Though many things in Basic Training are unknown and come as a surprise to the recruits, one thing they can count on each week is Saturday Inspection. The inspection standard each week is extremely high. Clothes must be folded perfectly, and placed in the drawers correctly. Mirrors and windows must be so clean that not a single streak is visible when they are inspected with a flashlight. Every grain of sand and every speck of dust that gets missed counts as a gig.

Why do we train this way? Is there any practical application to this standard of cleaning? The point of the whole exercise is to teach teamwork, attention to detail, and perseverance in seemingly impossible situations. These lessons serve every ALERT man for the rest of his life, whether it’s walking through a tough season as a father, dealing with difficult people at church, or working a demanding job. Part of our ethos is that training equips a man, and that is why we do Saturday Inspection and many other aspects of our program.

Stand strong,

Captain Phillip Vanderford

ALERT Battalion Commanding Officer