Don't cook with C4 plastic explosive. There's no doubt about the morale boost of a warm meal, especially in a combat zone.

To this end, soldiers have resorted to less than conventional methods to heat their food up.

During the Vietnam War, American soldiers in the field would subsist primarily on C-rations, prepackaged meals that provide all the nutrients and calories needed.

Soldiers would also be issued heating tabs designed to heat the C-rations to make them more palatable.

Sometimes however these heating tabs were unavailable, forcing troops to improvise.

Along with their other equipment, American soldiers would be given a claymore anti-personnel mine. The main explosive that activated the mine was a block of C4.

When they had downtime, soldiers would disassemble the Claymore, breaking off a piece of the putty-like substance and using it as fuel for heating their rations.

This action was and still is frowned upon by the military. Contrary to popular belief, C4 is remarkably stable and will not explode unless a Detonator is used.

It will burn, however, and produce a highly toxic smoke. In addition, the fumes smell really bad, with one veteran saying that a sniff of smoke will cause you to 'lose half your brain cells'.

The chemicals in the explosive, particularly RDX, also known as cyclonite, have been known to cause seizures, nausea, dizziness and if inhaled or ingested in large enough doses, kidney failure, permanent neurological damage and gastrointestinal issues.

A medic in the field would not have the ability or proper equipment to deal with these problems.

Furthermore, by removing some of the explosive from the Claymore, it becomes less effective, meaning its function is significantly diminished.

It's recommended that a soldier use a provided heating tab or just endure a cold meal rather than take the health risk or interfere with the effectiveness of the Claymore.

Don't drink from a gun barrel. In 1994, a 19-year-old French soldier was initiated into his artillery regiment.

After several rounds were fired from a 155 mm Howitzer, he drank 250 mg of wine that were poured down the barrel, a unit tradition.

About 15 minutes later he began convulsing, with seizures lasting for almost half an hour.

After being rushed to the hospital, he was subjected to a battery of tests, all of which came back normal.

After more testing it was concluded that he had suffered from acute tungsten poisoning, the first recorded case of such a condition.

Further analysis suggested that tungsten was not to blame but rather RDX or cyclonite, the main ingredient in C4 as well as other explosives, here being used as a propellant charge.

In a similar fashion soldiers stationed in Vietnam have been documented shotgunning marijuana, where one soldier inhales from a joint, then exhales the smoke into the receiver of a shotgun, propelling it down the barrel.

Another soldier inhales the smoke as it escapes from the muzzle of the weapon.

Either way, drinking wine or any other substance from the barrel of a gun is highly dangerous.

Whether it be an artillery piece or a rifle, the barrel as well as other internal workings can be coated with any number of harmful chemicals.

These include residue from gunpowder and other explosive repellants toxic Metals such as lead as well as lubricants, solvents and other noxious chemicals that can have a negative impact on health.

Dirt grime bacteria and other contaminants can also be found in the workings of any firearm, which are Best Kept away from the mouth.

This practice is also a violation of the second rule of universal firearm safety that also includes artillery pieces,

which states that the user of a firearm should never point the muzzle of the weapon at anything or anybody, unless you fully intend to harm them.

Voluntarily placing one's head directly at the business end of a shotgun or any other weapon can be charitably described as reckless, if not outright insane.

Needless to say the medic as well as the rest of the medical personnel highly discourage this practice. Avoid violations of the universal rules of firearm safety.

In order to avoid Serious injury or death when operating Firearms as well as other similar weapons such as AR artillery pieces and flamethrowers, the universal rules of firearm safety was developed.

They are: number one, treat every weapon as if it was loaded; number two, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire;

number three, do not point the firearm at anything you are unwilling to shoot; and number four, be sure of your Target and what's around it and behind it.

For example, don't look down the barrel of a gun when cleaning it disassemble the piece before doing so.

Only when the barrel is detached from the rest of the weapon, is it safe to look down.

If the firearm jams or has any other malfunction, do not under any circumstance look down the barrel to check for an obstruction or any other reason.

Keep it pointed in a safe Direction until the issue is resolved.

For soldiers fighting in ranks as was done in the era of black powder weapons, it's imperative that close order be maintained.

Should fire by rank be required, those in the rear ranks must be able to fire over the heads or shoulders of those in front.

If there's too much distance between these ranks, unfortunate accidents can occur.

Likewise, those who kneel when conducting volley fire must stay in a kneeling position until ordered to do otherwise.

Do not carelessly Place yourself in a position where you were in line with the muzzle of your comrade's weapon.

Lastly, be certain of what you're shooting at before pulling the trigger. Blue-on-blue incidents are tragic and can often be avoided with the proper target identification.

Warfare is dangerous Enough. By following these rules as well as using Common Sense, unnecessary casualties and incidents can be avoided and the medic's life can be made just a bit easier.