was the attitude cited by a living survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945. He was one of the 300 plus survivors finally retrieved after 4 1/2 days adrift in unfriendly seas. Some of his comrades literally committed suicide.

This is an important lesson from a fine NPB special on the recent discovery of the wreckage - heartily recommended.

Here on ETS we plan and prepare for adversity, but without the right attitude, one is seriously impaired, no matter how wonderful the steel in the 10 inch (25cm) Rambo blade riding on your hip...

Absolutely true, in every case. In addition to the 'never give up' attitude, develop resilience. You must recover from difficulties and failures, and continue to not give up. Resilience, or grit as is now being used in psychology circles, is important in all of life, and is more important than IQ, talent, or connections. This is doubly true in survival situations.