On June 19th, 2nd Regiment Cadets participated in their first Field Training Exercise (FTX) at Advanced Camp 2021. The FTX’s are separated into different stages: Wolverine, Panther and Grizzly. Cadets have to attend the three stages before leaving Fort Knox.  Cadets are using the “crawl, walk, run” method of training, which guarantees that every stage is more difficult and complex than the one before.  The 2nd Regiment is in the Wolverine stage. During the FTX, Cadets perform various Situational Training Exercise (STX) lanes, which are simulated combat scenarios. They have the chance to use the information and techniques they have learned […]

“We are in the crawl phase for the CST cadets to practice how to conduct their missions and battle drills in order for them to move on towards the real evaluations where they are evaluated,” said Manglona.

Army ROTC prides itself on finding the best and brightest students in the country, but this mission cannot be accomplished without proper mentorship at the university level. “I think that there is a danger in academia of having a nose buried in the book,” said Kelby Woodard, Headmaster of Saint Thomas Academy. “I think seeing how it actually is done on the ground, in action, is really important, for academia in particular, or else they get out of touch.” Woodard, along with a handful of other faculty members of various schools and universities, was chosen to visit Cadet Summer Training at […]

5th Regiment Cadets had the opportunity to learn about their rifles and shooting during Preliminary Marksmanship Instruction (PMI) at Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp in Fort Knox, Ky on June 23, 2021. At PMI, Cadets learned shooting positions, how to care for their rifles, fundamentals of shooting and even how math plays a role in their accuracy. One lesson in particular focused on the fundamentals of shooting, such as breath control and trigger squeeze.  “When you’re shooting, breathing is important because whether you either inhale or exhale, it will affect where the rifle is,” said Cadet Kalley Magel, from University of […]

“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.”

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 […]

By: Anna Pray 4th Regiment Cadets were taught how to disassemble and reassemble their weapons by Cadre on June 17, 2021 during their Preliminary Marksmanship Instruction at Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp in Fort Knox, Ky. Some Cadets, whether they had previous experience with weapons or no experience at all, enjoyed the lesson on how to take apart, clean, and put back together their weapon.  “Learning the insides of it, how it functions, and why it functions that way is pretty cool,” said Cadet Cimiya Duffin, from Morgan State University in Maryland.  “It’s almost like Lego pieces,” said Cadet Tyler Rowe, […]

By: Anna Pray Day Land Navigation did not start off well on the morning of June 16, 2021, but that did not stop 3rd Regiment Charlie Company 4th Platoon from finding an interesting way around that during their Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp in Fort Knox, Ky. After their safety briefing, the Cadre needed to find a tracking device that was given to one of the Cadets that no longer worked. This process ended up taking over an hour. Rather than letting the anticipation of starting Land Navigation and the frustration of waiting ruin their day, one Cadet in particular decided […]

“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 […]

“Gas! Gas! Gas!” yelled Cadre. Much like a boxer taking a surprise upper-cut, Cadets scrambled to react. They only had nine seconds to let technique take over. “It punches you in the face as soon as you take that mask off,” said Cadet Jakob Jasperson of Pittsburg State University, Kansas. “My face burns, almost instantly you start crying, and your nose, it just runs so fast … you start coughing, and you can’t control your breathing.” Cadets of 3rd Regiment Advanced Camp were trained to be ready for the worst on the morning of June 17th, 2021. CBRN (commonly pronounced “see-burn”) […]

On June 14, 2021, 4th Regiment Cadets attended Fire and Maneuver training at Fort Knox, Ky. Every Cadet learns how to effectively provide cover from enemy fire, for themselves and their battle buddy, using suppressive fire and maneuver techniques. Though live rounds are not used for this exercise, Fire and Maneuver training ensures that, if ever faced with a real combat situation, Cadets would know how to efficiently communicate and provide cover for a comrade in arms.  Cadet Marcellus Forbes said, “It gives us a better perspective to what our troops will be doing in real life.” When he’s not attending […]

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 […]

On June 10th, 2021, First Regiment Cadets arrived at the Land Navigation (Land Nav) site, ready and prepared to tackle the Day Land Nav course at Fort Knox, Ky.  Lt. Col. Kraig Kline, chief of the Land Nav committee, is responsible for preparing the course beforehand and supporting Cadets during the training event. “We give Cadets a certain number of points,” said Kline. “Cadets take their protractor and compass and figure out, after they have plotted the points, how to actually get to that point on the ground.”  Kline compares the exercise to a ”treasure quest.” He says they’re similar, however, […]

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 […]

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 […]

“In those moments you have those negative thoughts, but in the end, I kept telling myself that I can do this," said Hoyle. "This is only the beginning of a long path, a long journey that I can continue if I’m willing to push forward and keep going and not give up.”

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 […]

On June 9, 2021, 2nd regiment Cadets completed the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT) at Advanced Camp 2021. The OPAT consists of four different events: Strength Deadlift, Standing Long Jump, Seated Power Throw, and Interval Aerobic Run. Cadets must pass all four events of the OPAT while attending Advanced Camp. Capt. Stephen Paniati usually works as an assistant professor of military science at George Mason University in Virginia, but he currently serves as Cadre for the 2nd regiment during Advanced Camp. Paniati said the OPAT, “ tests the base level fitness of an individual looking to commission in the United States […]

Packing their bags and moving to Fort Knox alone, Cadets almost have no choice but to become good friends with one another before Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp ends. After all, they do everything and spend nearly every minute together during camp at Fort Knox, Ky.  During a hand grenades exercise and test on June 9, 2021, the closeness between the Cadets in 3rd Regiment, Charlie Company, was obvious.  When Cadets were lined up in the testing lanes to throw the practice hand grenades, there were cheers coming from behind them by others in the platoon who were watching and waiting […]

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 […]

Cadet Akua Adu who attends Western Michigan University had never trained with grenades before coming to Fort Knox, Ky. Because this was a new experience for her, she was ready to take part in the training event.  “I am very excited. I have never done it [hand grenade training] before, so it was really nice to be able to have the experience,” said Adu. Adu will be graduating and commissioning in December 2021, and she is very motivated to learn all that she can at Advanced Camp this summer. She has enjoyed her experience at Fort Knox thus far and is […]

“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 […]

Army Marksmanship Unit Trains Cadre for Advanced Camp’s Basic Rifle Marksmanship Training Fort Knox, KY – Basic Rifle Marksmanship standards have changed within the past year, which will now affect the incoming Advanced Camp Cadets this summer.  Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) instructors came to Fort Knox, KY to train the Cadre on the updated standards so that those Cadre could later train the Advanced Camp Cadets.  Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) covers the basics on how to shoot with a rifle. It covers learning how to position, how to find and hit a target, and how to be accurate.  With previous standards, […]

Cadets from Alpha and Bravo Companies in 1st Regiment got to experience two exercises on May 28 during Advanced Camp’s Warrior Skills at Fort Knox, KY: First Aid and Call for Fire.  First Aid helps train Cadets on what to do in emergency situations on the field, along with teaching them about some of the tools needed. Call for Fire is calling for support from field artillery units to suppress an enemy with cannon fire by giving target location and description.  “It’s like finding a piece of a puzzle,” said Cadet Aaron Wagner, Bravo Company, 1st Regiment, from University of California […]