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Saw this on Pinterest and followed it back to a neat blog by Kevin Hanrahan who posted this on his Military Dog Pictures of the Week. 

Such an awesome photo!

"A small puppy wondered up to U.S. Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 6th Marines, in Marjah, Afghanistan on *****. After following the Marines numerous miles, a soft hearted Marine picked the puppy up and carried the puppy in his drop pouch. "

(Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl Charles T. Mabry II)

I couldn't help but notice that the puppy has a makeshift paracord leash around his neck! 

•  Replace a broken Zipper pull.
•  Hang a bear bag to keep your food away from critters at your campsite.
•  Replace your shoe laces. Just burn the ends and thread them through.
•  Use the guts as dental floss.
•  Make a leash or collar for your dog.
•  Repair torn or broken equipment either by sewing or tying the pieces together securely
•  Sew torn clothing with the internal strands which slides easily out of the sheath (casing).
•  Tie objects you’re likely to drop around your waist, jacket, or wrist.
•  Tie up a tarp or poncho to make an overhang to stay dry.
•  Securely tie down items to the top of a vehicle.
•  String up a clothes line to dry clothes.
•  String up a trip wire to protect an area by attaching noise-making items like empty cans.
•  Make a drawstring for a makeshift pack if you are trying to carry something.
•  Tie objects to your backpack with it so you can carry more stuff hands free.
•  Use it to make a bolo for hunting small game.
•  Tie together a sharp rock and stick to create a spear or weapon if need be.
•  Mark your trail as you hike with small pieces of bright paracord.
•  Tie straight sticks around a broken limb to make a splint.
•  Lash logs or other items together to build a raft.
•  Use it for signaling by tying a mirror or colorful cloth to the top of a tree.
•  Make a sling to throw stones for protection and food.
•  Secure your boat or raft to a dock.
•  Make a snare out of the internal strands.
•  Repair a fishing net.
•  Create a pulley system to lift a heavy object.
•  Make a tourniquet to slow loss of blood.
•  Tie snow shoes. Bend a 1” branch in a pear shape then weave the cord back and forth across the opening.
•  Build a shelter using sticks or by tying up the corners of a poncho or tarp.
•  Use it to make a bow drill for fire starting (This is expert survivor stuff!).
•  Make fishing line by cutting a length and pulling out the internal strands.
•  Make a fish stringer to transport your catch easily from the lake to camp.
•  Tie a sling to hold your arm.
•  Broken Belt? Just use the paracord and tie a knot to hold your pants up securely.
•  Make a gun sling to easily carry your gun.
•  Shredding the inner nylon fibers of the paracord can be a good fire starting tinder since it dries quickly.
•  Keep other ropes or cables organized by tying them up with paracord.
•  Fashion a necklace to hang a tool for quick access around your neck.
•  Make sandals or very basic shoes out of rubber or bark with the paracord attaching it to your feet.
•  Use it as safety cord to keep yourself from getting lost in a blizzard.
•  Fix a backpack shoulder strap or even create shoulder straps to carry an object on your back.
•  Tie together animal hide or moss to create a makeshift jacket to stay warm and alive.
•  Detain a person.

If for some reason you find yourself in an emergency situation, you can cut open your CordBand paracord wristband and use it. 

How to unravel your CordBand:

I hope you never have to do this, but to unravel your CordBand, you'll need to cut it in the right place to get a nice long length of cord that you can then use for other purposes. Unbuckle your band, and look for the singed and melted tips of the cord. These tips (two of them) will be near one of the buckles at the last knot. You want to cut the last knot near the singed and melted tips. It is important when making the cuts, that you only cut through 1 piece of cording. Once the cord is cut, you can pull the knots free and you shall end up with somewhere around 7 to 10 feet of paracording depending on the style and size of your CordBand.

Please take a look at the article "Uses of Parachute Cord" for lots of ways you can use your CordBand paracord.

All our paracord rosaries are handcrafted out of military grade 550 parachute cord. 

Paracord, also known as parachute cord or 550 cord is a lightweight nylon rope first popularized during World War 2 as the material of choice for suspension lines of US parachutes. Soldiers finding themselves with limited resources soon realized the benefits of dissecting paracord and the infinite uses of the inner strands and outer sheath. The outer sheath construction is tightly interwoven allowing it to appear smooth in texture and comfortable to wear against the body. This unique attribute has been influential in the widespread acceptance of paracord for mainstream use, where it has been used for making survival wristbands, bottle holders and knife sleeves. This has led to the manufacturing of paracord as a general purpose utility cord for both military and civilian purposes. 

Within bush craft and survival communities paracord has reached an almost iconic status where it is considered that its uses are only limited by a person's imagination to use it. For example, a resourceful astronaut on the second Space Shuttle mission in February 1997, repaired the Hubble Space Telescope with the outer sheath of a length of paracord.

Although used for a number of mainstream purposes, paracord has not lost its identity as a functional military cord. US soldiers in Afghanistan favor paracord for a number of lightweight uses include repairing and securing equipment, shelter making, binding and even first aid. The inner strands (of which there are seven) can be gutted and used as sewing thread and fishing line. Furthermore, it is possible to join or finish the ends of a single piece of paracord by melting it with a flame or heated knife.