[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU3u7BAnXOs[/embedyt]   FORT KNOX, Ky. — The Confidence Chamber comes down to those seconds the Cadets have to stand and breathe in the CS gas, which is similar to tear gas, and whether or not they can stand the discomfort. CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) training hosts many parts, but the capstone of the training is for Cadets to walk in and brave the Confidence Chamber. It serves as a mental barrier, and after braving it, 9th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets walked away more than ready to tackle the rest of camp. Cadet Emily Campos, a Lagrangeville, New York, native, [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCRJ0oPHTB0[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, KY.— Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp stood ready with their weapons and their battle buddies for Buddy Team Live Fire training on July 17. During this training, Cadets are given blanks and must practice bounding between concealment while simultaneously providing cover for their battle buddy along the way.  While advancing forward on the course, Cadets practice three movement techniques that include bounding, high crawl and low crawl.  “Bounding is a three to five second rush, followed by dropping to the ground,” Cadet Ali Carroll, from Clark University said. “High crawl is crawling forward to your next [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y1HjOfDnRQ[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Rain pouring down, a cloudy, overcast sky watched over the gobbling turkeys making their way across George Blair Range the morning of July 17. Cadets of the 10th Regiment of Advanced Camp spent their morning qualifying on their M-4 Carbines. While qualifying is difficult even on a bright, clear-sky day, the rain brought with it some extra challenge. This wouldn’t stop the Cadets from reaching success, though. With the quote of the day being, “I’ll be hooah my whole life,” said by Cadet Cady Carpenter, attending the University of Texas at El Paso, the challenge [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edXQDjZFLNY[/embedyt] FORT KNOX Ky. — Cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the Field Leader Reaction Course on July 16. The course challenges Cadets’ leadership skills while also encouraging squad growth. Cadets were given just barely enough material and time to complete the obstacles they faced. It was a challenging task. But growth doesn’t come in complacency. “The purpose [of FLRC] is to basically team build and also to develop critical thinking skills,” Cadet Jack Lacy of Texas A&M University, said. “So you can solve problems faster and know how to communicate more effectively and efficiently in a stressful situation.” [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 11th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets persevered through the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Confidence Chamber July 16 during Cadet Summer Training. “We had our classes where we learned how to trust our gear and how to utilize it properly. Then, the proper steps if we were ever in the environments and need to use it,” explained Cadet Brandon Milburn, Norwich University. “After that, we did the practical application of it where we went inside the gas chamber and were exposed to the chemical substance.” During the introductory classes, Cadets were shown a demonstration of what the Chemical [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfK89G9SGGs[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets learned more about Army branches at Branch Orientation Day July 16, during Cadet Summer Training. Branch Orientation Day is for Cadets to be exposed to all the branches, or jobs, the military has to offer. The Cadets spend a good portion of the day shifting from one branch to the next on controlled rotations. They move tent-to-tent, receiving branch specific merchandise and a representative explains the branch they represent to the Cadets. There are many potential options a Cadet has to consider when listing their preferred branches. The Cadets must [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT5b_m7VGGM[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Cadets from 4th Regiment, Basic Camp, faced their fears during the confidence course on July 15. The Basic Camp confidence course consists of three different events: the climbing wall, the Alpine Tower and Rudder’s Ropes Course. The three different variations of obstacles are meant to challenge the Cadets physically but also mentally. “The biggest thing we have the Cadets doing out here is facing their fears,” Georgia State University Military Science Instructor and Confidence Course Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, Sgt. 1st Class Barry Ray said. “It is not actually to get rid of the fear. [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDi28OHqS14[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, KY. — Two minutes of push-ups, two minutes of sit-ups, and a two-mile run, that is how 10th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets started off their morning during their Army Physical and Fitness Test (APFT). APFT tests a Cadet’s physical fitness to see how well he or she might handle being in the field. Lyndsey Fisher, a student at Texas Christian University, said pacing herself was harder than she expected. At her school, there is an Olympic track where she runs eight laps, rather than two. Although she passed her test, Fisher did not do as well as [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp participated in Squad Movement Drills, July 14. Before Advanced Camp Cadets enter the field for their field training exercise they learn how to set up patrol bases and what to expect from some common situations. Squad Movement Drills allow Cadets to choose what they feel they need to work on before entering the field at Wolverine, or the walk phase of field training, the slowest and easiest of the exercises. Army ROTC instructor Master Sgt. Mark Alston, Duke University, said the Cadets will start slow by setting up their base and [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXbFtWjK12A[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — The sound of gun fire boomed across George Blair Range on July 14 while 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets completed their Weapons Qualification. Cadets had three days to prepare for weapons qualification. Those three days included: Preliminary Marksmanship Instruction (PMI), Group and Zero and Down Range Feedback. At PMI, Cadets learned about the fundamentals of their weapons systems in a classroom setting. On the second day, Cadets took to a range to learn how to group and zero their weapons. Cadets refined their skills on the third day in preparation for the qualification the next [...]

Cadets of the 10th Regiment of Advanced Camp completed the six-mile ruck march in the early hours of this morning, July 14. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” ringing through their ears, Cadets were able to find some pretty interesting ways to stay motivated. Some may even call them quirky. What’s Your Quirk? “For both my rucks and the two-mile run I sing ’99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall,’” Cadet Josh Hopingardner, from Yorktown, Virginia, said. “I sing all the way down to one and then I work my way back up.” Hopingardner, attending University of Montana, said singing helps to keep his [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHjGF4zCdTU[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets got the chance to let loose the day before their graduation. As a special treat Cadets are able to see their families before graduating from Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 13. Throughout the time of Cadet Summer Training, Cadets are only allowed to have their phone for 30 minutes before lights out in the barracks. Cadets are very eager to spend time with their families just as much as the families want to spend time with them. Lisa Young, mother of Cadet Emma Murray who is attending Morgan [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKxSnEioGI[/embedyt] FORT KNOX Ky. — Advanced Camp’s 8th Regiment underwent Buddy Team Live Fire (BTLF) training on July 13th. The training consists of battle buddies alternately bounding toward a simulated enemy while providing cover along the way. Training with a purpose “The purpose of this training is to build trust in one another,” Cadet Patton Weak of the University of Montana said. “So, when we’re down range, we can efficiently and effectively move ourselves and our troops, and be able to have that knowledge of not only what we should be doing, but what the people we are in charge of [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp fill the lanes of George Blair Range for weapons qualification July 12.  With 40 rounds, 40 targets and a minimum of 23 targets hit required to qualify their weapons, nerves are high for Advanced Camp Cadets as they prepare their weapons.  Cadets are required to complete several days of basic marksmanship training and weapon zeroing before they make it to weapons qualification. This training helps to familiarize the Cadets with their weapons, teaching them the correct way to clean them, carry them and handle them when firing.  Cadets not only are [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5O-fQfQ6fU[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – 8th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets completed their rigorous confidence course training, 12 July. “The objective of this training is to build confidence and teamwork within each squad,” said Sgt. Frank Marscelli from San Diego State University. “Cadets aren’t expected to be tactically proficient, rather resilient and motivated. We [cadre] want to see how the Cadets lead each other.” Throughout the course, Cadets must maneuver themselves with agility under low wires, over steep hurdles, up towering ladders and down shaky cargo nets. Sgt. 1st Class Clayton Mayberry, a cadre on the course, compared the confidence course [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp were joined by the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Dr. E. Casey Wardynski, for branch orientation, July 11. Wardynski supervises manpower, personnel and reserve components affairs of the Department of the Army. He is also the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army on issues such as training, human resources, equal opportunity and other critical matters. Branch orientation allows Cadets to see what different career opportunities are available for Army officers. Cadets who know what they would like to branch are able to explore job duties and training related to their [...]

Barrels pointed down-range, the Cadets shot in three separate positions at three different distances: kneeling, prone unsupported and prone supported at 50, 100 and 300 meters. Cadets of the 9th Regiment of Advanced Camp completed their last day of M-4 Carbine training before qualifying this morning, July 11. Feedback While they shot at the pop-up targets, a sensor was reading how their shots were moving and landing. This gave them what’s called “down-range feedback.” “They’re doing, essentially, a fixed-distance range,” Maj. Jason Martos, leading the 3rd Platoon of Alpha Co., said. “The computer will read where the rounds are impacting and [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyzKi2qYFsQ[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — The sounds of coughs and cries filled the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) range while Second Regiment, Basic Camp, Cadets completed CBRN training on July 10 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. CBRN included eight different trainings on Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) levels, the Chemical Corps and the confidence chamber, which were meant to instill trust in their equipment. Cadets left with a new found confidence in not only their equipment, but their battle buddies as well. “In the [confidence] chamber specifically, when you are about to be let out, usually you can’t see, you’re [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtAWlwT3APs[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Advanced Camp, 5th Regiment Cadets, tried to stay cool in the heat category five weather, while they were performing a defense exercise at Grizzly Field Training Exercise (FTX) lanes. FTX lanes are a part of Cadet Summer Training to help enhance the Cadets leadership skills at Fort Knox, Ky., July 9. For this exercise the Cadets had a general idea of where the opposing forces (OPFOR) were coming from. They had to secure the patrol base from all angles to ensure the Cadets were able to see the OPFOR coming. “Objective Firefly is a terrain that [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HM2RVQqZT0[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, KY.— “I think learning what your subordinates have to do on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour basis makes you a better leader,” said Sophie Hill, from Wellesley College. Hill and the rest of the Cadets from the 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp completed another day of Field Training Exercises (FTX) and learned what exactly those they will lead have to do during this ambush mission. At the start of the mission the Platoon Leader was given the details about the ambush the previous night and had until the early morning to plan out what would happen. “When you are in [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAsB-ERhFyw[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, KY. – “The past 37 days have been really tough and eye opening, but it makes me more motivated. It makes me ready to start my career in the Army,” said Cadet Catherine Vitale, from Saint Johns University- New York. Along with Vitale, who wants to become an active duty component Quartermaster Officer, Cadets from the 3rd Regiment are now one step closer in their Army career after graduating from Advanced Camp. This is a day many anticipate after a rigorous 37 days of training. During the ceremony, 18 Cadets were awarded the RECONDO Badge. In order [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zm6AuymGzw[/embedyt] FORT KNOX Ky. — On July 8, Cadets of the 7th Advanced Camp Regiment completed Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) training, where they learned to trust their equipment in a chemical environment. It was an introduction to the dangers of chemical attacks, the detection of chemical environments, and the use of protective gear. “There’s a lot to the chemical corps and it’s really hard to cover in just a couple of hours, but it is a nice little intro to what we do on a daily basis,” Spc. Joseph Workman, subject matter expert at the CBRN training, said. [...]

Fort Knox, Ky. – The stars were out; the crickets were chirping and 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets were rucking. At 4 a.m. the Cadets were lined up and began the six-mile ruck march. “It is good to be out here with all of my buddies, I have made some really good friendships thus far and I love a really good (physical training) session,” Cadet Dylan Vansickell from Little Silver, New Jersey, and a student at Stevens Institute of Technology said. “A six-mile ruck to start the morning [makes for] a good day.” The Cadets used this time in a variety [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvyFK2DV53E[/embedyt] Fort Knox, Ky. – For 37 days, 3rd Regiment Cadets have been working on completing Advanced Camp here at Fort Knox, Ky. Today, the Cadets celebrated the end of their journeys at Cadet Summer Training (CST) by reuniting with family and friends. Cadets practiced for tomorrow’s graduation on Brooks Field while family and friends were briefed on Advanced Camp in Waybur Theater. At the end of rehersal, Cadets were released to waiting parents, friends, and significant others. “My family is pretty important to me, so it is nice to see them,” Cadet Cochise Wanzer, from McLean, Virginia, and attending [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp completed their last must attempt event, the 12-mile ruck, July 8. Cadets started the ruck from a site near their Field Training Exercise location in the woods outside of base at 3 a.m. with the first of Alpha Company arriving at the finish line at 6:13 a.m. Some of the regimental Cadre go to the finish line to help prepare for the Cadet’s arrival and be there to congratulate them for completing all of the main hurdles between them and Graduation. The Cadets walked into the finish line as “Flight of [...]