By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets executed Situational Training Exercises, STXs, August 2 during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. “Today is the last day of our STX, Situational Training Exercise. Basically, we are in the crawl phase of what we’re going to do. These are all Cadre run. We’re going through the motions and letting them show us how they want the lane set up and how to properly execute the things that we’re trying to do,” explained Cadet Logan Karsteter, Purdue University, (hometown) Milan, Indiana. Each iteration, or repetition, of the exercise […]

Advanced Camp Cadets endure mud for mission FORT KNOX, Ky.– On a rainy, late July morning, Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp slide through mud to conduct a platoon attack. During the first day of their field training exercise, the clouds left no mercy on Cadets preparing for their mission. Weighed down by rucks and wet uniforms, Cadets from Alpha Company trudge through the Kentucky woods in an area of operations known as Panther. This sector of the woods gives Cadets their first taste of field training exercises that are not led by Cadre. “We moved tactically to an ORP [objective rally […]

Ft. Knox, Ky. – Every summer, Cadets from all over the nation join together to defeat mock enemy forces at Fort Knox. Cadets are assigned to destroy peers that are dressed in a black button down and phased out uniforms. The question is, who exactly are these enemy forces? As Cadets from 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp were practicing how to conduct a raid during a situational exercise, the opposing forces were patiently waiting. OPFOR, which consisted of rising MS3 juniors explained why participating as the bad guys has been a very rewarding experience. “I volunteered for OPFOR, […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Advanced Camp Cadets like 9th Regiment spend 19-days in the field where they are exposed to the heat and rain of the Kentucky forests that surround Fort Knox. It is important to stay positive and think about the easy days ahead says Cadet Joshua Bell, Liberty University. “It is all about positivity, taking one day at a time – not looking forward to the tough events that you are going to face – but taking each day as it comes and also taking away those days where you really aren’t doing much.” Cadets participate in missions testing […]

Ft. Knox, KY– Deep within the vegetation of Atropia, there’s an enemy force that is described as far worse than any other Cadet force known within the Cadet Summer Training program. These enemy forces study their victims every morning and make it their mission to attack at night. These bandits, that wear a natural black mask and fitted gloves seem to be an issue for even the Cadets that play the role of the bad guys.”For the amount of trash they leave and the havoc they have caused, we have never had eyes on these raccoons. Opposing force member Patrick Ewing, […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – With only three days left until graduation, Cadets from 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp must begin asking themselves, “What’s next?” Lucky for them, Branch Orientation provides some answers. During Branch Orientation, Cadets rotate through various tents filled with information on each branch available to them. For some Cadets, selecting a branch is a walk in the park, but for others, selecting a branch will be the hardest decision they ever make. Cadet Anna Farmer from the University of Oregon has a decision to make. As of now, she has narrowed down her selections to Field Artillery, Military Intelligence and […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp conducted a raid on July 30, during the third and final phase of Field Training Exercises: the Grizzly phase. During the Grizzly phase, also known as the run phase, the Cadets conduct the missions themselves as opposed to being guided through them by Cadre like in the Wolverine (crawl) and Panther (walk) phases. Cadet Marc Venditti, University of South Florida, the platoon leader for yesterday’s mission, explained that he utilizes the chain of command to communicate with his platoon. He gives information to his squad leaders, who pass it on to their […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets are allowed to receive care packages and letters during their one month of training at Cadet Summer Training. These packages can help with morale of the individual and sometimes the whole unit. Cadets of 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp have been lucky enough to receive these morale boosting gifts throughout their time at Camp giving them something to lean on during their wet and muddy day in the field. Cadet Maddie Stone, University of Oklahoma, says notes, letters and packages are highly appreciated due to the limited contact they have with the outside world. “Getting letters is […]

FORT KNOX, Ky – Cadets from 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp woke up in the early morning hours of July 30th, 2018 to step off for the 12-mile ruck march, the last critical event before graduation. “I’m about to knock out this 12-mile ruck march with 35 pounds on my back,” Cadet Jhory Miller, Norfolk State University, declared. For this ruck march, the Cadets carry a minimum of 35 pound of gear from the field. This prepares them for future combat situation where they will be carrying larger rucks for long periods of time. “Sometimes in warfare we have to live out […]

FORT KNOX, Ky.— According to the Situational Training Exercise, you must crawl before you walk. 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets crawled through their STX Lanes this morning July 31, 2018. During the crawl phase of FTX, the Cadets are led through situational training by their Cadre. Cadet Brandon Hummel, Pennsylvania State University, solidifies the importance of STX during Cadet Summer Training. “This is the meat and potatoes of what the Army does really, there’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff, but this is the front line stuff,” he continued, “no matter if you go infantry or not, you need to […]

Fort Knox, KY–  Within a platoon, one can find different personalities, a multitude of talents and even parents. Cadets of 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp were able to immediately identify a Cadet that is definitely a triple threat among them. Cadet Anthony Jett, Missouri University of Science and Technology, hidden towards the back of platoon, easily stood out because of all the praises his battle buddies were saying about his character. “I wanted to go the Officer route just to feel like I had more of an influence,” Jett said. Jett, a former Sergeant in both the Regular […]

Ft. Knox, KY– Within the crowd of Cadets in 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, there was one Cadet that Cadre was able to easily identify. “The Ranger boy is getting all the attention, that’s what happens when you’re an E-7,” Captain Dylan Gallagan jokingly added. Marc Venditti, University of South Florida, a prior enlisted soldier, has quite an impressive résume when put up against his battle buddies, including Cadre members.   With all of his experience, Venditti commented that he usually gets pointed out by Cadre members in every lane. “It starts to get old,” he said with […]

FORT KNOX, Ky – Before moving on to their first field training exercise, Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp ran through their final Cadre assisted situational training exercise on July 29, 2018. The Cadets’ assignment was to execute a raid, infiltrating a group of oppositional forces holding a position deep within the forests of Training Area 12. “It was initially a recon,” Cadet Joshua Westerhaus, Coastal Carolina University, stated. “Then we got a frago (a redirected order), once we got here, that we were going to do a raid…So, we went back to the ORP (Objective Rally Point), the platoon leader […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets enjoyed a cool day in with air conditioning during their Call for Fire training at Fort Knox, July 29. The must pass training consists of a 45-minute lecture, followed by practice tests. After the initial training Cadets are given four attempts to pass the written test that follows the training. The training’s primary focus is to teach the Cadets how to call for indirect fire support. Indirect fire is when artillery is used because a Soldier is unable to reach a target with direct fire weapons. 2nd Lt. Devin Hesketh, Arizona State […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – As the sun began to rise over Fort Knox early Saturday morning, Cadets from 10thRegiment, Advanced Camp were hard at work tracking various coordinates in the woods during their Day Land Navigation exam. Put simply, the concept of the Land Navigation exam, often referred to as “land nav,” closely resembles that of a treasure hunt: Cadets are provided with a map of the terrain in the form of a grid as well as a compass, a protractor, and a set a coordinates to find their exact destination. Here at Cadet Summer Training, however, this treasure hunt doesn’t […]

Ft. Knox, KY- Smiles spread in waves as the Cadets of 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp marched their way to Waybur Theater to greet their families and friends. With their heads held high, and the happy dance seen throughout the formation, Cadets started to straighten out their uniforms and check their phones to see the time tick down to noon, the time that family members would be released to see them. Just seconds before noon, Cadets were put into attention, sounded off with an almighty  ‘Train to lead’, and were immersed into the waves of family members looking for their Cadets. With […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – What started out as a calm morning in the woods turned into a high-speed attack for 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets. This morning (27 July), the Cadets were given a mission to later conduct an attack on a Linear Danger Area. With only a grid location and a time, the Cadets moved meters from the op-for and set up an objective rally point. Once they got the objective rally point set up, they sent out a leaders recon to scout out a position to get eyes on how many enemy personnel were there and what weapons they had. […]

Fort Knox, KY– A chilly morning for the Cadets of 4th Platoon, Bravo Company, 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp as they learned the basics to conducting a raid. As Cadets took notes and listened attentively, a lane instructor walked through ‘must-do’ events for key leaders such as knowing where heavy weapons, such as the M240 machine gun and M249 squad automatic weapon are at all times, locating target reference points, terrain analysis and knowing sectors of fires for each person. According to the Cadet Hand Book, a resourceful guide issued to each Cadet at the start of their Regiment, raids are surprise […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp began Situational Training Exercises on July 27, entering the crawl phase of Field Training Exercises. This phase of training is heavily guided by Cadre and serves as instruction for Cadets. Cadet Karli Ring, a student at George Washington University, called what the Cadets were being taught the “doctrine, know-how” way to carry out the mission set before them. As a small group of Cadets set off for a leader’s reconnaissance patrol, Ring explained, the Cadre had the rest of the Cadets follow and observe rather than post security, as would normally […]

FORT KNOX, Ky.—6th Regiment, Advanced Camp participated in Branch Orientation, where they learn about the Reserves, the National Guard, and all 17 branches the Army has to offer to new 2nd Lts. “Our job is to bring the branch to the Cadets,” said Capt. Austen Boroff, Office of the Commandant Field Artillery Proponent Office. “We try to give them a greater understanding of what we do.” Branch Orientation is a lot like speed dating. Cadets go to tents set up by all 17 branches, as well as the Army Reserves, and the National Guard. At each tent, Cadets normally watch a short hype-up […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets are the last group of Cadets to pass through the Confidence Chamber this summer at Fort Knox, July 26th. These Cadets where about to participate in the the final edition of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) training. Lt. Col. Derek Carlson, Morehead State University, said the humidity would provide a more difficult and challenging experience for these Cadets. “It’s a big impact,” he said. “The weather has a big impact on all the training, but here, CS, when you have a high humidity day, the pores in the body open up a […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets conduct a new mission during the Field Training Exercise July 26, 2018. A Field Training Exercise describes a coordinated exercise conducted by military units for training purposes. It assists Cadets getting prepared for leadership programs they must complete to graduate as commissioned officers. The exercise is usually carefully planned out by officers, in order to give Cadets a taste of battle and allows instructors to look for mistakes and correct them. Without disclosing any plans or information beforehand, it creates a more unpredictable and realistic situation for Cadets during the training. Cadet Jake […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp is 24,000 steps closer to graduation after completing their 12-mile ruck march at Fort Knox, July 25. The Cadets began gathering near the starting line before 3:00 AM. They stepped off 30 minutes later and began what some called their ‘journey home’. “It really felt like we were rucking to go home.” said Baylon Northap, Edinboro University. “It didn’t feel that long, because every mile felt like another step closer to home. The further you got the more excitement built up and the faster you were going.” The bright red moon and the sea of […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Maps, protractors, and binoculars covered the fold-out tables set out before Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp for a Call for Fire Trainer on July 25. Following 45 minutes of instruction, they had two hours to practice their skills in preparation for a must-pass 20-minute test. Additional time was set aside for retraining and retesting. Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Kruse explained that the purpose of today’s training is to teach Cadets how to call for, and more specifically adjust, indirect fire. Direct fire is used when the target is within the sight range of a Soldier’s weapon […]

FORT KNOX, Ky – For the past month, 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets have been in and out of the field, running through the mud, completing missions, and taking orders. With all of that behind them, the Cadets celebrated by spending time with their loved ones on Family Day, July 24, 2018. “It feels fantastic,” exclaimed Cadet Geoffrey Wilson, Rochester institute of Technology. “It’s really nice to see them again after so long. [I] really missed them, in the field especially.” Cadets lined up in formation outside Waybur Theater, where parents and grandparents are inside catching up on what their Cadet […]