MALAWI, SOUTH AFRICA – A team of eleven cadets and one cadre member from around the United States were chosen to attend a CULP, Cultural Understanding and Language Profeciency, mission in Malawi, Africa. The cadets in the team had no idea what to expect for their first full day in country. They knew they were going to be training with the Airborne Battalion but that was about the extent of their knowledge for the first day’s agenda. “I went in having little expectations,” said Shyla Tibert, an International Studies major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. “I expected the […]

FORT KNOX, Ky.- One hundred and forty-two Cadets of Bravo Company, 7th Regiment Advanced Camp, complete Qualification at the weapon range in Fort Knox, Ky. It is extremely vital to pass qualification during Cadet Summer Training. Not only does the Cadet need to graduate with this but they also need to know how to shoot when in combat situations. “It’s pretty vital, because your Cadets are your future officers and you want them to qualify with basic Soldiers skills,” said 2nd Lt. Melissa Churchill, Lewis University. Cadets are required to hit 23 pop-up targets out of 40 to qualify. If they […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 287 Cadets from 1st Regiment Basic Camp graduates at Brooks Field June 26 in Fort Knox, Ky.   Their friends/family as well as Brig. Gen. Bennett and Maj. Gen. Hughes accompanied Cadets.   At nine a.m. the graduation ceremony started with Cadet Jonathon Ordonez, Commander of Troops, leading Cadets as the United States Army Band stood beside them. Cadet Ordonez addressed Col. Halloren, Commander of Task Force Warrior, that the troops are ready to start the ceremony. Once address was given, Chaplain Candidate, 2nd Lt. Jimenez, led everyone in prayer.   The key part of the ceremony […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – As graduation approaches, 1st Regiment Basic Camp Cadets completes the Confidence Course as their last event, June 25 in Fort Knox, Ky. There are three different events, Rudders Rope Course, Rock-Climbing and Merrils Maurauders, that each Cadet needs to complete. Each event has its own difficulty. This course was to test each Cadets confidence and if the Cadet has a fear of heights then this course is to test them to see if they will do it. “[Confidence Course] to see how confident are you, for me, to overcome my fears and to see how strong you […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of 4th Regiment Basic Camp completes Teamwork Development Course June 23 in Fort Knox, Ky. TDC is about Cadets working together as a team for the first time. “The purpose of it is for all of the Cadets to develop as leaders and figure out how work in a team. A lot of these Cadets sit in a classroom and plan things out but when you get in a real environment and work with a bunch of people who all have ideas, you need to learn how to work together,” said Cadet Mentor Sean Bogertey, (MSIII), […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 2nd Regiment Basic Camp completed their training for introduction to battle drills June 20 in Fort Knox, Ky. There are eight lanes that Cadets need to complete; each of them had different scenarios. Within each lane Cadets are given 10 minutes to plan out the attack using a hand-made map using various items to symbolize what they will come into contact with. After Cadets plan, Cadre then lead them to where the enemy should be. The Cadre within the Regiment then plays the enemy. Cadets are told how to walk in formation, having the Squad Leaders lead […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of 3rd Regiment Advanced Camp practices Situational Training Exercises in prep for their Field Training Exercise June 18 at Fort Knox, Ky. During STX Cadets are given different situations to act upon. One of the situations is mock raid on the nearby village because of the intel received. Each situation was simply a simulation of what Soldiers go through when deployed. “We were area reconnaissance it to see what type of person we were looking for, a specific type of personnel. This guy named Abdul Whali, we were looking to find him on this objective and […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Alpha Company of the 2nd Regiment Basic Camp completes the Army Physical Fitness Test early morning, June 17 in Fort Knox, Ky. Part of APFT is to complete two minutes of pushups, sit-ups and end with two-mile run. Each gender has a minimum and maximum amount of pushups and sit-ups Cadets have to complete. It’s up to the Cadet how many they would like to complete before two minutes is up. Each Cadet receives points for every pushup or sit-up they complete. As Lt. Col. Elvis Coronado noticed each Cadet struggling he would motivate them to finish. […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Third Regiment Advanced Camp test their Map Reading skills with a written exam June 13. Each Cadet received a Military Map, protractor, string and written test. This test was pass-fail; Cadets need to pass the test in order to pass the camp. “Today we took a written Land Navigation test, so its all about our ability to read a map. Including intersection, resection, finding where you are, finding where other things are, identifying terrain features on a map and plotting distance,” said Cadet Rebecca Dykhoph, College of St. Benedict and Saint John’s University, Maple Grove, Minn. Prior […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 1st Regiment Advanced Camp enter their first day of Field Training Exercise June 10 at Fort Knox. “This training is the first day of our Field Training Exercise 1 and that really brings all of the elements together that we have been learning so far; so all of the patrolling, tactics and just the different individual skills of learning navigation,” Cadet Ben Ziegler, Northern Illinois University, of Genoa, Ill. Cadre created a mock village; within this village there are Cadre who are roleplaying as villagers. Each day Cadets are training they are given different scenarios and it’s […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of the 2nd Regiment Advanced Camp finish their weapon qualification at Fort Knox, Kentucky June 6. According to the Cadre at the site, the number of Cadets qualified at the practice range amazed them. Only 14 Cadets needed to reshoot for qualification to pass the camp. Cadets were given a pep talk by the trained Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) prior to going past the firing line, on how to shoot the proper way. “Concentrate on what you’re going to do behind the weapon,” said Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Baeza, 4th Squad 3rd Cadre Regiment (4CR). Baeza expressed […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 2nd Regiment Advanced Camp starts their first day at the George Blair weapon range June 5 in Fort Knox, Ky. In order to pass Advanced Camp, Cadets must qualify at marksmanship. “The purpose of knowing how to shoot your (rifle) is mainly about being able to protect yourself and your brothers and sisters around you. Be able to accurately acquire a target that’s down range, being able to lock onto it, and be able to pull the trigger to take down the target,” said Cadet Christian Burke, University of Akron, Cleveland, OH. Prior to going past the […]

FORT KNOX Ky. – Day 10 of Basic Camp, Bravo Company worked on Single Channel Ground and Radio Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS)  to know how to communicate via FM radio.   “[FM Communication Training] is a very useful skill to have, being able to operate a radio. You know, we live in a day and age where cell phones and technology and stuff like that. [If] that stops working [radio] will be our only option,” said Cadet Kenneth Luker, Troy University, from Mobile, Al.   Cadets were escorted into a room with six tables that had six bags. Within each bag, […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Day nine of Basic Camp for First Regiment Cadets, they are taught how to work as a team for the first time on June 3rd in Fort Knox, Ky.   The Team Development Course is an obstacle course with six different events where Cadets are to finish each event in thirty minutes.   “It’s all [the] parts of teamwork, communication, sharing ideas, understanding new ideas, and above all we assign squad leaders who are MSI (Military Science Level I) people who have never been in charge of people before and make them come with ideas and make […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Day eight of Basic camp for 1st Regiment Alpha Company; Cadets are taught the basics of how to handle their weapon.   Prior to learning how to dismantle their weapons, Cadets are given M16 Rifle and they sign receipt documents to say they received the weapon.   “[The document] Details what equipment you have received, so you basically sign off to say you have received it,” said Cadet Ezekiel Smith, Stone Mountain, Georgia, of Georgia Southern University.   Drill Sergeant Tenner gathered the Cadets around to give a brief overview on what to do with the weapon. During […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Day four of Cadet Summer Training Basic Camp Cadets are taught Drill and Ceremony. They start with the basics in how to create a formation and call cadence in unison.   There are different forms of formation, with and without their rifles. There is close interval, squad column, and column of twos. Each cadet has space in between them and has to be arms length apart.   For the first day of Drill and Ceremony (D&C), Cadets are taught without the rifle.   “We briefly touch on the basics. We do facing movements, we do some marching, and […]

Day three of the Advanced Camp and Cadets are learning to be a team at the Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC) site in Fort Knox, Ky.   “This is one of the first events the Cadets will have their whole time here, so it’s to build team and make camaraderie and leadership,” said Staff Sgt. John Gustafson, Ft. Knox, Ky.   There are 12 obstacles; with each obstacle there is a different challenge, the higher the number, the tougher the challenge.   On this field site, there are two of the same courses with two different names, side “Black” and side […]

Cadets from all over the country arrived at Fort Knox, Ky., on May 25 to start their first day of Advanced camp.   Upon arrival, Cadets must go through many tasks as part of their in-processing. Some tasks include thorough briefings, inventory of items that they should have and not have, receive barracks assignments, and height/weight check.   Height and Weight is a big part of the Cadet processing because commanders want to make sure their Cadets meet Army standards.   When the Cadets receive their barracks assignments they are to change into their Army shirt and running shorts. Once they […]

Fort Knox, Ky. – When assessing simulated casualties, Cadet Summer Training Tactical Operations Center (CST TOC) is the first to get the call from medics on site.   CST TOC conducted a simulated medical evacuation May 23rd prior to Cadets arriving at Fort Knox, Ky., for their training.   “Now, we know more about all of our individual tasks, so we’re more focused and centered on knowing what we need to know depending on our jobs so we’re not crossing paths,” Said 2nd Lt. Krista Gatan, logistics liaison officer (LNO), CST TOC.   With this exercise CST TOC facilitated communication; there […]