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 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.—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 [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.— 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets Hayden Eoff, The Citadel, and Sung Jae Kim, University of Oklahoma, share a bit of their experience after completing their group and zero at Handiboe Range on Fort Knox, Ky., July 24, 2023. In order to complete Cadet Summer Training, Cadets must go through their M4 carbine qualifications. This process take place over several days where Cadets gain marksmanship skills and learn how to properly utilize their weapons before their final qualifications. “Basic riflemanship is one of the essential soldier tasks. It’s something that, no matter what you do in the Army, you [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.– At Cadet Summer Training, Cadets come from across the United States and beyond to learn. One of the Army’s greatest strengths is its diversity and Cadet Rahul Khanal from the University of Colorado Denver, shares how his story of duty and pride has carried him across oceans to become an Army officer. Originally from Nepal in South Asia, Khanal traveled to the United States when he was 19 years old. “This was the land of opportunity. I was going to college, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in information technology,” Khanal said. “I got a chance to join the military [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.—Cadets from 1st Regiment, Basic Camp, completed the Team Development Course at Fort Knox, Ky., July 21, 2023. TDC is designed to challenge Cadets as they complete various obstacles in order to strengthen their teamwork skills. “This is a part of our training because the military is not an individual thing,” said Cadet Janyah Robinson, South Carolina State University. “Everybody is a team, everybody is working together. We all represent one thing.” During their time at Cadet Summer Training, Cadets are given many opportunities to get to know each other and grow together. “We all knew each other’s weaknesses [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.—Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the Field Leader Reaction Course on Fort Knox, Ky., July 17, 2023. FLRC is a teamwork-based course in which Cadets complete challenging scenarios with the purpose of growing leadership and team building skills. “We’re given challenges and obstacles to get across,” said Cadet Katrina Thoms, Stephen F. Austin State University. “Some are impossible, some just take a lot of planning, but as a team, we work together to accomplish the task at hand.” In preparation for the various obstacles, Cadets are given a scenario as well as a series of rules they [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.—Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, complete their daytime land navigation test on Fort Knox, Ky., July 16, 2023. Land navigation acts as a tool to teach Cadets to maneuver various terrains while locating the intended checkpoints. “We’re taught a couple days before and after our exercises how to use our tools like the protractor and compass and apply them,” said Cadet Kenneth Smith, University of Dayton. “You’ve got options on how to complete this and you find a preference through the practices we do in the coming days.” This exercise pushes Cadets into scenarios that require them to [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp, complete the 8-mile ruck march during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 14, 2023. The 8-mile ruck march is the Cadets’ transition into the second half of their time spent in the field before graduation. “The march is at the end of the first phase of our Field Training Exercise (FTX),” said Cadet Madison Cappellano, Virginia Military Institute. “It’s basically a culminating event that transitions to the last six days of the field for the platoon.” At this point, Cadets have been in the field for five days, completing [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 1st Regiment, Basic Camp challenged the Forest Hills Climbing Complex on Fort Knox, Ky., July 13, 2023. FHCC is a part of training to help Cadets overcome their fears and gain confidence in themselves while completing the different obstacles. “Most people would say that it’s important because it teaches you not to be scared of heights,” said Cadet Dean Grassi, Penn State University. “I think it actually teaches you to overcome obstacles like your fear.” The course is comprised of a rock-climbing wall, two vertical alpine towers, and the high ropes course. All of these [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp, execute their battle march and shoot training exercise on Fort Knox, Ky., on July 9, 2023. Battle march and shoot simulates the fatigue that can appear while in active duty, pushing Cadets to remain prepared for combat. “The battle march and shoot is a [roughly] four mile ruck to make us really tired, and then we get 40 rounds and put them on a target,” said Cadet Geoffrey Takacs, University of Connecticut. “It’s to make sure that we can stay calm and even after working out, being under pressure, we can [...]