I just completed RET a few weeks ago in SFO and noticed something very odd on the wall in the Slide Raft room:  A blue booklet called 'Survival Manual'.

This little booklet is affixed to the wall (and you can probably see one in all the RET locations) near the survival kits and the beacon.  It has a blue cover, was written by the Department of the Air Force, and is dated August 10, 1969.  I had no idea that we even carry (much less are expected to use) this fascinating information resource.

I guess this booklet is supposed to be read while we (and the passengers) are all sitting in the life rafts (or on the beach a la Tom Hanks) awaiting a rescue.  It covers such topics as food collection, shelter building, first aid, etc...

What makes it so strange are some of the passages inside.  Like the following quote that discusses the important basics of bird survival cuisine (Chapter 2, Page 53):

Parrots, Hawks & Crows can be tough, but soften up when stewed...

No, I'm not kidding, that's an actual quote from the booklet---and there are a million of them, all written in that weird 50's Air Force English.  You know what I'm talking about, the kind of sentences that must have been written by the same guy who narrates the slide-raft-move video.

Strangest of all is how outdated this "Survival" booklet is; having been written back when the very first DC-10s were still being born on the production line.  So check it out the next time you're at RET.  It's got a faded blue cover---you can't miss it.  Besides, it will give you something to do while the 19 other people are busy firing off the Halon and water extinguishers.