FORT KNOX, KY. – Cadets finished the FieldCraft portion of their Cadet Summer Training (CST) on June 7 at Richardson.
“We’re starting with the basics so we can get a baseline and see where our Cadets fall within their platoon,” said cadre member Lt. Col. Robert Hilton from Moorhead State University. “It’s important because it will make the Field Training Exercise (FTX) go a lot smoother if they have time to gel, bond and figure out these basics.”
FieldCraft is separated into four different stations. These stations include Land Navigation, how to build a poncho hooch, Troop Leading Procedures and Combat Casualty Care.
3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets are instructed by Cadre during fieldcraft training on Fort Knox, Ky., June 7. Cadets experience fieldcraft training to further develop skills to be used in field training excercises and in combat. (Photo by Mattie Cook)
“We use Troop Leading Procedures in everyday missions,” said Cadet Jordan Smith of Bravo Company First Platoon from the University of Northern Colorado. “As a leader, you have to set the standard and tone for your subordinates. So, we use the Troop Leading Procedures as a checklist to make sure we are ending a mission successfully.”
Each station takes about an hour to complete, and Cadets rotate from station to station.
“You have to learn a lot in a little bit of time and know exactly how you’re going to apply it to the field,” Smith said. “The Army is fast-paced so you got to learn to keep up with it.”
Cadets will be tested on the skills they learned at FieldCraft later in CST, and one-on-one training is available for Cadets who are struggling.
Cadets of 3rd Regiment Advanced Camp march in formation to the next station of Fieldcraft training on Fort Knox, Ky., June 7. Cadets experience fieldcraft training to further develop skills to be used in field training excercises and in combat. (Photo by Mattie Cook)
“We’re training about 40 Cadets, and we have four instructors,” Hilton said. That’s a one-to-10 ratio. So, it’s easy to see who needs additional help with their training.”
The purpose of FieldCraft is to ensure Cadets will be successful during FTX and the rest of CST.
“We learned things that we can use during our practical exercises in the field but we can also use these skills during our career as second lieutenants,” Smith said. “We’ll use them in pretty much everything that we’ll do in the Army.”
Cadet Summer Training will bring over 8,000 Cadets through Basic and Advanced Camp at Fort Knox this summer. The camps are designed to help Cadets become future leaders in the Army. If you think you have what it takes to be a Cadet or are interested in a job after college, click the following link: https://my.goarmy.com/info/rotc1/index.jsp?iom=IP08-AUTO-R1NA-BR-XXX-XX-XXX-MO-XX-X-BRCMAC:IP08
