“I felt like I can have a greater purpose in life other than just working an office job, and I can help people and serve my country,” said Army ROTC Cadet Jake Gleason.  Gleason said that his desire to join the U.S. Army began when he was four years old. Four years later he when he was given a .22 caliber rifle.  From target shooting at home to the ranges at Boy Scout camps, Gleason began his journey as a marksman at the age of eight; eventually leading him to the qualifications range at Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, […]

With modern warfare rapidly evolving, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) training has become increasingly important to Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, Ky.  “Your guys’ war is gonna be much different than my war. You need to pay attention to this training,” said Master Sgt. Matthew Hyde, the CBRN noncommissioned officer in charge, during his morning brief to 7th Regiment Advanced Camp.  The CBRN Confidence Chamber serves to create a level of trust in the equipment and the Cadets’ ability to properly use the equipment. This is done through thorough training.  “We did a lot of practice rehearsals, so […]

From fleet to field, Sergio Almeida, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, made the shift from enlisted Navy Sailor to Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Cadet.  “I chose to enlist the first time around for a sense of that typical, wanting to find yourself, wanting independence, wanting to be my own person,” said Almeida.  After being the first member of his family to join the military, Almeida trained for a year in San Diego before being stationed in Norfolk, Virginia on the USS Truxton in 2012.  “I got to really learn what the military was,” he said.  During his six years in […]

Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence Award This award is presented to the top Cadet in each Regiment, as determined by Regimental cadre board. Cadet Connor Hodes, Colorado State University First Command Financial Services Award This award is presented to the Cadet who best demonstrates the leadership traits necessary to encourage teamwork, improve unit cohesion, and reinforce mission accomplishment. Cadet Mariah Brelsford, University of Alaska Anchorage USAA Warrior Ethos Award This award is presented to the Cadet who best demonstrates the Army Profession, Ethics, and Officership while best exemplifying the warrior spirit. Cadet Jared Webb, Virginia Tech Armed Forces Bank Award […]

A telltale sign of the average Army ROTC Cadet participating in Cadet Summer Training is their youth and relative inexperience with the military; CST being their first major excursion into Army life. However, there are those among the ranks who have called the Army home for much longer. Among a sea of Cadets attending CST was one that had a history with the Army going back over a decade.  The man’s uniform was covered in patches denoting his past experience, which told stories of his time serving and deploying as an Army engineer. “Everyone refers to me as either grandpa, the […]

Having freshly arrived at Fort Knox the day before, Cadets from 1st Regiment, Basic Camp, woke up bright and early to practice drill and ceremony (D&C) in front of their barracks. The Cadets were drilled on the basics of marching by cadre responsible for preparing them for the drill sergeants that will be training them later in the week. “Some of these Cadets never did D&C,” said 2nd Lieutenant Jaunn Caldwell. “They never did drill ceremony, they don’t know how to present arms, no customs and courtesies. It was just the basics, the fundamentals.” This day is the perfect opportunity to […]

Having entered into their second week of Cadet Summer Training (CST), the Cadets from 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp, were ready to take on the Engagement Skills Trainer (EST). This training is the second phase in preparing Cadets for the task of qualifying on a range with their M4A1 carbines. The Cadets will take what they learn from the EST and apply it to group and zero training later in camp. Despite having half a decade of prior Army experience as a behavioral health specialist, Cadet Raynika Williams, from Fayetteville State University, was anxious about EST. “I was very nervous with qualifying […]

“Go…Go…Go…” was heard in the cold, quiet, hours before dawn, as Cadets from 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, stood lined up in front of the wooded trail that marked the beginning of their 12-mile foot-march route. Cadre member, 2nd Lt. Hailey Hutton stated that the 12-mile march serves to signify the Cadets’ last mission in the field, following their time at the Field Training Exercises (FTX). After 12 days in the field and waking up at 2 a.m. the Cadets were already tired, making morale important.  For Cadet Madison Nygren, from the University of Southern California, motivation came from thinking of her […]

From crawling, to walking, to running, 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed its Cadet led run through of missions during Field Training Exercise II in Fort Knox, Ky., on June 22, 2022.  According to Master Sgt. Alan Roche, a senior military instructor with U.S. Army Cadet Command, the exercise was last requirement Cadets fulfilled for their commission. He added it is more difficult than past training exercises because it’s meant to be a final test of whether a Cadet has what it takes to become an officer. “We’re gonna make them tired, we’re gonna make them hungry, and we’re gonna make them […]

A big talking point at Cadet Summer Training is how to communicate with one another. There is no such thing as a single-person squad, and Cadets going through the program must learn how to effectively communicate with each other, or else risk failure in the field. The situational training exercise (STX) the Cadets go through at Fort Knox aim to test just that, with freshly formed squads being required to scout or capture objectives within a time frame. Cadet Jordan McIntyre from Michigan State University was part of a squad participating in the drills that day. “Our first one that we’ve […]

Land navigation is one of the skills taught at Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, Ky., but DePaul University Army ROTC Green to Gold Cadet Ryan Russett, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, had prior experience that made this challenging event easier. “I applied my points really quickly” he said, and then, “I just picked the shortest path which was — to the south first.”  Russett is from Chicago, where his program honed his navigation skills further as a Green to Gold Cadet. To his advantage, the ROTC program at his university comes to Fort Knox to do their Field Training Exercises […]

“It seemed like every scary movie where someone’s about to fall off a cliff,” said Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Jasmine Valentine, from 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, when describing the feeling of being on the 64 ft. rappel tower at Fort Knox, Ky. Valentine is from the the University of North Georgia where she has done things similar to the rappel tower with its ROTC program, but those experiences did not take away the fear she had going into the rappel tower training event.  “I have a deathly fear of heights,” she said.  Valentine said encouraging words she received from […]

‘Slow is smooth and smooth is fast’, is the common mantra heard at the Field Leader Reaction Course (FLRC) during the first Cadet run-through of the summer. On June 3, 2022, 1st Regiment Cadets from the Charlie and Delta companies rotated by squad through 16 creative obstacles that challenge the Cadets’ problem solving and leadership skills. The courses require planning and a quick execution. They have five minutes to plan and 15 minutes to complete each one. Before they start, the cadre brief the Cadets by reading the mission details and limitations. Once time has run out they debrief to see […]

As the summer begins, Soldiers from Fort Drum and Fort Polk assist Fort Knox Soldiers in a mass casualty training event prior to the arrival of the 2022 Cadet Summer Training (CST) Cadets. At ten o’clock a.m. the call came through telling the medical team that Soldiers with simulated burns and bus roll over injuries are in need of evacuation. A line of four medical trucks are equipped with; a map, a radio, a list of injuries and equipment needed for them roll out to triage and load up the victims. In charge of communicating this information is Sgt. Timothy Patterson, […]

Ten wounded military personnel laid sprawled next to an upturned van in the early morning light. Combat medics and local emergency personnel surrounded the vehicle, rushing to tend their injuries and evacuate them. These Soldiers were not suffering from actual wounds; however, they were part of a simulated casualty evacuation drill hosted by Fort Knox in preparation for Cadet Summer Training (CST). Maj. Patrick Hensel, a medical planner on site, oversaw the May 24 operation. “It’s a CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) exercise rehearsal. We’re moving pieces, personnel equipment, to have simulated patients in a vehicle rollover, and simulate them going through the […]

DOWNLOAD Program Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Elizabeth Walton, Western Illinois University Military Order of World Wars AwardCadet Thomas Haas, Austin Peay State University Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Raquel Piercey, University of Texas at El Paso Reserve Organization of America AwardCadet Ethan Lacy, University of Michigan Bold Leader Spirit AwardCadet Alexis Sims, Dillard University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Jacob Jenkins, Mercer University USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Joseph Mass, Newberry College Armed Forces Bank AwardCadet Charmae Lubay, Western Oregon University Armed Forces Services Corporation AwardCadet Thomas Miscia, University of PittsburghCadet Celena Quirk, University of Northern Iowa National […]

DOWNLOAD Program Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Aaron Beaumont, Wichita State University Military Order of World Wars AwardCadet Catherine Witte, Clemson University Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Brian Gerard, Bucknell University USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Hayley Farmer, University of North Georgia Armed Forces Bank AwardCadet Kawen Huang, San Jose State Reserve Organization of America Award Cadet Jabrilyn Chandler, Hampton University National Guard Association of the United State AwardCadet Kavan Naughton, University of Wisconsin- La Crosse Bold Leader Spirit AwardCadet Rose Perezsoto, University of Hawaii at Manoa First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Soyoung Pilcher , University of Central Oklahoma Armed […]

Drill Sergeants want you to know it’s not like the movies, at least not anymore. While some things will always stay the same — like respecting authority, physical training and reciting the soldier’s creed — today’s drill sergeants double as powerful change-makers in the U.S. Army, and their job training Army Soldiers is more important than ever. Drill Sgt. Ariel McClain came to Cadet Summer Training (CST) to teach Cadets from 3rd Regiment Basic Camp. She typically starts her work day around 04:00. “It’s long hours, [I’m] here from before the sun goes up, sometimes until the sun goes down, working […]

For Cadets at Cadet Summer Training (CST), completing the Basic or Advanced Camp obstacle courses is a rite of passage. For visiting motivational speaker and double amputee Spc. (Ret.) J.P. Lane, it’s a chance to show off his willpower, determination and Iron Man legs. Lane, a former 12 Bravo Combat Engineer deployed to Afghanistan, lost both of his legs in 2011 to a 200-pound improvised explosive device (IED), also known as a roadside bomb, while clearing routes on a mission. In addition to the amputations, Lane underwent 28 surgeries repairing 26 injuries to his spine, his right arm and his torso, […]

DOWNLOAD Program Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence AwardCadet Avery Duvall, Western Kentucky University Military Order of World Wars AwardCadet Robert Rupert, McDaniel College Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Rachel Hopey, Case Western Reserve University Reserve Organization of America AwardCadet Andrea Torres, Wayne State College Bold Leader Spirit AwardCadet Joshua Muller, Middle Tennessee University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Brady Beene, Texas A&M University USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Colton Johnson, Brigham Young University Armed Forces Bank AwardCadet Dylan Dominique, Austin Peay State University Armed Forces Services Corporation AwardCadet Finn Roou, University of ColoradoCadet Jordan Schuler, University of Wisconsin – La […]

DOWNLOAD Program Special Awards Recipients AUSA Warrior Ethos AwardCadet Turner White, Cedarville University Military Order of World Wars AwardCadet Seneca Tsang, University of Richmond Military Officers Association of America AwardCadet Nicholas Hanke, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Reserve Officers Association AwardCadet Blake Maloblocki, University of Utah American Legion Commander’s AwardCadet Samson Ko, Arizona State University First Command Financial Services AwardCadet Christian Hess, Misericordia University Armed Forces Bank Performance AwardCadet Jacob Mendiola, Marion Military Institute Bold Leader Spirit AwardCadet Cassandra Pichardo, Olivet Nazarene University Society of American Military Engineers AwardCadet Luijay Lagasca, Valley Forge Military College USAA Warrior Spirit AwardCadet Gabrielle […]