APRIL 28, 2026 – When a bear attacked two soldiers during a land navigation exercise in the rugged Alaskan wilderness, Army Sgt. Zachariah Clark was not on duty as a medic; he was a participant, navigating the same challenging terrain as his fellow soldiers. But when the call for help came, Clark’s training, leadership and commitment to his team took over. Clark, a combat medic and team leader assigned to the 11th Airborne Division, was conducting land navigation as part of a battalion team leader development event when he received word that two soldiers had been injured in a bear mauling.
“My first thought was … ‘They’re alone, they’re afraid, and they might be dying; I need to go get them,'” Clark recalled.
Without hesitation, Clark rallied his battle buddy and other soldiers he encountered along the way, instructing them on bear safety and first aid as they moved through deep snow and dense woods.
“We started to push back, roughly to where we thought they might be. We didn’t have an exact idea of where they were,” he said. “As we were pushing through the rough terrain, I was finding groups of soldiers that hadn’t been contacted or notified of the incident yet. I said, ‘Hey, come to the sound of my voice. You follow me.'”
Clark’s experience in both military and civilian emergency medicine shaped his approach.
“One of the lessons we learn is you’re there to help someone on their worst day,” he said. “Not rush into things, to not endanger yourself, but to also be proactive in your patient care.”
Upon reaching the scene, Clark quickly assessed the situation, triaged the casualties, and began directing other soldiers, none of whom were medics but had received combat lifesaver training prior to this training event.
“As a medic, I prefer to work out of my aid bag, but being that I was conducting land [navigation,] I didn’t have my aid bag with me. So, we were all working out of first aid kits. It’s a unit standard that every soldier has a first aid kit on the left side of their fighting plate carrier. Having my first aid kit was essential that day,” Clark said.
He emphasized the importance of every soldier knowing how to use their first aid kit and being prepared for emergencies.
“I highly recommend every soldier go through their first aid kit, practice pulling it out, know where everything is, and make sure it’s up to the standard,” he said.
Clark’s leadership extended beyond medical care. He organized the group for area safety, assigned tasks and ensured that everyone played a role in the response.
“We went with what we had that day. We hustled. We moved to the casualties,” he said. “Had we not done that, I don’t know what would have happened to those casualties.”
As Air Force emergency medical services and security forces arrived, Clark coordinated the handoff and assisted with preparing the casualties for evacuation by helicopter. He and his team gave their own clothing to the injured soldiers to help prevent hypothermia, a critical consideration in Alaska’s unpredictable spring weather.
After the evacuation, Clark remained focused on accountability and recovery, ensuring all of the soldiers and equipment were accounted for before leading the group back through the challenging terrain to the start point.
Reflecting on the experience, Clark said, “It is a privilege, and it is an honor to be able to take care of other soldiers and bring your friends home.”
He credits the Army’s training and core values for guiding his actions.
“If you can apply the warrior ethos to everything that you do every day that you show up, when big incidents happen, it’ll be like muscle memory. You’ll instinctively just know what it is that you have to do.”
Clark’s advice to other soldiers is to take training seriously, be prepared and look out for one another.
“The Army is a family, 100%. And those memories, with those people you have, will last for the rest of your life,” he said.
By Army Maj. Ian Roth
11th Airborne Division