Mike Sager is a retired U.S. Army soldier. At 74, he belongs to the last generation that grew up when these skills were simply part of everyday life: you fixed what broke, grew what you ate and looked after your own.

The Army taught him the rest out in the field: cold nights, soaked gear, long marches under a heavy rucksack, far from the nearest store. Out there, the people who come through are rarely the ones with the most gear. They’re the ones who know how to make do with whatever they have.

He has packed everything he learned in the field into this one book, so you can learn it at your kitchen table instead of the hard way.

Forgotten Military Survival Skills is a sturdy, old-fashioned hardcover with old-school illustrations, so you grasp each skill at a glance instead of wading through page after page of empty words.

It also makes a great gift, especially between parents and children. When you give this book, you’re handing down the very skills that make someone independent and self-reliant. What better gift could there be?

Here’s what you get for every single skill:

1. 1The skill’s name, big and clear
2. 2A big color picture of what you’ll make
3. 3A few plain words on why it matters
4. 4A checklist of everything you need
5. 5Numbered steps, one at a time
6. 6A picture for every step
7. 7A field tip so you get it right the first time
8. 8Spiral binding that lies flat while you work

Built with a durable hardcover and thick, high-quality paper that won’t tear or wear down, so you can use these skills for the rest of your life. And because it’s spiral-bound, it stays open on its own while your hands are busy.

* How to Pull Drinking Water Out of the Ground With a Sheet of Plastic – Dig a hole, stretch a sheet of plastic over it, set a cup in the middle... and let the sun do the rest. It’s the same trick survival schools have taught airmen for decades.

* The Two-Bucket Filter That Makes Creek Water Safe to Drink – Gallons of clean water a day with no power and no pump. When the taps run dry, your family still has all the water it needs.

* How to Fill a 55-Gallon Rain Barrel in a Single Storm – One inch of rain on an average roof is hundreds of gallons of free water. Learn the first-flush trick that keeps it clean, and how to make it safe to drink.

Soldiers have always had to eat well with almost nothing: no kitchen, no refrigerator and no store down the road. In this chapter, you’ll discover the field recipes and ration secrets that kept fighting men fed and strong, from the Civil War to World War II and beyond.

You’ll turn a few cheap pantry staples into hot, filling meals, and bake breads and crackers that keep for weeks, months, even years.

When the shelves go bare, your family will still sit down to a hot meal.

Here’s a taste of what’s waiting for you inside:

* Hardtack: The 3-Ingredient Cracker That Can Outlast You – Flour, water and salt. Kept dry, it lasts for years; Civil War hardtack is still sitting intact in museums today. You’ll also learn how soldiers turned it into a hot meal.

* Pemmican: The Trail Ration That Keeps for Years Without a Fridge – Dried meat and fat pounded together. Fur traders and explorers lived on it for months at a time, and a single pound packs thousands of calories.

* The WWII Trench Candle: Cook and Keep Warm With Rolled-Up Newspaper – American schoolkids made these by the thousands and shipped them to soldiers overseas to heat their rations. Make one in ten minutes.

* How to Cook a Full Hot Meal in a Single Canteen Cup – No kitchen, no pots, no problem. A complete meal over a small fire or stove with almost nothing.

* S.O.S.: The Mess Hall Breakfast Every Old Soldier Remembers – The creamed beef on toast that fed millions of GIs. Cheap, fast, and it sticks to your ribs until lunch.

* The Dakota Fire Hole: The Hidden Fire That Gives Off Almost No Smoke – Two small holes in the ground make a fire that burns hot, uses less wood and is hard to spot from a distance. Perfect for cooking when you don’t want to be seen.

* How to Pack a Go-Bag the Military Way – Most go-bags are too heavy, badly packed or missing the things that matter most when you have to leave in a hurry. Learn what goes in, where it sits, and what nearly everyone forgets.

* How to Build a Fire in Pouring Rain – Wet weather is exactly when you need fire most. Here’s how to get a flame going when everything around you is soaked.

* How to Move Through the Woods Without Making a Sound – The way scouts and snipers walk so nobody hears them coming.

When help is hours away, what you do in the first few minutes decides how the story ends. In this chapter, you’ll learn the first-aid steps soldiers train on, plus the remedies our grandparents trusted long before there was a pharmacy on every corner.

You’ll be ready for the cuts, breaks, coughs and emergencies life throws at you, and save money on everyday remedies too.

Here are some of the skills included in this chapter:

* Willow Bark: The Tree Behind the Invention of Aspirin – Long before pills came in bottles, people chewed and brewed willow bark for aches and fevers. It contains salicin, the natural compound that led to aspirin.

* Yarrow: The Plant Soldiers Called “Woundwort” – Legend says Achilles packed it into his soldiers’ wounds, and its Latin name still honors him. Learn how to recognize it and how generations used it.

* Old-Fashioned Elderberry Syrup for the Cold Season – Dried berries, honey and a few spices make a classic winter syrup for a fraction of the store price.

* Grandma’s Overnight Onion and Honey Cough Syrup – Two kitchen staples and one night on the counter. (Just don’t give honey to babies under one.)

* How to Keep Fresh Eggs for a Year Without a Fridge – The old “water-glassing” method farm families used to keep eggs from one spring to the next. No salt, no wax and no electricity.

* Biltong: The Air-Dried Meat That Keeps Without Refrigeration – Tender, packed with protein, and it dries right in your kitchen with no smoker and no dehydrator.

* A Sourdough Starter That Lasts a Lifetime – Flour, water and time. Bake bread for decades without ever buying yeast again.

These skills help you spot danger early, protect your home and family, and slip away from trouble before it ever finds you.

They’re built on the same principles soldiers rely on to stay alive in hostile places, adapted for everyday life in an uncertain world.

Here are some of the defense skills covered:

* How to Become the “Gray Man” in a Crisis – In a crisis, the people who stand out are the ones who get targeted. Learn how to dress, move and act so you blend into any crowd.

* How to Tell If You’re Being Followed, and How to Lose a Tail – The simple checks that tell you if someone is on your trail, and exactly what to do about it.

* How to Read a Room for Danger in the First 10 Seconds – What trained eyes look for the moment they walk through a door.

* How to Get Your Whole Family Out of a House Fire in Under 2 Minutes – In a house fire you may have as little as two minutes. Plan two ways out of every room, stay under the smoke and check a door before you open it.

* The Floor Test: Can You Get Up Without Using Your Hands? – Researchers have linked how easily you can sit down on the floor and stand back up to how long you live. Here’s how to pass it, at any age.

* Rucking: The Soldier’s Workout That Beats Walking – Just a loaded pack and a good pair of boots. It builds real strength and burns far more calories than walking alone, while staying easy on your joints.

* The Farmer’s Carry: The Simplest Strength Builder There Is – Pick up something heavy and walk. It builds the grip, back and legs you use every single day.

These skills help you stay calm under pressure, read people accurately, spot manipulation and handle conflict without losing control.

They come from the playbooks of interrogators, negotiators and combat leaders: people whose lives depend on reading a situation correctly.

Here’s a glimpse of the psychology skills inside:

* How to Spot a Manipulator Before They Use You – They flatter, guilt and twist the truth until you’re doing what they want. Learn the warning signs so you see it coming.

* Box Breathing: How Navy SEALs Calm Their Nerves in Seconds – A simple four-count breath that steadies your nerves wherever you are.

* The OODA Loop: The Fighter Pilot’s Secret to Fast Decisions – The four-step thinking cycle that keeps you a step ahead when things move fast.

* How to Hold Your Ground When Someone Tries to Intimidate You – Stay calm, keep your voice steady and stand your ground without escalating.

You’ll Be Among the Most Prepared, No Matter What Crisis Comes Next

These 200 skills show you how to rely less on supermarkets, pharmacies and the other systems people depend on every day. Instead of scrambling when supplies run low, you’ll know how to grow food, make remedies, find water and keep your home comfortable. When times get tough, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your family is safe and well looked after.

Build the Life They Don’t Want You to Have

With this book, you can cut your utility bills and keep more money every month, instead of losing it to inflated grocery prices, overpriced service fees, sky-high water and energy bills, emergency repairs and all the other sneaky expenses quietly eating away at your bank account. These skills worked for the generations before us, and I guarantee they will work for you too.