FORT KNOX, Ky. — Spirit and morale were high within 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Bravo Company, 4th Platoon yesterday, as they completed another Field Training Exercise mission and took another step toward graduating. Cadets performed a platoon-level deliberate attack on an enemy strong point. Penn State University Cadet Brian Hobbs, from Fairfax, Virginia, said his platoon’s mission went according to plan, with only a few hiccups. He claimed it could not have gone that smoothly without the platoon’s teamwork. “I had a lot of support from all of my peers so that made it all run a lot smoother,” Acting Platoon […]

FORT KNOX, KY – Eleventh Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets pushed through the streets of Fort Knox for 6 miles with a rucksack on their backs on Friday morning. The 6-Mile Ruck March takes place at the beginning of Cadet Summer Training (CST). This ruck will eventually prepare the Cadets for the 8-Mile and 12-Mile rucks that are later on throughout training. The ruck march commenced at 4 a.m., Friday morning. The time limit that Cadets must complete the ruck march is set at two hours. At each mile marker, Cadets were given a number of how much time had surpassed. The […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUkESwRqd08[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fifth Regiment Cadets took another step toward commissioning as Army Officers today as they graduated from Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Cadets spent the last 37 days completing Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is the training they must complete in order to continue in their university’s ROTC program and eventually commission as an Officer. The training gave Cadets experience in everything from basic soldiering skills, like rappelling, to organizing and executing platoon operations during the 10-day Field Training Exercise (FTX). After 37 days, Cadets were eager to have finished and head back home. “I’m excited […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB8qOtaHaZg[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of 10th Regiment Advanced Camp qualified with their M-4 Carbine Rifles on the George Blair Range this morning, July 19. Cadets at Advanced Camp go through various forms of weapons training during their Basic Rifle Marksmanship training; Grouping and Zeroing is one example. The shooting done at the George Blair Range is different, though. There, they shoot at pop-up targets, appearing at random on their lane. This is the range where they train for their qualification, this is the range where they qualify. Stick to the Basics “I’ve shot quite a bit through my […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YA5hvhCuCk[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – 5th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets were reunited with their families before officially graduating from Cadet Summer Training, July 18. Family members rejoiced in seeing their Cadets on family day after having been separated from them while they trained. While family day warrants Cadets a free pass to leave Fort Knox in the company of loved ones, it also marks the eve of advanced camp graduation. “I’m very excited to be done with camp,” said Cadet Benjamin Sorg. “It’s been a long time coming. It feels good.” Before being released to see their Cadets, family members […]

[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=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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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=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=aEtzrzTRlok[/embedyt] Cadets of the 3rd Regiment of Basic Camp completed their intro to the M-4 Carbine this morning, July 8. Taking Classes Taking them through the proper way to dismantle their weapon, the regiment drill sergeants taught Cadets where their gun would get the most grime, and where they’d need to clean a little more in depth. They were also taught the terminology of the parts of their M-4 Carbines. “They’ve already taught us how to clear the gun, and I never even knew that,” Cadet Hailey Cook, from Houston, Texas, and attending Marian Military Institute, said. “I never knew […]

[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 […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5uVQYUon0E[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — 9th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets got the chance to learn the terrain, test out strategies and knock off the Land Navigation (Land Nav) rust that built up after the spring semester ended at the Land Nav Refresher. Land Nav Refresher requires Cadets to plot and locate two points in two hours with a map, protractor and compass. This is meant to help simulate the actual test the Cadets will be facing the following morning. However, this refresher is less strict, in that it allows Cadets to assist each other and ask questions of the Cadre. […]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4lIBFXJ7TM[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — A day after Fort Knox celebrated Independence Day with fireworks, 7th Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets practiced with a very different kind of explosive – hand grenades. Once Cadets at Christensen Hand Grenade Range learned how to handle hand grenades, they completed the Hand Grenade Qualifications Course. In order to simulate combat conditions, Cadets maneuvered their lane, rushing forward before low or high crawling to cover. They climbed up over walls, before throwing a grenade from different positions. Cadets had 7 grenades to engage 6 targets. Unlike live hand grenade training, Cadets use dummy grenades while […]