FORT KNOX, Ky. – The Fort Knox Water Park reopened approximately a week ago, providing a way for families on Fort Knox to enjoy the summer days.  The water park includes two slides, a baby pool for the smaller kids and water fountains to play in, as well as the general swimming area.  Lesley Clark, a lifeguard at the park, said her favorite part about working at the water park is the energy of all the kids.  “I taught swim lessons at Anderson [Indoor Aquatics Center] before this, so a whole bunch of my students keep popping in here, showing me […]

By Commanding General John R. Evans, and Lindsay Grant [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOjnmKqSvRY[/embedyt] The U.S. Army Cadet Command is not only committed to producing future leaders of the Armed Forces, they have inspired generations of students to become better citizens through Army Junior ROTC. With over 300,000 students in 1,700 units around the world (more than Air Force, Navy and Marine JROTC programs combined) Army JROTC has been a cornerstone of Cadet Command and integral to its mission. A commonly held misconception about the program is that it is used to recruit students into the military upon completion of high school. In actuality, […]

With a plane full of anxious Cadets flying towards their connection in Amsterdam, with a final destination of Hungary for the Cadet Coalition Warfighter Program (CCWP), no one expected a flight attendant to ask for medical personnel over the intercom. However, for Cadet Jerrod Fedorchik from South Dakota State University, this call brought him to his feet, and without hesitation, he ran towards the back of the plane. They were twenty minutes from landing, and Fedorchik discovered the reason for the urgent announcement – a nineteen-year-old girl had collapsed in the plane’s bathroom. “She was starting to come back to, but […]

Cadets from colleges across the United States have the opportunity to travel to foreign countries and immerse themselves into the culture while becoming familiar with different military training. The Cadet Coalition Warfighter Program (CCWP), formally known as the Cultural Understanding and Leadership Program (CULP), has been described as a “paid vacation” by some, but these Cadets quickly dispel this notion. Thirty-one Cadets spent twenty-one days in Malawi, while another twenty-one Cadets spent twenty-four days in Romania. Each Cadet left the U.S. with impressions of the foreign land and excitement for cultural day trips; however, they returned with a completely different outlook. […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHExjYDZooA[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Sixth Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets woke up before the sun had risen to conquer the 12-mile ruck march July 18. The 12-mile ruck march is the last must pass event they have to complete for Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. Cadets ruck the 12-miles with 35 pounds in their ruck sack, along with their rifle, advanced combat helmet (ACHs) and Fighting Load Carrier (FLC). Before they are told to put all of the equipment together they were woken up at 1 a.m. to start their day. Cadets start at TA Densberger and walk […]

FORT KNOX, KY.— Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp put down their weapons, and picked up their med kits for First Aid training on July 18.  Throughout the summer, Cadets have learned how to communicate and work with their battle buddies to keep each other safe during combat. First Aid training requires them to take on the scenario that their battle buddy has been wounded, and it’s up to them to help treat their wounds, and get them to safety.  Before the Cadets can begin medical aid on their wounded battle buddy, they must first suppress fire from the enemy.  Cadet […]

[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=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 […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 1st Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets completed a day of Field Training Exercises (FTXs) July 13 during Cadet Summer Training. For many Basic Camp Cadets, this FTX was one of their first experiences obtaining an objective in the field. “We just accomplished our first run through with an ambush. It was many of our first time, a few of our second or third time. Most of us, it was our first time going through an ambush and we were pretty successful I think,” said Cadet Abigail Newman, Northern Illinois University. “We had a lot of things to work […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8pKdRUDwRY[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, KY.— Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp laced up their boots and grabbed a compass for their land association and map reading courses on July 13. Broken off into their platoons, Cadets rotated through a circuit of four stations and were taught the basic skills needed to pass land navigation.  The first of these stations was map reading, where Cadets are taught how to plot points, shoot an azimuth and determine distance when navigating their terrain.  “The maps themselves are one of the most important aspects of land navigation,” Cadet Michael Silva, a student at the University […]

Leadership excellence comes in many forms, and Army ROTC Cadets see that in their daily training. Cadets Taylor Clarkson, Shade Bullock and Patrick Scharf set out to Mongolia to learn and experience how leadership excellence materializes abroad. As part of the Cadet Coalition Warfighter Program (CCWP), formerly known as CULP, these Cadets rose to the occasion and made the most out of their stay in Mongolia. Preparation Before boarding the plane that would take them around the world, these Cadets needed to stay on top of their shots, get acquainted with the native language and train for the rise in elevation […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr96sToeLGU&t=18s FORT KNOX, Ky. — 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets completed the High Ropes Confidence Course July 10 during Cadet Summer Training. The course consists of three different obstacles including Moore’s Mountain rock wall, the Alpine Tower, and Rudder’s Rope Course. “We were briefed and told we would be going onto these confidence courses and that they would help us see that, if we chose to push through something that was difficult, we could do it and we could do it with the help of our teammates as well,” said Cadet Jayden Fritz, Minnesota State University, Mankato. “Doing all of these […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuA0zCGhWKA[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Advanced Camp, 5th Regiment Cadets tracked through the woods as part of Field Training Exercise (FTX) during Cadet Summer Training, at Fort Knox, Ky., July 5. Cadets had to execute a move to contact exercise. A move to contact exercise has the Cadets dropped off in the woods where they must make their way to a certain point along the route on the map they have. The platoon leader along with the platoon sergeant and squad leaders huddle together to make a plan of action. Once the platoon leader has a strategy of how they […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets finished the Confidence Course during Cadet Summer Training on July 2, placing them one step closer to graduation. “The confidence course is a set of obstacles you have to maneuver yourself through,” said Cadet Sarah Toomey from Marquette University. “It tests your ability to trust yourself and also to trust the people around you, because they’re all safeties there to catch you. It’s a lot of stuff with heights and climbing, things I am scared of, so it definitely puts yourself to the test.” There are many obstacles throughout the course that […]

Fort Knox, Ky. — Cadets from 4th Regiment spent day 25 of Advanced Camp  tackling another field training exercise, July 2. Cadets fought through a sticky heat as they took an assault objective at 8:30 a.m. The goal was a clear — set up a defense in a open, red-clay field encircled by three car-sized mounds covered in trees and small foliage. Oppositional forces stay nestled into the greenery. Acting platoon sergeant, Cadet Brian Velez, from Florida State University, said the mission started last night during the planning phase. “Last night we started planning the mission, concept of operations and at […]

Lt. Col. Bryan Dunker spent the morning of June 22 in Point Mugu, California, 2,000 miles away from his South Carolina home. He swam 1500 meters in the wide-open Pacific Ocean, biked 40 kilometers along that same coast, and ran 10 kilometers through harsh winds to the finish line of the 2019 Armed Forces Triathlon Championship. The Armed Forces Triathlon Championship is an annual event that brings together all branches of the military, and those passionate about the sport. Dunker, a professor of military science (PMS) at Wofford College, won second place in the Master’s Division, and celebrated with his fellow […]

Basic Camp 1st Regiment Cadets participated in Map Reading to begin learning the basics of how to understand a map on June 29th 2019. Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Evans, who oversees Bravo Company, explained what Map Reading is and why it is important to teach to the brand new Cadets. “Today’s objective is to start basic map reading, get them to understand the legends (tells you what the distance is for the scale of that map) and the parts of a map.” After that Evans said they go into terrain features, how to plot a point as well as how to […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fifth Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets completed rappel tower training today to push themselves to tackle fears and improve personal courage. Cadets were required to complete three variations of the rappel tower; the slight incline, the wall and the open face rappel. They were meant to not only teach the Cadets but test them as well. “Each one is building up off of what we previously did,” Cadet John Manning, from Overland Park, Kansas, and attending Marquette University, said. “The slant tower is to make sure we know the basic skills. The wall side is so we can […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jjK6DVjnfE[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp woke up bright and early this morning to tackle the six-mile ruck march. The six-mile ruck march is a must pass event. Cadets still in the running for Reconnaissance and Commando badge, RECONDO, had to finish the six-miles within an hour and half. For the others their time must be under two hours. “I finished in an hour and ten minutes but I’m not in the running for RECONDO anymore, land navigation got me,” said Cadet William Norman who attends University of North Georgia. Cadet Grady Gosselin who attends Gonzaga […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp took a deep breath as they prepared their minds and bodies for the confidence chamber. The confidence chamber is also commonly referred to as the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) gas chamber. The purpose for CBRN is to prepare Cadets in case an adversary uses a toxic substance against them and their Soldiers.  “We learned how to put the gear on properly, the different types of gases and how to identify them,” said Tyler Hudson, from DePaul University. With that knowledge and practice, the Cadets are then taken to the […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Wednesday, May 22, Cadet Summer Training Cadre refined their fundamentals at the George Blair Live Fire Range.  They are sharpening their skills for when the Cadets come to CST. The Cadre focused on the basics of marksmanship for the training. They focused on getting into position, how to be sturdy in the position and finally how to execute shots up to 300 meters away. “It helps our self-confidence because I know what I am doing and everyone knowns what I am doing; we just need to hone in our skills,” said Spc. Zachary Hauk. “It helps to […]

Name: Bryce Dively School: Marquette University Hometown: Wasau, WI Major: International Affairs What makes this Cadet stand out from their peers? As evidenced by his not only long but distinguished list of accolades, CDT Dively is an MS IV Cadet that embodies all the aspects we look for in our future Officers.  He not only exceeds at the highest levels individually, but he ensures his peers and subordinates are working toward success as well. This past fall, the Battalion Operations Officer selected CDT Dively to be the officer-in-charge (OIC) for MS III Tactics at the Fall Field Training Exercise (FTX). Given […]

Name: Christopher Han School: Augusta University Hometown: San Diego, CA Major: Political Science with a focus in International Studies What makes this Cadet stand out from their peers? Cadet Christopher Han has a strong presence: over six feet tall, with a calm essence and a very approachable leadership style. As a former Army non-commissioned Officer (NCO) he is well-trained in both infantry tactics and military intelligence. He is a current Battalion Commander with a 3.96 GPA, who leads Cadets from the front with high-energy, purpose, direction and motivation to win. Cadet Han is also a professional Muay Thai kickboxing tournament fighter, […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – For the majority of Cadets that come through Fort Knox for Cadet Summer Training, both Basic and Advanced Camp serve as their first real look at what to expect as an Army Officer. For two cadets from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, however, the journey to commissioning has been seven, even 12 years in the making. While the average age for a commissioned 2nd Lt. ranges between 21 and 23, these two Cadets are redefining what it means to be young commissioned officers. With two days left before 10th Regiment bids farewell to Fort Knox, Cadet Darren Fossett, Shippensburg University, reflected […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – In Randy Pausch’s autobiography “The Last Lecture,” a chapter titled “An Injured Lion Still Wants to Roar” depicts how, despite the setbacks that came with illness and injury, the famous Carnegie Mellon professor continued to do what he loved while following his childhood dreams. Today during 8thRegiment, Basic Camp’s graduation ceremony, a Cadet shared a similar story of heartbreak and perseverance. Meet Cadet Calista Bond from Valley Forge Military Academy and College. Unlike her nearly 300 fellow Cadets that have called 8th Regiment home for the past 31 days, this is Bond’s second time to Fort Knox to […]