Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
characters. Try to recall the names of your classmates from the first grade.
Mentally relive your favorite vacation. You can see the point here. Think
actively and vigorously. If you are given writing materials, you can com-
pose the great American novel.
Pray. Pray often and earnestly and rely on the Creator of the Universe
to sustain you. Prayer is an extremely powerful thing, even more so in cap-
tivity. While communication with other prisoners is also important if pos-
sible, it is always possible to talk with God. If you are of Jewish or Christian
heritage, recall the Psalms as best you can. Admiral Jeremiah Denton, a
pilot held captive by the North Vietnamese during the war in Vietnam for
over seven and a half years, has written of the way that prayer sustained
him as he endured one hellish day after the next. Denton was confined to
a coffin-size cell and tortured. In fact, while being filmed as a prisoner of
the North Vietnamese in 1966 just 10 months after his capture, Denton
used Morse code to blink the word “torture” to the outside world. His
devout faith as a Roman Catholic sustained him during his incarceration.
As a fascinating aside, Denton has spoken at length of how he kept his
mind active. He stated that his clarity of thought became such that he was
able to calculate the formula for centrifugal force in his head, something
he couldn't do with pencil and paper at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Mentally take notes of as much detail as you can concerning the loca-
tion where you are being held and the people holding you. Not only will
this help keep your mind active, it also will provide assistance to those try-
ing to locate and identify the bad guys after you are ransomed or rescued.
Try to notice the weak points in your abductors' security. Escape is a
difficult prospect even for well-trained individuals, and we will discuss it
in a moment. For now, consider escape foremost as a mental exercise. Plan
your escape, even if it is not an option for you.
The general consensus regarding escape is that attempts are not rec-
ommended. Many factors lead to this recommendation. You probably
don't know where you are being held. If you managed to escape, you have
no idea whether you are in the middle of a hostile neighborhood or ter-
rorist enclave. Or perhaps, like the dozens of people kidnapped and held
in the jungles of the Philippines or Colombia, you may be many miles
away from any help. Could you find your way out of a jungle with no
equipment, food, or water?
If you do try to escape and are recaptured, you probably will be
severely punished for the attempt. Certainly, any rapport you have man-
aged to build with your captors will be gone. You may be beaten, starved,
