1. If the enemy is in range, so are you. 2. Incoming fire has the right of way. 3. Don't look conspicuous; it draws fire. (For this reason aircraft carriers have been called "Bomb Magnets") 4. There is always a way. 5. The easy way is always mined. 6. Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo. (Trivia devotees will recall the sudden disappearance of rank and distinctive caps on the uniforms worn by Soviet officers in Afghanistan) 7. Professionals are predictable; it's the amateurs that are dangerous. 8. The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: a. When you're ready for them. b. When you're not ready for them. 9. Teamwork is essential; it gives them someone else to shoot at. 10. If you can't remember, then the claymore is pointed at you. 11. The enemy diversion you have been ignoring will be the main attack. 12. A "sucking chest wound" is nature's way of telling you to slow down. 13. If your attack is going well, you have walked into an ambush. 14. Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you. 15. Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing. 16. Make it tough enough for the enemy to get in and you won't be able to get out. (This seems to be the guiding design principle behind the Soviet's BMP and our Bradley infantry vehicle, both of which nicely package the troops in armoured boxes for group destruction) 17. Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself. 18. If you're short of everything but the enemy, you're in a combat zone. 19. When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy. 20. Never forget that your weapon is made by the lowest bidder. 21. Friendly fire isn't. 22. If the sergeant can see you, so can the enemy. 23. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep. 24. The most dangerous thing in the world is a second lieutenant with a map and a compass. 25. There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. 26. A grenade with a seven-second fuse will always burn down in four seconds. 27. Remember that a retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping. 28. If at first you don't succeed call in an air strike. 29. Exceptions prove the rule, and destroy the battle plan. 30. Everything always works in your HQ; everything always fails in the colonel's HQ.