FORT KNOX, Ky., — Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, entered the second stage of their Field Training Exercise at Fort Knox, Ky., July 26, 2023.  Spending a total of 12 days in the field, Cadets complete groups of exercises, which are divided into 3 parts: Wolverine, Panther, and Grizzly. The Cadets are challenged mentally and physically before their skills are graded on the last day.  “We’re on our second mission, on the first day of Panther, and we’re completing an area defense,” said Cadet Phillip Jones, Alabama A&M. “Leadership is still processing the last few parts of our plan to [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.– Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, spent the first half of the day learning the basics of first aid, radio usage, and squad formations at Fort Knox, KY., July 20, 2023. Knowing how to communicate and assist battle buddies is crucial for the Cadets to learn before beginning a Field Training Exercise. “We’re learning things like T-Triple C, which is Tactical Combat Casualty Care, or how to tactically care for someone who’s been wounded in combat,” said Cadet Eric Truong, University of Central Florida, “We’re also learning about radios, [Advanced System Improvement Program] radios, how to load and [...]

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 participated in the Army Combat Fitness Test at Fort Knox, Ky., July 9, 2023. The ACFT accesses the agility, endurance, and strength of Cadets through a series of exercises as they start their Cadet Summer Training experience. “The ACFT is meant to measure the physical fitness of a cadet to ensure the preparedness of each person that serves,” said Cadet Anna Johnson, Michigan State. “It teaches resilience and dedication to what we do.” Designed to evaluate Cadets’ physical fitness, the ACFT is a tool that helps the Cadre identify the Cadets’ [...]

There was excitement in the air as Cadets of 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, fired off their final rounds and completed one last tactical mission during their concluding iteration of Field Training Exercises (FTX).   The morale was incredibly high as these Cadets looked back on their time in the field and recognized the very important, yet very different perspectives they had on the experience.   “If we’re not training, we’re out there in the actual, real fight,” Cadet John Halo, from Fayetteville State University, said. “It’s good to have that increased stress, it adds value to the training, so it makes the leaders [...]

Three Cadets, Vittorio Divalentin (left) from Virginia Tech, Annika Smylie (center) from Idaho State University, and Kyla McKim (right) from Drexel University, assigned to 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp of Cadet Summer Training discuss different aspects of Field Training Exercise (FTX) and offer some advice to future Cadets during their FTX at Fort Knox, Ky.

Nothing less than “Leadership Excellence” is expected of ROTC Cadets as they train to undertake the responsibility of becoming a U.S. Army Officer.  For Cadet Esther Njoki, from Truman State University, leadership is a familiar concept, with Army ROTC being only one of various leadership roles that she assumes. “I’m originally from Kenya and this is my ninth year in America,” said Njoki. “I’m a biology pre-med and I’m a codirector of an orphanage back in Uganda.”  The orphanage, located in Kirembe, Uganda, supports 200 children, providing them with food and education.  “It’s not just an orphanage for children who don’t [...]

The Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC) is designed to strengthen the leadership capabilities of Cadets, pushing them out of their comfort zones as they devise unconventional solutions to obstacles in their way.  With the course completed, the Cadets of 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, stopped to reflect on the leaders in their own lives, and the people that inspired them to pursue a leadership role themselves.   “My grandfather is what I think of as a leader. Somebody that’s strong and vocal, and can be clear and concise,” said Cadet Jackson Lemmon from Eastern Kentucky University.  With his grandfather as a strong role [...]

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 [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — On August 3, nearly 600 Cadets stood in formation as Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford delivered some parting words to end their Advanced Camp journey. After 37 days of facing fears such as heights or hand grenades, pushing through mental challenges such as land navigation and map reading, and going survival-mode in the Field Training Exercises, the 8th Regiment has finally reached the end of their training at Fort Knox. One of the main reasons Cadets work to pass Advanced Camp is the gateway it provides to becoming a 2nd Lieutenant. This is why the Cadre constantly challenged [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIDO7AiL–g[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, KY. – Tanks, a helicopter, a boat, light tactical vehicles and more, all filled Keyes Park for Branch Orientation. Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp prepared for commissioning next May by spending the day learning about the different Army branches and the opportunities they each provide. Along with insight from branch officers, Cadets were also given the opportunity to see and get hands-on with equipment. Throughout the Cadets found themselves surprised by all the branches and some of the opportunities they may have not been aware were open to them. “There are people like me who went [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of the 8th Regiment Advanced Camp completed their final day in the Panther FTX site today, July 22, before moving onto Grizzly. Their morning began with a Movement to Contact drill, a mission in which Cadets maneuver through the FTX area in search of their enemy. Once the enemy is spotted, the fire begins. Mental Agility There’s a lot that goes into making an FTX mission successful; from keeping your squad’s spacing in tact to ensuring communication between the platoon is clear, there’s a lot that can be learned from these drills. Perhaps the most important [...]

[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 [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvVlCY0tl2g[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – As the fog lifted from George Blair Range, 8th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets began their weapons qualification, July 7.  “The objective is for all the Cadets to qualify,” said Capt. Patrick Laine, a cadre on the range. “Before weapons qualification, Cadets were taught how to group and zero their shots. They learned to make adjustments based on how they hit a stationary target.” Unlike their previous practice rounds, Cadets shot pop-up targets from three different positions. Each iteration of weapons qualification began with Cadets lying in the prone supported  position, which provides the most stability [...]

Fort Knox, Ky. – Motivation to complete Advanced Camp comes from different places for each Cadet. Today, during the group and zeroing range 8th Regiment Cadets share motivation to train from celebrating the nation’s birthday together. “There is no better way to celebrate this country than to be training and doing something for the purpose of this country,” Cadet Benjamin Thornton, from Mount Washington Kentucky, who attends Western Kentucky University, said. Cadets were able to celebrate with traditional Fourth of July food, such as hot dogs and hamburgers despite missing family traditions. “A few us of while we were falling asleep [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keE3KMENXeI[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – 8th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets were briefed on hazardous Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons before entering what is called the confidence chamber, 1 July.  Inside the chamber, Cadets are exposed to the simulated effects of CBRN weapons with a concentrated tear gas that irritates skin, eyes and the respiratory system. Cadets enter the chamber with masks dawned and sealed. After a series of tests to check that their equipment is properly functioning, Cadets are instructed to break the seal on their masks and expose themselves to the gas. The objective of this training [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Zw73W0L-M[/embedyt] Sun beaming down, heat category rising, Cadets from the 8th Regiment, Delta Co., of Advanced Camp were training for Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3) nonetheless. Monday morning, July 1, brought 8th Regiment Cadets their first real day of Advanced Camp training. In-processing over with, it was time to get into the nitty gritty of the U.S. Army. TC3 brought them that grit. How to Save a Life “We do a scenario where they take fire and their battle buddy goes down,” Lt. Col. Danielle Rodondi, professor of military science at Augusta University and the Officer in Charge (OIC) for [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – “By virtue of the fact that you are all sitting here right now means you are infinitely successful,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Gregory, from The University of Hawaii, to the Cadets of 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Bravo Company. “You have different experiences and backgrounds which means that you have a different way of viewing the world based on those prior experiences.” 8th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets had to work in squads to complete the Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC), this morning, as part of their leadership development. “So far, the only thing Cadets have had to do [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XykzDVmKtsc[/embedyt] Fort Knox, Ky. – Cadets from 8th Regiment arrived yesterday and geared up today for the upcoming training events that make up Advanced Camp. “I am pretty excited,” Cadet Reilly Andresen, from Brookings, South Dakota, who attends South Dakota State University, said. “We are on day two so we haven’t done a whole lot yet, but we are about to get into it all.” The Cadets went through Central Issue Facility (CIF) where they received gear they needed and inspected their bags for deficiencies in their equipment. The goal of the day is to ensure Cadets are prepared for [...]

Fort Knox, Ky.- Finished with their training at Advanced Camp, Cadets were eager to link up with family and friends they have not seen in over a month.  8th Regiment Cadets couldn’t help but to start contacting their family members through text messages to figure out what was on the agenda for the day. Grace Sullivan, Bucknell University stood in the very front of her platoon, swaying back and forth from the anxiety of being able to be with her parents. ” I haven’t really talked much to my parents since they took our phone away in the field, so both my [...]

Fort Knox, Ky.– As Cadets from 8th Regiment, Basic Camp filed into Smith Gym to take Platoon pictures, many of them opted for a cause that is rewarding in itself. The Armed Service Blood Program [ASBP] is an internal organization with the Department of Defense that takes blood donations and distributes it to those in need within the Armed Forces community. While seats were filled with many Cadets volunteering to have their blood drawn, there was a special guest that caught their attention. Major General John Evans Jr., Commanding General, U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox decided to share a [...]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 8th Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets competed in a Drill and Ceremony Competition Aug. 7 during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. Platoons competed against one another to earn the title for best movement. Drill and Ceremony is a long-held tradition in the Army and focuses on Soldier movement. “We have everybody up in their straight lines doing parade rest, attention, correcting salutes, and making sure that our whole formation is on cue. We’re all competing with the different platoons to fight against whoever is the best at being all squared away and tight [...]

THE STORY OF THE FIRST ORTHODOX JEW AT ADVANCED CAMP AT FT KNOX FORT KNOX, Ky.— Cadet Michael (Aryeh) Urist from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, carries more than the standard weight in his rucksack during his time at Cadet Summer Training. Urist carries a week’s worth of MRE’s and the pressure of maintaining his religion in the field. Urist is an Orthodox Jew, meaning he adheres to the Torah. He follows strict jewish law on Shabbos, the Jewish Sabbath. He is the first Orthodox Jew to complete Advanced Camp since camp has been hosted at Fort Knox. He eats a kosher [...]