By: Mattie Cook Fort Knox, Ky.,- Day eleven of Cadet Summer Training (CST) for 5th Regiment, Basic Camp involved day land navigation; exercises they say would not be successful without the guidance of non-commissioned officer (NCO) Cadre. Cadets plot points on a map they then must find in the depths of Fort Knox terrain using a compass. A successful mission includes finding three out of four plotted points within the allotted time. Before starting, Cadre give a brief on the do’s and don’ts of land navigation for safe and successful missions. Staff Sgt. Barlowe Branch says they help guide Cadets. “If […]

by: Cpt. Samuel D. Sellers edited by: Mattie Cook Fort Knox, Ky.- Brig. Gen. Robert W. Bennett, Deputy Commanding Officer U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, and other Cadet Command leadership visited training areas of Fort Knox to evaluate and validate 41 Cadet Summer Training (CST) Cadre on their knowledge of basic squad level tactics. This evaluation, in preparation for the 15 June Field Training Exercise phase of Basic Camp, tested Cadre members comprised of 20 Senior ROTC instructors from over 20 colleges across the eight brigades within U.S. Army Cadet Command. Additionally, 25 newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenants rounded out the […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Advanced Camp 2nd Regiment Commission ceremony took place, June 29, at the Waybur Theater on Fort Knox, Ky. The commissioning ceremony starts off with the Cadets marching up to the stage to be sworn in with the Oath for Commissioning Officers. After they finish the oath and they are sworn in the cadets march back to their seats where they begin the process of pinning the Cadets Gold bars, which represent the rank and position they received. By tradition the silver dollar is the only coin given in exchange for the first salute. To new officers it […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Advanced and Basic Camp 2nd Regiments, gathered together at the Olive Theater, Fort Knox, Kentucky, to hear Brian Pauling give an influential presentation about leadership.   Pauling opened up with asking which person are you, a prisoner, the person is who was forced to attend the briefing, the Vacationer, the person who is glad to be here because it’s it means they don’t have to do their work, or the person who is willing to learn from this experience? Most of the Cadets answered with Vacationer, Pauling had a mission to change those Cadets minds in hope […]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 5th Regiment, Basic Camp, arrived at Fort Knox, June 27, for Cadet Summer Training for in-processing and to settle into the barracks before training begins. Cadets sift through their belongings, fill out paperwork and are briefed about what is expected of them during the next 30 days of training. As they waited in lines, Cadets spoke about their feelings toward the training ahead of them. “We’re super excited and nervous about what to expect,” said Cadets Emily Tran, College of Charleston, Greenville, S.C., and McKenzi Wenninger, Minnesota State University Mankato, Luverne, Minn. “I feel […]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 1st Regiment, Basic Camp, attended Branch Orientation near the Patton Museum at Keyes Park, June 23, during Cadet Summer Training. During the event, different branches and specialties of the Army came to give Cadets information about the options and opportunities available to them after graduating. “It’s really just to give them a familiarization of what’s out there in the Army so they can set their expectations now rather than find out last minute what the Army has to offer. We’re just trying to educate the Cadets on what jobs are there in the Army […]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 1st Regiment, Basic Camp, attended Branch Orientation near the Patton Museum at Keyes Park, June 23, during Cadet Summer Training. During the event, different branches and specialties of the Army came to give Cadets information about the options and opportunities available to them after graduating. “It’s really just to give them a familiarization of what’s out there in the Army so they can set their expectations now rather than find out last minute what the Army has to offer. We’re just trying to educate the Cadets on what jobs are there in the Army […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – As graduation approaches, 1st Regiment Basic Camp Cadets completes the Confidence Course as their last event, June 25 in Fort Knox, Ky. There are three different events, Rudders Rope Course, Rock-Climbing and Merrils Maurauders, that each Cadet needs to complete. Each event has its own difficulty. This course was to test each Cadets confidence and if the Cadet has a fear of heights then this course is to test them to see if they will do it. “[Confidence Course] to see how confident are you, for me, to overcome my fears and to see how strong you […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of 4th Regiment Basic Camp completes Teamwork Development Course June 23 in Fort Knox, Ky. TDC is about Cadets working together as a team for the first time. “The purpose of it is for all of the Cadets to develop as leaders and figure out how work in a team. A lot of these Cadets sit in a classroom and plan things out but when you get in a real environment and work with a bunch of people who all have ideas, you need to learn how to work together,” said Cadet Mentor Sean Bogertey, (MSIII), […]

FORT KNOX, Ky.- Day 22, Basic Camp 2nd Regiment Cadets tracked through the Field Training Exercise lanes, June 22, to learn the foundation of combat tactics, for the annual Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. FTX lanes help the Cadets set up Objective Rally Points (ORP), different types of missions, patrol bases and focuses on the tactical part of the mission. Cadets first spend a few nights in Tent City where they learn the different types of ambushes they will be conducting and they get an overview of what they will be doing in the field. “We learn about the […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 2nd Regiment Basic Camp completed their training for introduction to battle drills June 20 in Fort Knox, Ky. There are eight lanes that Cadets need to complete; each of them had different scenarios. Within each lane Cadets are given 10 minutes to plan out the attack using a hand-made map using various items to symbolize what they will come into contact with. After Cadets plan, Cadre then lead them to where the enemy should be. The Cadre within the Regiment then plays the enemy. Cadets are told how to walk in formation, having the Squad Leaders lead […]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp, completed the Beaudoin Obstacle Course as platoons and squads, June 20, during their Cadet Summer Training. The Beaudoin Obstacle Course is a set of 13 different obstacles that challenge Cadets in many ways. These obstacles include: low crawl, the ditch, lanes to change directions, the wall, balance beam, hurdles, balance logs, maze to change direction, tunnels, low rail, fence, cargo net, horizontal traversing (also known as monkey bars). “This is a way to show them that if they put each other first and work together as a team, they can […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from First Regiment Basic Camp trudged through murky terrain and put their leadership and communication skills to the test at the field training exercise lanes (FTX) on June 16. With three weeks of Cadet Summer Training under their belts, Cadets were able to apply the various skills they’ve leaned through different exercises, such as the team development course (TDC) and the field leader reaction course (FLRC) in an interactive training environment. “Cadets are given a mission, they’re assigned leadership positions within their squad and they then have to react to different scenarios that we’ve been coaching […]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Basic Camp Cadets kicked off the first Land Navigation of the summer, on June 6.   The Land Navigation course is designed to train Cadets on how to Navigate from one point to another using just a map, compass and protractor. The Cadets teamed up in to teams of two and headed out. The Cadets have four hours to find four key points that are located within the perimeters of the course. Cadets are graded on how may points they located. One point for every location they find. Cadets need at least three of the four to […]

FORT KNOX, KY. – Cadets finished the Team Development Course (TDC) at Fort Knox on June 4. “We did a lot of team building within our platoon, especially with our squads,” said Cadet Alexis Fitzgerald of Bravo Company First Platoon from Princeton University. “We were able to work together and become a cohesive unit.” Cadets went through multiple obstacles as a squad to develop their teamwork and leadership skills. “By presenting a problem to the squad in the form of an obstacle, one person cannot do it by themselves,” said cadre member Sgt. 1st Class William Richards from West Virginia University. […]

FORT KNOX, KY. – Cadets went through the Land Navigation Course portion of their Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox on June 1. “They just go out there with a map, compass and protractor,” said cadre member 2nd Lt. Victoria Tobitt. “It’s old school, and they go out there to find the points.” The course began at 4 a.m. and concluded at 9 a.m. Cadets had to locate at least four of the six points from their map without the use of modern technology. “GPS isn’t always going to be reliable,” Tobitt said. “If God forbid your electricity goes down, you […]

Fort Knox, Ky.,—First Regiment Advanced Camp Cadets develop their leadership skills through team building challenges at the Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC). Alpha and Bravo Company tackled physical and mental challenges while incorporating communication and improvisation skills to overcome various obstacles. Sgt. Percell Jackson, stationed at Fort Knox, is an instructor at the FLRC for CST. “This training is a building block and stepping stone. The Cadets do not know each other, they may have seen each other around, but when we put them together they get to learn about the different leadership skills and build on it,” said Jackson. “They […]