FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of 2nd Regiment Basic Camp started their first official day of FTX training this morning, July 18.
Cadets in the FTX (Field Training Exercise) learn basic soldiering skills such as building shelters in the field, field tactics and battle simulations. Fort Knox, Kentucky, July 18. | Photo by Megan Reynolds, CST Public Affairs Office.
They begin their training in the field with lecture style classes, Cadre explaining to them the tactics they’ll be using. From there, they move onto physically going through those mission and utilizing those tactics themselves.
From crossing an LDA (Linear Danger Area) to proper flanking techniques, Cadets were taught it all.
The Benefits of the FTX
“We’ve been going over things like squad tactics, missions and learning how to do attacks and ambushes,” Cadet Katelyn Bolden, a student at Alcorn State University, said.
The Leavensport, Louisiana native has found actually being out in an FTX setting to be extremely beneficial. It gives the Cadets hands-on experience, Bolden said, and allows them to learn in a much more realistic setting.
A Cadet acting as the squad leader halts the Cadets behind her as they sneak through the woods on a mission. Cadets in the FTX (Field Training Exercise) learn basic soldiering skills such as building shelters in the field, field tactics and battle simulations. Fort Knox, Kentucky, July 18. | Photo by Megan Reynolds, CST Public Affairs Office.
Others had similar sentiments when asked what they believed was the most beneficial part of being in the FTX.
“Getting hands-on experience to execute each of the different tactics and operations that we have,” Cadet Ashleigh-Rae Foster, from Brooklyn, New York, said when she was asked. “Mimicking what you would do if you had a mission and you had to execute it in a certain amount of time.”
Foster, who attends Howard University, said the FTX simulations really instill those core values that each mission requires in order to be successful. Ensuring your team knows it’s role, and you individually are able to hold yourself accountable is extremely important.
Cadets in the FTX (Field Training Exercise) learn basic soldiering skills such as building shelters in the field, field tactics and battle simulations. Fort Knox, Kentucky, July 18. | Photo by Megan Reynolds, CST Public Affairs Office.
Cadet Ella Forbes, studying at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, enjoys the hands-on aspect as well. Forbes isn’t about a totally visual learning environment; being able to get in on the action is extremely helpful for her.
“I actually like it [the FTX], I don’t mind the woods at all,” Forbes, from Bridgestone, Maine, said. “I like not just seeing what is being done but actually getting to run through it. We’re actually being able to make mistakes and know where to correct them.”
What’s Next
Comin up, the Basic Camp Cadets will begin running through missions with minimal help from Cadre. Today, they were walked through the missions, Cadre offering explanations along the way.
Tomorrow, they’ll be running through them on their own.
