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.
