FORT KNOX, Ky. — The Cadets of 8th Regiment Advanced Camp spent their morning learning the fundamentals of marksmanship.
The Cadre overseeing the Preliminary Marksmanship Instruction (PMI) had three stations set up for the Cadets – positions and fundamentals, assembly/disassembly and weapons maintenance, and Minute of Angle (MOA).
Cadet measures which eye is his dominant eye in Preliminary Marksmanship Instruction. July 11, Fort Knox, Ky. Photo by Hope Nelson
In each of these stations, the Cadets spent about an hour learning all they would need to know about their weapons.
“[This teaches them] how to get in good steady positions and utilize all the little things like trigger squeeze, breathing and all that stuff in order to improve their shot groups,” said Staff Sgt. Healy, “MOA is to teach them the science behind everything – science of their sights, how to adjust their sights, how far each adjustment is going to bring them off at certain distances.”
Most Cadets have not had many opportunities to shoot on a range and PMI prepares them for the task of qualifying on their weapon. “It’s teaching the Cadets how to take care of their weapons, what their weapon is and all the names for their weapons,” said Healy.
When asked her thoughts on the training, Cadet Riley Goodell said, “It’s extremely important. It’s really important to familiarize yourself with your weapon and make sure you know how to use it.”
The Cadets paid close attention to their PMI training to make sure they would be prepared for their weapons qualification later in training – a mandatory pass event in Advanced Camp. “I think as along as today goes well and I listen to the instruction of the sergeants and all the people who are here, I think it’ll be alright,” said Goodell.
Cadets are taught all steps required for disassembling and assembling their weapons. July 11, Fort Knox, Ky. Photo by Hope Nelson
As these Cadre members are the source of information for the Cadets, most of who have had few range experiences with their M4, the Cadre understand the importance of their leadership in this training.
“Leadership definitely plays a gigantic role in training. A good leader will look and see what the changes are and make sure they’re feeding their soldiers the right information,” said Healy.
Cadet Summer Training will bring 8,200 Cadets through Basic and Advanced Camp this summer on Fort Knox. These camps are designed to help challenge, grow and improve various skills and leadership qualities within the Cadets. If you think you have what it takes to be a Cadet or if you 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
