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Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, pose for a photo during a situational training exercise at Fort Knox, Ky., August 2nd, 2023. STX helps Cadets build confidence in the field and in their standard operating procedures. | Photo by Danielle Smith, Ohio University, CST Public Affairs Office Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Mark Suggs, Duke University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Madison Cesnick, West Virginia University USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Justin Kearney, Fayetteville State University Armed Forces Bank AwardCadet Michael Zirpola, Troy University ARNG Minuteman AwardCadet Matthew Brunton, Purdue University Reserve Organization of America AwardCadet Grace Kirtley, Vanderbilt University [...]

Special Awards Recipients Military Order of the Purple Heart Badge of Merit AwardCadet Grace Charlesworth, University of Nebraska at Lincoln Military Order of the World Wars AwardCadet Maximilian Rzymski, Hofstra University Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Parker Ratliff, University of Memphis AUSA Warrior Ethos AwardCadet Rex Monahan, Colorado State University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Fabiola Osoriodiodonet, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico at Ponce Armed Forces Bank Performance AwardCadet Robert Shaw, University of Alabama Reserve Organization of America AwardCadet Jessica Killman, Tarleton State University Society of American Military Engineers AwardCadet Analicia Torres, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley [...]

­­­FORT KNOX, Ky. – After finishing up their field training exercises, Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp, participated in an early morning 10K road march during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., August 10, 2023. The Cadets spent two days out in the field for the FTX, then woke up at around 2:30 a.m. to march a little over six miles back to the barracks. Once the road march was over, Cadet Grant Schaefer from Norwich University said that he had a good experience and felt motivated and energized. “It was cool to see everyone doing it all together,” Schaefer [...]

­­­FORT KNOX, Ky. – After sleeping outside in the early morning hours, Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp, participated in the field training exercises during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., August 8, 2023. The FTX lanes simulate real-life tactical scenarios that allow Cadets to improve their skills and gain more practical field experience. The three lanes they enact are squad ambush, squad attack and movement to contact. Cadet Racquel Wilson from Florida Atlantic University said that the purpose of these exercises is for Cadets to take what they learned in the classroom and physically put it to the test [...]

Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp attend their graduation ceremony at Fort Knox, Ky., August 8, 2023. Graduation marks the end of Cadet Summer Training for 8th Regiment, pushing them one step closer to becoming Army officers. | Photo by Nathan Abbott, Ball State University, CST Public Affairs Office. Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Andrew Gotshall, University of Portland First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Andrew Gotshall, University of Portland USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Andrew Calvert, University of New Hampshire Armed Forces Bank Performance AwardCadet Tomas Romero, University of Arizona ARNG Minuteman AwardCadet William Velazquez-Morales, University of South Florida Reserve [...]

Fort Knox, KY — At approximately 4 p.m. on August 3rd , 1973, Richard Spencer raised his right hand and recited the oath of an Army Officer after graduating from Jacksonville State University and completing the Army ROTC program. This newly commissioned lieutenant was heading to Airborne School that afternoon full of excitement. Little did the then 2nd Lt. Spencer know what the next 50 years would hold. Spencer began serving in the Active Duty Army in January of 1974 as a Military Police Officer. “My first duty assignment was very unique since I had a college degree, which was very [...]

­­­FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp, participated in the Forest Hills Climbing Complex during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., August 2, 2023. The FHCC is meant to help Cadets overcome their fears and gain confidence in themselves and their equipment while completing different climbing obstacles. These obstacles include the Moore’s Mountain rock-climbing wall, the Alpine Towers and the Rudder’s Ropes Course. Despite not having any prior experience with climbing, Cadet Amaya Bradford, Towson University, said that she completed the course a lot better than she thought she would. “I was pretty nervous coming up and [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp completed the high ropes course at the Forest Hills Climbing Complex on Fort Knox, Ky., August 1, 2023. The high ropes course consists of the Rudder’s Rope Course, two Alpine towers and a rock wall. Each course is designed to help Cadets overcome their fears in a fun and challenging way.  “First, we did the Rudder’s Rope Course which involves a lot of climbing, crawling across ropes and then a little zipline at the end,” said Cadet Jason Dzik, University of Delaware. “Then, we went to these Alpine towers, which is [...]

Special Awards Recipients Military Order of the Purple Heart Badge of Merit AwardCadet Troy Bannister, Florida State University Military Order of the World Wars AwardCadet William Breen, Benedictine College Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Maia James-Daniels, Florida A&M University AUSA Warrior Ethos AwardCadet Jordan Smith, University of Nebraska at Lincoln First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Rachel Oh, San Jose State University Armed Forces Bank Performance AwardCadet John Powers, Central Texas College Reserve Organization of America AwardCadet Delilah Kitsakos, New Mexico Military Insitute Society of American Military Engineers AwardCadet Louise Bonnimond, The Citadel Bold Leader Spirit AwardCadet Rosean Rhone, University of [...]

FORT KNOX Ky. – Cadets from 2nd Regiment, Basic Camp, participated in the Military Blood Drive at Fort Knox, Ky., August 3, 2023. The Military Blood Drive allows Cadets to have their blood drawn which is tested and collected to be given to service members, Department of Defense employees and civilian families in need. Cadet Melissa Esswein from the University of Michigan shares her thoughts pertaining to the blood drive. “I think the blood drive is important because it’s a great way to give back to the community,” Esswein said. “In a military setting, accidents happen, people get injured, and it’s [...]

Cadets from 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp attend their graduation ceremony at Fort Knox, Ky., August 3, 2023. Graduation marks the end of Cadet Summer Training for 7th Regiment, pushing them one step closer to becoming Army officers. | Photo by Nathan Abbott, Ball State University, CST Public Affairs Office. Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Matthew K. Matula, Norwich University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Christian T. Wood, Eastern Illinois University USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Owen C. Farquer, Illinois University Armed Forces Bank Performance AwardCadet Ryan J. Morehouse, University of Tennessee at Knoxville ARNG Minuteman AwardCadet Chaim I. Zuniga, Brigham [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadet Anna Johnson from Michigan State University, Advanced Camp, 8th Regiment, recovers after the Field Training Exercise, at Densberger, Fort Knox, Ky., August 2, 2023. While cleaning her M-4 Carbine Rifle, Johnson described the pressure she felt while working together with her entire platoon to complete tactical missions in the field. “When you’re under stress or under pressure, you start to see a different side of people and how they develop as leaders,” Johnson explained. “At the baseline everyone has to know these tactics and the basics of being a Soldier, so working as a whole not [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – During Cadet Summer Training, Cadets from Advanced Camp, 7th Regiment, donate blood at the Armed Services Blood Program’s blood drive at Smith Gym, Fort Knox, Ky., July 31, 2023.   Throughout CST, the Armed Services Blood Program hosts multiple blood drives, giving Cadets the opportunity to potentially save lives through their blood donations. Sgt. Andrew Smith III from Fort Moore, Ga., explained why the blood drive is an important activity for Cadets to participate in. “These Cadets are going to be our future leaders, so we want to get it in their mind that once they become [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., – Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp, completed their daytime land navigation exercise on Fort Knox, Ky., July 30, 2023. Land navigation acts as a tool to teach Cadets to maneuver through various terrains while locating the intended checkpoints. “Land navigation is the practice of finding where you’re going from your current location,” said Cadet Robert Esgro, Penn State. “We don’t know where we’re going, so every step is a step into the unknown.” This exercise exists so that Cadets can develop their planning skills as well as learn to think more critically about the situations they are [...]

FORT KNOX Ky. – Cadets from the 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed their Warrior Skills training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 30, 2023. The Warrior Skills training is an event that teaches and improves Cadets’ tactical skills for the field. Cadets learn about the fundamentals of munitions and practice what they have learned in a hands-on environment. Cadet Elena Oliver from Pacific Lutheran University shares her thoughts on the Warrior Skills training. “I think I did pretty well, and it was nice to refresh our skills in the field,” Oliver said. “It was good to interact with everything, and see how [...]

FORT KNOX, KY. – Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, engage in various tactical training exercises during warrior skills at Fort Knox, Ky., July 29, 2023. Warrior skills teaches the Cadets foundational knowledge about grenades, handling an M240 machine gun, and proper field movements that are continuously built upon throughout Cadet Summer Training.   Cadet Eden Hyatt, University of Connecticut, participated in warrior skills and she acknowledges the importance of this training. “We’re essentially trying to prep for two things; both tactical awareness and leadership,” said Hyatt. “Warrior skills ensure that we are prepped so that we can teach and lead [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.,–Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp completed their Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear training on Fort Knox, Ky., July 29, 2023. CBRN is seen as major obstacle for Cadets to complete their training, and Cadet Keaton Silver, Ole Miss, shares his knowledge from prior experiences with the confidence chamber. “The first time I ever went through the chamber, I thought to myself, ‘Oh wow this is easy, I’m never going to have a problem with CBRN’. I’d been in one of the earliest groups so I barely felt it,” Silver said. “The next FTX we went on I was [...]

FORT KNOX Ky. – Cadets from the 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed their Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 29, 2023. The TCCC is an event that teaches Cadets important life-saving strategies during a battlefield scenario. This training is crucial to becoming a well-rounded leader and Commissioned Officer in the likelihood of a battle-related injury. Cadet Robert Carr shares his thoughts on the process of TCCC. “We learned about how to use radios, about formations, and how to move injured soldiers on a stretcher to the casualty collection point and get to a medevac,” Carr said. “This [...]

Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Shane McCutcheon, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Nagee Smith, Fayetteville State University USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Maddie Hippensteal, Bucknell University Armed Forces Bank Performance AwardCadet Madison Kierein, Arizona State University ARNG Minuteman AwardCadet Dylan Green, University of North Georgia Reserve Organization of America AwardCadet Madelyn Hansen, University of Wisconsin at La Crosse Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Theordore Race, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Military Order of the World Wars AwardCadet Riley Mix, University of Arizona Bold Leader Spirit AwardCadet Matthew Williiams, Bowie State University Magellan Federal High Performer AwardCadet [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed their land navigation qualification at Fort Knox, Ky., July 28, 2023. Armed with a compass, protractor, pencil, map, and a list of coordinates, the Cadets set out, fueled by determination, to find each of their points in under 4 hours. “Today we’re conducting a day land nav., where we are supposed to find three to four points on the course,” said Cadet David Nevarez, Middle Tennessee State University. “When I first got my points, my goal was to make some type of plan to get from my first point to [...]

FORT KNOX Ky. – Cadets from the 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed their Rappel Tower training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 28, 2023. The 64-foot Rappel Tower teaches Cadets to trust in their equipment and themselves to descend the tower. Cadets learn to be confident and brave when faced with the challenges presented at this training event. Cadet Kade Blackwell from Tarleton State University in Dallas, Tx, shares his thoughts on the Rappel Tower. “I was pretty confident at this event, and I knew most of the process for the rappel tower,” Blackwell said. “It is exciting to jump off the [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the Confidence Course at Fort Knox, Ky., July 28, 2023.  The Confidence Course consists of ten obstacles that are designed to physically and mentally challenge Cadets. Despite how intimidating the obstacles may look, the purpose of the Confidence Course is to build confidence in Cadets.   One of the obstacles from the confidence course was named the belly over. It’s where Cadets have to get their stomach on top of a log, then roll over to the opposite side. Cadet Alexis Rivera from Central Michigan University talked about her personal experience [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., — Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, entered the second stage of their Field Training Exercise at Fort Knox, Ky., July 26, 2023.  Spending a total of 12 days in the field, Cadets complete groups of exercises, which are divided into 3 parts: Wolverine, Panther, and Grizzly. The Cadets are challenged mentally and physically before their skills are graded on the last day.  “We’re on our second mission, on the first day of Panther, and we’re completing an area defense,” said Cadet Phillip Jones, Alabama A&M. “Leadership is still processing the last few parts of our plan to [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.—When you don’t know where you want your story to lead, pursuing a path in the Army can provide a place to start. Whether looking for a way to give back to the family that’s dedicated themselves to providing you with opportunities or to carry on a legacy of service, the Army can provide that foundation. For Cadet Alex Park, University of Pittsburgh, 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, the Army gave him the tools he needed to begin writing his own story of gratitude through his service. “My journey started back in high school. I graduated pretty young, so I [...]