Cadets from A Company, 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp took on the Rappel Tower and Confidence Course at Fort Knox, Ky., on July 23, 2018. (Photo by Emilia Kuentz)
FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from A Company, 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp took on all the bumps and bruises involved in rappelling a 64-foot tower and conquering an obstacle course on July 23.
The company received a safety brief and a demonstration on the Rappel Tower before being split into two groups.
Before entering the Rappel Tower, the Cadets learned how to tie a Swiss seat then continued on to a slanted wall to ease into rappelling.
Cadets from A Company, 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp took on the Rappel Tower and Confidence Course at Fort Knox, Ky., on July 23, 2018. (Photo by Emilia Kuentz)
After getting their Swiss seats re-checked, they climbed the stairs to the top of the tower to go off the walled portion or the open-side portion.
While standing in line for the Rappel Tower, Cadet Charla Johnson, a student at the University of Arizona, said she was really looking forward to rappelling.
“After you finish something kind of scary [you get] a really good, accomplished feeling,” stated Johnson.
Cadet Rosalia Flores, a student at Georgia Military College, mentioned today was the Cadets’ first day out of the barracks.
Cadet Rosalia Flores, Georgia Military College, tackles “The Weaver” on the Confidence Course at Fort Knox, Ky., on July 23, 2018. (Photo by Emilia Kuentz)
“We woke up around 0400, cleaned up the barracks, packed our ruck[s], and rucked our way to the rappel tower,” described Flores.
She explained performance at and effort put into the Rappel Tower and Confidence Course goes towards their grades for Advanced Camp, which contributes to the Order of Merit List, a national ranking of all Cadets.
Having just completed “The Weaver”, Flores reflected on her experience tackling the obstacle.
Cadet Bailey Blackhurst, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, rappels down a 64-foot tower at Fort Knox, Ky., on July 23, 2018. (Photo by Emilia Kuentz)
“It was confusing at first, but I watched the other Cadets do it and my squad members helped me along the way,” noted Flores. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be – it just remains a lot of controlling your body and your posture.”
Cadet Tyler Schaal, a student at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, who rappelled earlier this summer at Air Assault school, seemed ready to push on through Advanced Camp.
“I’m excited to get it done and move on to the next thing,” asserted Schaal, adding he’s looking forward to Field Training Exercises and putting to work what he’s learned in the past three years.
