Rod & Gun Club, CGSC Foundation host 5th Annual International Family Fishing Derby - Command and General Staff College Foundation, Inc.

Families line the docks and the banks of Fort Leavenworth's Merritt Lake during the fifth annual International Family Fishing Derby on Sept. 6, 2025.

The Fort Leavenworth Rod & Gun Club and the CGSC Foundation hosted the fifth annual International Family Fishing Derby at Merritt Lake on Fort Leavenworth on Sept. 6, 2025. This annual event is designed for the international military students (IMS) and their families who are attending the Command and General Staff College.

Fred Rembel, age 5, son of CGSOC international military student Maj. Mait Rembel from Estonia, shows off his first fish during the fifth annual International Family Fishing Derby on Sept. 6, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth's Merritt Lake. — Fred Rembel, age 5, son of CGSOC international military student Maj. Mait Rembel from Estonia, shows off his first fish during the fifth annual International Family Fishing Derby on Sept. 6, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth’s Merritt Lake.

As in previous years, volunteers from Fishing’s Future, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching the skills and benefits of recreational angling, assisted the Fort Leavenworth Rod and Gun club in running the derby. The CGSC Foundation sponsored the derby with the fishing bait and concessions.

“This is one of the programs we invest in that engages families and we’re very proud to be a part of it,” said Lora Morgan, president/CEO of the CGSC Foundation. “It’s really fun to just see how much fun the kids have when they catch their first fish and to know we’re helping international students make memories during their time at Fort Leavenworth.”

Seventy-seven IMS and their family members participated in the derby with the majority experiencing the joy of fishing for the first time. Volunteers from Fishing’s Future taught classes on how to handle the rod and reel combos and how to cast. After a quick lesson, the families lined the docks and the banks hoping for their first catch. Volunteers from the Rod and Gun Club and Fishing’s Future moved along behind to record each catch, assist with clearing the inevitable snags along the bank, help bait hooks and release the fish back into the lake if the fishermen were too uneasy about touching them.

Capt. Joannes Houtoukpe, an international military student from Benin in the CGSOC Class of 2026, proudly displays the first fish he has ever caught during the fifth annual International Family Fishing Derby on Sept. 6, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth's Merritt Lake. — Capt. Joannes Houtoukpe, an international military student from Benin in the CGSOC Class of 2026, proudly displays the first fish he has ever caught during the fifth annual International Family Fishing Derby on Sept. 6, 2025, at Fort Leavenworth’s Merritt Lake.

At the end of the two-hour fishing period Morgan, along with Tad Slatter from the Rod and Gun Club, presented awards for the most fish caught in four divisions: male youth, female youth and male and female adult. Award winners received a new rod and reel combination. The winners were (photos of the winners below):

Female Adult division: Capt. Kinga Slota, CGSOC international military student from Poland.

Male Adult division: Capt. Loglo Kokou, CGSOC international military student from Togo.

Female Youth division: Astrid Grahm, daughter of CGSOC international military student Maj. Karl Bolin from Sweden.

Male Youth division: Mike Rembel, son of CGSOC international military student Maj. Mait Rembel from Estonia.

At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, Slatter and Morgan thanked all the participants, volunteers and sponsors.

View more photos on the CGSC Foundation Flickr site