I posted yesterday that: “One of the great truths about life, that used to be–and I hope still is–drummed into the heads of British Army officer cadets, is that very few situations are utterly hopeless. There’s always something you can do, if you are smart & focused enough to think of it.”

I got a lot of mail from military readers telling me this instruction is by no means limited to the British army. It’s basic military lore. (And a passage in Tom Wolfe’s book The Right Stuff has just occurred to me: A test pilot in an experimental plane has suffered failure of all systems and is headed vertically downward at 600 mph. He screams over the radio: “What do I try? GIVE ME SOMETHING TO TRY!”)

I recall a lot of time doing “initiative tests” in training. Sample: Two horizontal ropes are strung between trees, at heights 5 ft and 7 ft from the ground. They are imagined to be high-voltage power lines, death to the touch. You have a squad of men and a short plank. You have to get all the men through the gap between the ropes, from one side to the other. You are timed. This kind of stuff is ideal for low-budget training. Uses minimal equipment, kills lots of time, and yes, develops skill at dealing with tricky situations. At the big military academies they go to greater lengths. Sandhurst used to present officer trainees with an upturned tank. You had to right it with a small squad of men and some rope. Do not try this at home!