“Keep your heads down. We’re not gonna blindfold you, but you can’t look outside the van,” states Captain Hoffman, the commander for Romeo Squadron of Hawk Mountain Ranger School. This wilderness survival training center in Pennsylvania pushes teenaged cadets to their breaking points. Those in Romeo are in training to become staff members. The hardest and most famed requirement is the survival hike: a trek through unfamiliar territory without food or rest relying solely on navigation skills to reach civilization again, it tests cadets’ abilities to deal with psychological and physical hardships. Two effects cadets experience are hallucinations and panic attacks.
Primarily, cadets experience hallucinations. A hallucination is when the mind …show more content…
Panic attacks occur when a cadet becomes overwhelmed with the task of hiking and begin to doubt himself and his teammates. Essentially, the cadet gives up. During one hike, a cadet had a panic attack after tripping on a tree root. As she began to cry, she insisted she was fine. When the team stopped, the cadet completely broke down. Her hands shook, she could not breathe, and she was not able to continue for nearly half an hour. Her teammates calmed her down by urging her to drink water and by distracting her with conversation. But not all attacks are as prevalent. Some cadets feel the darkness of the night closing in on them, as a brobdingnagian chasing a midget, and may feel trapped. The panic attacks hurt the team in several ways. Because the cadets must stay together, the attacks excessively slow the group. Second, panic attacks usurp energy, both that of the victim and his or her teammate. Beginning the hike again after a prolonged stop can be tedious. But if a panic attack is not addressed, the cadet may begin to do irrational things and lower the morale of the entire group. If all the cadets become discouraged, they may halt and not begin again. They would sit and languish until their squadron commander finds them. Usually, the shame of giving up and discipline of the Captain Hoffman are enough to push anyone
Primarily, cadets experience hallucinations. A hallucination is when the mind …show more content…
Panic attacks occur when a cadet becomes overwhelmed with the task of hiking and begin to doubt himself and his teammates. Essentially, the cadet gives up. During one hike, a cadet had a panic attack after tripping on a tree root. As she began to cry, she insisted she was fine. When the team stopped, the cadet completely broke down. Her hands shook, she could not breathe, and she was not able to continue for nearly half an hour. Her teammates calmed her down by urging her to drink water and by distracting her with conversation. But not all attacks are as prevalent. Some cadets feel the darkness of the night closing in on them, as a brobdingnagian chasing a midget, and may feel trapped. The panic attacks hurt the team in several ways. Because the cadets must stay together, the attacks excessively slow the group. Second, panic attacks usurp energy, both that of the victim and his or her teammate. Beginning the hike again after a prolonged stop can be tedious. But if a panic attack is not addressed, the cadet may begin to do irrational things and lower the morale of the entire group. If all the cadets become discouraged, they may halt and not begin again. They would sit and languish until their squadron commander finds them. Usually, the shame of giving up and discipline of the Captain Hoffman are enough to push anyone