“I packed a lot of underwear, but sometimes you don’t have time to change underwear, so I definitely recommend panty liners,” said Portis. “I go through probably like eight or so a day. You can just rip those off, change them and what not.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” This quote can be applied to ROTC as well. It’s not always about commissioning and becoming a second lieutenant. in the United States Army. Sometimes what’s more important is the journey you took to get there.  Cadets Juancarlos Simmonds and Kayin Shabazz, both from Florida A&M University, decided to take a unique journey on their path to commissioning by attending Basic Camp this summer.  “My purpose for coming to camp was that I never had any experience with the military before,” Simmonds said. “I knew that whenever I come [...]

“Having our group of four with me really helped out because when one of us was getting down or one of us was getting frustrated we were able to hold each other accountable and keep the mission in mind,” Mendiola said.

corrected some of my forms, especially trigger squeeze,” Juhasz said. “A lot of times I get into a bad habit of trying to pull the trigger with my whole finger instead of just the tip of my finger. So having someone correct me on that even here at camp is a good way to learn and a good way to adapt to the environment.”

“Most people have a fear of heights,” Cadet Michael Cavil, from the University of South Florida, said. “Personally, my biggest fear is loud sounds. So for me my overcoming was range day.” 

“When I first came to the United States, the first people that helped me through were veterans,” Tway said. “My English teacher, my mentor and my coaches were all veterans and I still keep in touch with every single one of them and they’re the reason why I joined [the Army].”

“I think I really do well under pressure, like moving, making sure I’m not frozen in place when I hear gunshots," Roberts said. "I’m trying my best to get to the next cover. I think that’s my biggest strength so far.”

“They have to accomplish something as a team,” said Staff Sgt. Jamie Mrazek. “We assign a team leader or a squad leader. They utilize the equipment that they have to traverse the obstacle, whatever the goal is whether it's to go over a wall or utilize a rope to get from obstacle to obstacle.”

“My grandpa was a second lieutenant in the Army. I’m named after him, my first name is Roberto, his first name was Roberto,” Ortega said. “My grandma, she said I looked like him a lot and we have the same type of personality so I think that was a great motivation to join the Army and follow his steps. He’s always been a motivator for me since I was a little kid and I always looked up to him.”

“Back in Puerto Rico, while I was doing a FTX, it was very hot. Unfortunately I wasn’t hydrating enough and after two days in the field, well, I had a heat cat,” Oliver said.

Advanced Camp at Cadet Summer Training on Fort Knox, Ky is a rigorous 37-day camp full of complex and challenging training events, designed to assess a Cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. Having any prior knowledge or experience would be most advantageous to have in this stressful training environment.  Well this is exactly what Cadet Kanesha McGraw possesses. McGraw attends Marion Military Institute in Marion, Alabama where she’s been studying the same concepts taught here at Advanced Camp for the past two years. McGraw is also prior enlisted. She is currently in her third year of service [...]

"Oh my God, I’m so thankful for the rain."