which can later weaken your evasion chances Failure to use deceptive techniques while procuring domestic plants and animals Taking easy, short travel routes You must consider a lot of conditions when evading the enemy. Remember, you and your group will probably be captured if you are seen. Prisoner-of-War (POW) Camp What happens if you and your group become prisoners of war? After all, that is possible. Isola- tion, fear, injury—all work in favor of the enemy to increase your chances of capture in spite of a determined effort on your part to evade. The sur- render of your arms, however, doesn’t mean you forfeit your responsibilities as an American ser- viceperson. The Code of Conduct directs that you begin planning your escape the minute you are taken prisoner. Escape is tough; not being caught after escape is even tougher.    Escape demands courage, cunning, and much planning—of ways to escape, a route to follow, and the location of friends. Above all, escape demands physical stamina— stamina you must acquire under the worst con- ditions imaginable. Experience has proven that “model” camps with regular rations and con- siderate treatment are the exception. But no mat- ter what extremes you encounter as a POW, strive to keep yourself physically able and sufficiently equipped to escape as soon as possible. If you are captured, try to make your escape early. You may never be in any better physical condition to escape than at that moment. Prison rations barely sustain life, certainly not enough to build up a reserve of energy. The physical treat- ment, lack of medical care, and insufficient rations of prison life soon show their effects in morale and physical weakness, night blindness, and loss of coordination and reasoning power. There are other reasons for making your escape early after your capture. Friendly artillery fire and air strikes occurring during that time may increase your chances of getting away. The first guards you will have are not as well trained in handling prisoners as those farther back from the front lines. Some of the first-line guards may even be walking wounded who are distracted by their own condition. In addition, you know something about the terrain where you are captured, and you know the approximate location of friendly units. Several days later and many miles away, you may be in strange territory. An escape from a POW camp is much more difficult and requires more detailed planning. It must be organized and sup- ported as any other military operation. The misfortune of being captured by the enemy does not end your usefulness to your country. Your duty is to continue to resist the enemy by all possible means, to escape, and to help others escape. While a prisoner of war, never accept special favors in return for your promise not to escape or a promise to provide the enemy with informa- tion. Informing, or any other action endanger- ing the well-being of a fellow prisoner, is FORBIDDEN. Prisoners of war may not help the enemy by identifying fellow prisoners who may have valuable knowledge. If you are the senior person in a POW camp, you must provide strong leadership to maintain discipline. Organization, resistance, and even sur- vival may be extremely difficult without discipline. Therefore, discipline yourself and your group to 6-18