“Camp has been awesome. We are learning different things every single day. It’s amazing to close it out like this, and we’re just ready to go,” Cadet Oluwasegun Olatunji from Sam Houston State University said. 

11th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets were the final regiment to complete the Rappel Tower and the Confidence Course during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. 

While some Cadets had a fear of heights and were dreading the tower, Olatunji was filled with excitement. 

“I wasn’t nervous. I had trust in my cadre, they basically gave us all the information we needed and made sure we had trust in our equipment. I wasn’t scared, I was excited to do it,” Olatunji said. 

Olatunji believed this training helped to further bond their platoon. 

“It actually brings everyone together as a team because we’re out here with a mutual goal which is to graduate and commission as second lieutenants in the United States Army,” Olatunji said.

Cadet Jonathan Langston from the University of Nevada listens as Leanne Caret, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, offers advise regarding the aviation world during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 29, 2022. Caret spoke to the Cadets and asked questions about their goals for the future. | Photo by Cristina Betz, CST Public Affairs Office

During their training, the Cadets received a visit from Leanne Caret, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security who was interested in seeing the Cadets in action. 

Once the regiment completed both the Rappel Tower and the Confidence Course, Caret was able to talk with a few Cadets. 

“I thought it was a great opportunity, getting to talk to someone who’s pretty much spent their entire life in the aviation world as someone who wants to go into aviation myself,” Cadet Jonathan Langston from the University of Nevada said. 

Before joining the United States Army, Langston worked with helicopters and had a strong interest in aviation.

“It was the main reason I got into the Army to begin with,” Langston said. “It was always intriguing to me to talk to pilots all the time, and they all said it’s a very rewarding experience.”

Langston found meeting Caret and asking her a few questions was extremely beneficial.

“It’s nice to sort of sit down, take a breath and talk to people who share a similar interest that you do,” Langston said. “And prepare you for what you’re going to experience after this.”