FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets wander from tent to tent in Keyes Park hunting for the perfect branch, as graduation and commissioning ceremonies are in the next few days.
10th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets spend a cloudy and rainy morning exploring job opportunities, equipment, and military vehicles related to their top branch choices. For some, like Cadet Jacob Van Dyke, Virginia Military Institute, this is a time to learn about branches they have not considered before.
“I haven’t really considered the armor branch,” Cadet Van Dyke said. “Just now I had a brief orientation to it, and it seems like something I’d be interested [in].”
Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp make their way to the tents at Branch Orientation, August 15, 2018. Photo by Michele Brisco
Cadet Van Dyke understands the importance of Branch Orientation for the Cadets who have not had much time to sit down and really talk about the 18 different branches offered.
“It’s really cool to see how big the Army is, how many options there are for us once we finally make that Lieutenant position,” Cadet Van Dyke explained. “I’m looking to get a better feel for the Army as an organization and how it has many moving parts…I want to know about the behind the scenes branches too.”
He was not the only Cadet excited today. For Cadet Calvin Han, University of California – Berkeley, today was about getting to the truth, the facts of each branch.
“I think throughout our time in ROTC, there have been a lot of rumors about how accessions work, what each branch does – you hear a lot of different things as cadets,” Cadet Han chuckled. “The biggest thing I want to get out of today is clear up maybe some misconceptions or misinformation we’ve gotten over the years, and give the information to the younger classmen when I go back to [school].”
Cadet Linia Sankar, Morgan State University, sits in a Military Police vehicle, August 15, 2018. Photo by Michele Brisco
It seemed like the Strikers, Black Hawks, and military police vehicles were great jungle gyms for the Cadets, but they were not the only ones having fun.
I’ve gotten my excitement back,” Captain Austen Boroff smiled. “Everyone’s excited to graduate and commission and to lead America’s sons and daughters, and you lose that when you go to the force. So, they’ve got me pumped.”
When Captain Boroff was a Cadet, she did not know what any of these branches did, so she is trying to do her part by educating Cadets about at least what her branch does.
“As an FA [Field Artillery] officer, I switch my job every year, which is great because I get a bunch of different leadership styles. You get to learn a lot,” Captain Boroff explained. “You get to see all different sides of the branch from how we fire, to how we make sure rounds get on target, to how we process missions…I get a diversity of experiences that not a lot of branches can give.”
Captain Austen Boroff briefs Cadets about the Field Artillery Branch, August 15, 2018. Photo by Michele Brisco
Captain Boroff has been a part of Branch Orientation in its entirety this summer at Cadet Summer Training. She has noticed how much information is thrown at Cadets from every branch, and that it can be overwhelming, but it is easier to grasp with one concept in mind.
“Just [remember] the basic outline of what as a Lieutenant you’ll be doing in that branch,” Captain Boroff advised. “Every branch does it a little differently. Yes, you’re doing leadership stuff, but the day in, day out, can change.”
Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp look to graduate this Saturday August 18, 2018.
