True story

I retired from the Air Force last Feb. My second-to-last assignment was in Korea. Shortly after I got there, I was required to go to a series of briefings, one of which was on war-time first aid. The guy giving the briefing sounded and looked like Jeff Foxworthy. (You Might Be a Redneck If...) He explained how you you used whatever was at hand and improvised - "And everybody has...duct tape!" Seems you can bandage somebody, splint anything, apply traction, stabilize a neck, put someone in anti-shock position, rig up a back board, create a litter (the thing you carry people on) or just use the roll for a pillow.

Once he got into it a ways, he'd start on treatment of the next injury. He'd ask "OK, anybody know how you can help a guy with a sucking chest wound?" and we'd all yell "Duct tape!" True, he did talk about other options, but he always came back to duct tape.