The moon was still bright in the sky on July 1st, 2021, when the Cadets of 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp were already gathering outside to put their bodies to the Army’s test. Not so much the crack of dawn, but rather in the middle of the night, platoons marched in perfect formation, flags flying, ready to give their all to the ACFT. The ACFT, or Army Combat Fitness Test, is the Army’s new test administered universally to Soldiers and Cadets alike to assess their general readiness for combat situations. The six assessments are deadlifts, power throws, hand-release pushups, a sprint-drag-carry, hanging […]

“Trust is very important especially as a leader,” said Cadet Henry Mulli, a student at Loyola University Maryland. “You have to trust your subordinates especially when disseminating information so everybody knows what’s going on.”

Unlike most college students on summer break who likely sleep in, Cadet Erin Gustafson from Texas A&M University finished her Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) at 5:30 a.m on June 21. Gustafson, who is part of Alpha Company, 4th Regiment, is currently attending Advanced Camp, which is part of Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky.  The ACFT is the newest physical test for the Army, replacing the previous Army Physical Fitness Test. The new test revolves around combat-related stresses, such as being able to jump over obstacles, reacting quickly to fire, or pushing a disabled vehicle. Most Cadets are training […]

Walking up to the confidence course on the morning of June 18, 2021, you’d likely hear Cadets of 3rd Regiment cheering each other on as they complete each mentally and physically challenging obstacle within the woods of Fort Knox, Ky during their Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp.  The purpose behind the confidence course is in the name. Cadets have to set aside any fears or negative thoughts and build that confidence within themselves to get through the obstacles.  Probably one of the biggest fears that pop up during the confidence course is heights. However, one Cadet faced the problem by talking […]

Two soldiers are out on patrol in a combat zone walking side by side. A burst of enemy fire erupts and one falls to the ground limp. Yelling to their fallen partner, the other soldier gets no response. With no medics in sight, the soldier overcomes their nerves and gets to work. Thanks to their knowledge and training, their battle-buddy remains stable enough to make it to the nearest medical tent and makes a full recovery. Although no Cadets were actually put in harm’s way, this was the pretend scenario of 6th Regiment Advanced Camp’s Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3), part […]

Traversing unfamiliar terrain is one of the biggest hurdles for Cadets to overcome at the Land Navigation tests, but with some careful planning anyone can succeed. Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp trekked across varying terrain features of the Fort Knox, Kentucky, wilderness to find three of four points in under four hours as part of the Land Navigation (Land Nav) Test. For those unfamiliar to the area, the high brush, dense woods, and critters can sabotage and cause them to fail, especially when all you have is a compass and a map to aid you. Cadet Gabrielle Meyo, from Creighton […]

“I can’t see myself doing anything else,” said Cadet Sabiel Anderson. He always knew that he was supposed to be a part of the military. He was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and watched his parents serve in the Jamaica Defence Force. Following his graduation from high school, he received a full-ride scholarship in the United States for track and field. Anderson ran track professionally for two years.  However, he still held on to his dream of joining the armed forces and pursued this path instead. “I have always been drawn to the military,” Anderson elaborated.  Following in his parent’s […]

There is a lot that goes into being a warrior, and it isn’t always what you’d expect. This is what the Cadets of 5th Regiment Advanced Camp made apparent in their ‘Warrior Skills’ training. The two halves of Warrior Skills training are Call for Fire and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3). Although not all Cadets are going into infantry service, these infantry skills are vital to becoming an officer. Call for Fire involves using radio communication to artillery positions. Cadets worked in pairs with their battle buddies to demonstrate their abilities. “What we’re doing here is getting the basics down, so that if we ever find […]

Just one week after their arrival at Fort Knox, KY, the Cadets of 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp marched to their hand grenade training on the sunny morning of June 14, 2021. Despite having been strangers when they got here, these Cadets had been spending almost every minute of every day together for the past week, and it showed in their behavior. No Cadet seemed out of place, and they used every minute of down time to make conversation. “Delta company, fourth platoon feels like family already,” said Cadet Liberty Henson from the University of Central Florida. “At first it was kind of […]

“It burns,” said Ampofo. “It feels like cooking peppers and onions and a whole bunch of spices and stuff, like spicy siracha basically.”

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, the Cadets of 5th Regiment got off the bus at Fort Knox, KY on June 12th, 2021 ready to begin the trials of their summer training.  With these Cadets coming from all walks of life and all parts of the country, they were very out of their element as they got their things in order and fell into formation, however they seemed to greet the situation with an optimistic determination, and a desire to seize the day. “I’m just ready to meet new people, maybe pick up some skills and tricks, become […]

By: Amy Turner and Kyle Crawford Fort Knox KY — Despite an unprecedented past year and a half, Cadet Summer Training (CST) is well underway training future U.S. Army officers. COVID-19 precautions have been put into place such as requiring Cadets to wear masks for a 10-day monitoring period. Cadets will also be tested upon their arrival to Fort Knox. Before exiting the 10-day monitoring period, pool testing methods are used. Pool testing is a method that tests various Cadets from groups composed of the people that interact most closely together. If a certain group has multiple people testing positive then […]

“This is a calm, steady environment for them to be able to shoot calmly, get their weapons zeroed and be able to confirm their zeros so that whenever they are in a war fighting situation they don’t have to worry about shooting and missing the target,” said Tucker.

Five, four, three, two, one, Cadets can be heard joining in on the countdown for the six-mile ruck. Some out of fear, some out of anticipation but all with the drive to pass. GO! 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets had an early start the morning of June 9th, as they faced the six-mile ruck march. A must pass event for the Cadets, they have two hours to carry 35 lbs. of gear on their backs if they want to continue on to graduation. Cadet Mary Coverdale, from Norwich University, gave her thoughts as she pushed forward one foot at a time. […]

“I think getting woken up by our cadre at 3 am definitely gets my adrenaline pumping and it gets me ready for the day,” said Cadet Lindsay Martz, a student at Edinboro University from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

“The Confidence Course, also known as the obstacle course, is just an opportunity for the Cadets to negotiate different obstacles to build confidence with themselves, to build camaraderie, to build team work and to overcome some fears that one would normally associate with heights,” said Sgt. 1st Class Obie Carswell. He is the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) for the Confidence Course and an instructor for MSII and MSIII classes at Vanderbilt University, assigned to 7th Brigade Cadet Command.

64-feet above ground. A secured rope seat and your own strength holding you up. Now Cadet, take the leap. Facing your fears is something all of us have to do, but for 1st Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets, their fears became all too real when looking at the Rappel Tower this morning. Cadet Carter Jefferson, from the Virginia Military Institute, shared his feelings as he climbed up the stairs of the wooden structure. “If you can’t call it anxiety, I’d say it’s a lot of anticipation of what’s going to happen,” Jefferson explained. For any Cadet who has never rappelled before, like […]

“You never know how a patient is going to be,” said Spc. Kaleb Wilkerson, a medic at Task Force Med, who played the injured. “A patient can be calm as a cucumber or they can be combative. Today I was trying to mess them up… I was trying to give them the worst situation they can possible have… Just make it the worst-case scenario so they can do better in the real scenario.”

Fort Knox, Ky. — “I got you covered,” is a simple phrase, but for the Cadets it carries so much more. Fire Team Maneuver tasked the 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets with working together in pairs to cover each other with their M4 Carbines, move down a lane, and reach their target safely. Running in front of another person who would be firing rounds past you takes a lot of trust, and Sgt. Owen Brooks from Fort Hood, Texas, helped give some tips for Cadets on how to build trust with each other and their future soldiers. “I would say two […]

“The Cadets are expected to learn how to properly grip the grenade depending on if they are left or right handed,” said Douglas. “Correctly employ the grenade in the correct form. Today we went over prone to kneeling and kneeling to standing.”

Saturday, May 29th, Cadets from the First Regiment, Alpha Company attended Hand Grenade Familiarization Training at Advanced Camp 2021. Upon arrival, Cadets were broken down into their platoons and briefed on the training to come. Then each platoon separated and received in-depth instruction on hand grenades by Cadre.  The instructor demonstrated the proper way to handle and throw a hand grenade; this prepared Cadets for the practice exercises they would do later that day.  Each Cadet had the opportunity to get one-on-one discussion with Cadre at the hand grenade identification station, where they learned about the different types of hand grenades […]

In preparation for Cadet Summer Training (CST) 2021, U.S. Army Medics and Soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment (3CR), Medical Troop, are hard at work establishing a field hospital to aid this summer’s training.

“Just like having a bag of chips, you literally have a whole meal in a bag,” said Sgt. Devonte Bush, 1st Medical Brigade, Fort Hood, TX assigned to Task Force Med supporting Cadet Summer Training.

1st Regiment takes First Round of COVID-19 Tests Fort Knox, KY – 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets received their first round of COVID-19 tests as a starting point for their ten day controlled, monitored training period on May 24, 2021 at Fort Knox, KY.  With COVID-19 still being a major concern for the country and the absence of in-person training during Summer 2020, the purpose of the testing is to ensure that Cadets are COVID-19 negative and can safely continue training without having to worry about the illness. Cadets travel from all over the United States for Cadet Summer Training (CST), […]

FORT KNOX, KY. — It’s a bittersweet day, August 17, for families because they get to see their Cadets after 36 days of Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky.  During Family Day it’s always a beautiful moment with the family members running up to their Cadet and hugging them as if they will disappear. But for Cadet Christina Meredith, from the University of Florida, this Family Day is a little more special. Although her biological father was unable to make it – he was sure to be there the next day to watch her graduate.  “It’s pretty awesome, not going […]