In June, Class 4 stepped into 1.5 Alpha, an intensive segment of training designed to drive home the basics of what they’ve learned in prior segments. It’s where core skills get tested under stress. Where, for example, a Cadet’s grip on rescue systems is no longer measured by how well they perform in a calm environment, but by how they hold up when they are cold, tired, hungry, and behind schedule.
In this segment, Cadets live out of their backpacks without many of the modern conveniences to which they are accustomed, and daily routines are designed to prepare them for the lifestyle that they will face on deployment. Cadets also begin to apply the trainings and certifications they acquired throughout the year in a variety of team scenarios.
This stage happens in the mountains of Idaho at our training facility, Deadwood Outfitters. That location matters. The terrain is steep in this high-altitude location, the weather shifts quickly, and the long hours stretch every margin. It forces a kind of clarity that the classroom cannot.
So far, segment 1.5 has included basic rescue principles: patient packaging, system rigging, improvised transport, and gear management. These are not new to the Cadets. They have seen these skills before. But 1.5 pushes them further. It’s where the gap between understanding and execution is exposed. Where decisions have consequences, and speed cannot replace care.
It’s also where the internal work becomes harder to ignore. Pride shows up quickly. So does frustration. So does fear. But so does growth.
One of the themes studied at 1.5 Alpha is “Suffering Well.” That idea runs through every day of training. It means learning to keep your head clear when the work is heavy, and knowing how to serve when you are worn out and unseen. It means recognizing that how you walk through discomfort says more than how you perform when things are easy.
The training has gone well, and we are extremely proud of our Fourth Class in Chazak Academy for the extreme growth we’ve seen.
