After completing the first 72 hours of their Field Training Exercise (FTX) and receiving a well-deserved refit day, Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, begin the next phase of their training by moving to a new area. Unlike the initial phase, Cadets must now plan and execute their missions with little to no assistance from the Cadre staff, and face new challenging simulations designed to create high levels of pressure and anxiety within the platoons to add to the realism of the training. “You got to learn how to manage, to be under stress and make good decisions or at least […]

FORT KNOX, Ky., — When teenagers turn 16 in America, some parents go out of their way to make sure this day is a special one. Parties, limousine rides and expensive gifts are not a rare sight on this day. AnnaLee Reid’s Sweet 16 was just a little different. Reid, a Cadet from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, who attends Central Washington University, received a present that unknowingly started her on the road to become a U.S. Army Officer. “My parents for my 16 birthday took me out and taught me how to shoot a handgun,” said Reid.  “That was like the […]

FORT KNOX, Ky., — There is no doubt that the tactics modern troops use to move around the battlefield would surprise the early American Soldiers. Perhaps no other tactic would surprise them more than the concept of Fire and Maneuver. A squad tactic that involves the use of two elements, maneuver and fire support, Fire and Maneuver revolutionized the way wars are fought by replacing the rigid line-up tactics of the past with a dynamic approach that allows for movement, cover and concealment on the battlefield. On July 18, Cadets from 11th Regiment, Advanced Camp, learned how to apply this tactical […]

FORT KNOX, Ky., — When Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, arrived to Fort Knox, Ky., for their Cadet Summer Training (CST) their marksmanship skill levels were at different stages of development.  From previous service special forces Cadets to Cadets that have never touched a gun in their lives, Cadre must train them all to be proficient with the M4 rifle and for the new .40 Individual Weapons Qualification. “Every program has different assets in what they can deal and train with,” said Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Kirkendall, a member from the training Cadre. “Cadets come in to CST who not […]

For Cadets who joined ROTC during their sophomore or senior years, or college students looking to take a peek into the military, Cadet Summer Training (CST) prepares a 31-day Basic Camp to introduce them to the Army.   One of the tasks Cadets learn during this Basic Camp is the Buddy Land Navigation; a basic soldiering skill that trains them to use rudimentary tools to find their way in case their GPS or electronic communications fails them. “Doing it in an area that you’re familiar with such like a field at your school and doing it in the real wild are […]

Fort Knox, Ky., —  Throughout Cadet Summer Training, Cadets learn the meaning of being a Soldier and a leader by exposing themselves every day to new experiences that help them grow. They conquer fears on the Rappel Tower, they develop confidence during Land Navigation and they learn to trust their equipment during the Confidence Chamber.   By the time Cadets arrive at the Field Training Exercise (FTX) their Regiments are a well-oiled machine that is ready to showcase the things they have learned throughout camp, but before they can do that, they must learn one final lesson: How to work with each […]

Fort Knox, Ky., — Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, received a motivational boost from Gen. Paul E. Funk II during his visit to their Field Training Exercise (FTX) at AO Wolverine on July 19. “I was busy writing my OPORD (Operations Order) and I started looking up and I counted one, two, three, four stars on the chest and I was like ‘oh my God, we have a general out here,’” said Cadet Danny Yim, UC Berkeley.  Funk, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, shared with Cadets a moment of comradery and expressed his gratitude […]

For the first couple of days of Cadet Summer Training, Cadets spend most of their time taking care of paperwork, getting to know each other and preparing for the challenging days ahead.  These initial events build their teamwork and morale, and teach them how to lead and follow. The Rappel Tower and Confidence Course is the first, but definitely not the last, event that tests all of this.  Rappelling is an event that requires a two person team: a Rappeller and a Belayer. The Rappeller is the person who descends and is in full control of the ropes while the Belayer […]

For millennia, humans have navigated the world using the stars and maps. Unfortunately, most people nowadays can’t find their own home without using their cellphones or some other form of assisted navigation. While many have lost or abandoned this ancestral ability, the art and talent of navigating using traditional means remains an important part of being a Soldier.  “It is a very important skill because we can’t rely too much on technology,” said Gabriel Cordero-Velasquez, a Cadet from the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. “We’re not always going to have technology there to assist us.” Cadet Summer Training prepares Cadets to […]

When the Cadets of 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, arrived to the Warrior Skills training site on Thursday, July 1, the excitement could be felt in the air. Smiling faces bounced around scouting every inch of the green military tents in the distance. For the Cadets, Warrior Skills is the first hands-on training event of their Cadet Summer Training, and the place where they learned to save lives and provide indirect fire support for ground troops. Cadets started the event by receiving a mandatory safety brief from the Cadre staff and later split into platoons to challenge the Call for Fire lane […]

On April 22, 1915, German troops wrote a gruesome new chapter in the book of modern warfare with the deployment of poison gas on the unsuspecting Allied troops defending Ypres, Belgium. Since then, the use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons became widespread among nations and have been used as recent as the 1990s when Iraqi forces deployed Nerve Agents and CS Gas against its own population to control a popular uprising. To prevent a repeat of the Ypres attack, the U.S. Military developed the Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) and trained its troops in the effective reaction against the […]