After Action Report

On October 27, 2025, five fathers and seven sons joined with four Cadre members to form a Company of 16 strong at the International ALERT Academy in Big Sandy, Texas.  The Company, composed of the Cadre and Platoon came from Texas, Oklahoma, California, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Maine.  The Platoon of fathers and sons was divided into two Squads, each with six members.

The theme for the camp was “ALL IN!” Our theme verse was Matthew 16:24: If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.  During the week, our focal character quality was DEPENDABILITY with the operational definition of purposing in our hearts to do the will of God whatever the cost.  Captain Rick Warner greeted the Company with an encouraging word and prayer to keep Jesus at the center of all we do during the week and in life.

Throughout the week, in addition to Scripture teaching, devotions, and corporate prayer, the Platoon received comprehensive training in situational awareness, incident command, critical thinking, map and compass, search and rescue, and first aid coupled with leadership development.  Leadership training remained central to all activities.  Sons were told that we required their initiative: “Don’t wait for someone else to do it.”  In return we gave them the freedom to fail.  Fathers followed the directions from their sons, each of whom had a turn at being a Squad Leader and Incident Command leader.  Remaining attentive to the needs of those around them, these young leaders encouraged those whom they led with an increasing awareness of how crucial providing vision and managing morale is towards building a strong team.  The squads learned that teamwork provides the synergy necessary to magnify the sum-total contribution from each member. 

Father-son time each day enabled one-on-one discussion of lessons learned to be processed and internalized. As part of the emergency field first aid training, adult and infant mannequins were used enabling each person to practice and refine their CPR and AED skills.  Warrant Officer Joshua Waddell, a father, US Army Major, pilot, and experienced EMT provided top-notch medical training using the ALERT Cadet Wilderness/Remote First Aid Manual recently updated by Captain Mark Fields from Pennsylvania.

Medical emergency scenarios developed by the Cadre throughout the week kept each member of the platoon in a state of consistent readiness and put to test their ability for quick recall of what they were learning.  This of course solidified their training in an unforgettable way.  Remarkably realistic crisis scenarios were accentuated by stage-art moulage for deep wounds, hypothermia, compound fractures, severed limbs plus a mass casualty that required triage and delegation of care, stretching the cadets and fathers to employ their training.

In addition to Wilderness/Remote First Aid training, the platoon also learned essential land navigation skills, radio communication skills, lost person strategies, search and rescue skills, all of which were utilized through the Incident Command Structure.  Each one demonstrated with excellence the requisite skills necessary to earn the Crisis Response Training (CRT) ribbon.  

As a special event, the Big Sandy Fire Dept. gave an outstanding tour, reviewing all their specialized equipment and vehicles.  The pump truck was rolled out and a hose deployed, giving each cadet and father the opportunity to man the nozzle as it sprayed water.

Sergeant Major Jonathan Bilodeau served as Deputy Commander.  The Operations Chief was Sergeant Benji Zook. Captain Terry Williams served as the Logistics Chief and Field Cook Extraordinaire.  I cannot overstate my appreciation for these servants of Christ.

Respectfully submitted, 

Maj. Michael Smith
Camp Commandant