FORT KNOX, Ky. – The sun shining down, a light breeze blowing through, sounds of laughter and rejoicing filled the air. Tears streamed as Cadets of the 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp, were reunited with their families at long last. From Near and Far Family Day is a moment of love and appreciation for what you have; as cliché as that may sound, there is simply no other way to put it. To see the face of your loved ones right in front of you rather than on a screen, is a time where love can do nothing but thrive. From near [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMobnb97XqE[/embedyt]   FORT KNOX, Ky. — Family Day has finally arrived for 1st Regiment Basic Camp, and it was filled with many smiles and tearful reunions. Basic Camp Cadets have been here at Fort Knox for 30 days. In that time, this is the first time Cadets got to see their families again since they left home. Cadet James Graves, from White Haven Pennsylvania, said he had been counting down the days until this day. And that waking up today had felt weird. “You’re always thinking about when you get to see them and counting down the days till that [...]

[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=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=kvyFK2DV53E[/embedyt] Fort Knox, Ky. – For 37 days, 3rd Regiment Cadets have been working on completing Advanced Camp here at Fort Knox, Ky. Today, the Cadets celebrated the end of their journeys at Cadet Summer Training (CST) by reuniting with family and friends. Cadets practiced for tomorrow’s graduation on Brooks Field while family and friends were briefed on Advanced Camp in Waybur Theater. At the end of rehersal, Cadets were released to waiting parents, friends, and significant others. “My family is pretty important to me, so it is nice to see them,” Cadet Cochise Wanzer, from McLean, Virginia, and attending [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mczUHvjdUKU[/embedyt] Fort Knox, Ky. – Second Regiment Cadets are closing out their time at Advanced Camp as they graduate tomorrow. Today the Cadets were reunited with family and friends whom they haven’t seen for the duration of their time here at Fort Knox. Anxious and awaiting family members and friends filled Waybur Theater for a quick overview of Cadet Summer Training before being released to see their Cadets. While family and friends received an introduction to Advanced Camp and learned of all their accomplishments, Cadets practiced on Brooks Field for their upcoming graduation ceremony tomorrow. Right before noon the doors [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA90w2YDKmk[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – This summer there will be several special events and ceremonies taking place at Fort Knox highlighting the success of thousands of U.S. Army Cadets. Cadets will reunite with family members on Family Day, discover the 17 different branches of the Army during Branch Orientation and proudly graduate on Graduation Day. Previously, Fort Knox hosted a commissioning ceremony for the Cadets. This year, the commissioning ceremonies are taking place at their universities instead. Each of these ceremonies are rooted in years of tradition. Darrell Olson, Cadet Summer Training (CST) special events planner, said tradition is a [...]

Standing in formation,  I wait. My heart, racing as I stare. Double doors open like flood gates,  I am hit. A tidal wave of emotion. I see you, the sea of people. Your smiling face, my beacon. Guiding me to your warm embrace, A tight, loving hug, A tender kiss. You choke back tears in your eyes And tell me how proud you are. I am exuberant in the moment. Free.          

Fort Knox, Ky.- Finished with their training at Advanced Camp, Cadets were eager to link up with family and friends they have not seen in over a month.  8th Regiment Cadets couldn’t help but to start contacting their family members through text messages to figure out what was on the agenda for the day. Grace Sullivan, Bucknell University stood in the very front of her platoon, swaying back and forth from the anxiety of being able to be with her parents. ” I haven’t really talked much to my parents since they took our phone away in the field, so both my [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Out of all the experiences Cadets have gone through while at Basic Camp, there is always one experience that a Cadet can’t wait to tell their family and friends about when they get the chance. Saturday morning, Cadets from 7thRegiment, Basic Camp got that chance, as they were greeted by the familiar faces of family and friends outside of Waybur Theater for Family Day. For Cadet John Hupka, John Carroll University, the gas chamber portion of his Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) training was the first story he would tell his family. “Just going through it [and] [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky – For the past month, 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets have been in and out of the field, running through the mud, completing missions, and taking orders. With all of that behind them, the Cadets celebrated by spending time with their loved ones on Family Day, July 24, 2018. “It feels fantastic,” exclaimed Cadet Geoffrey Wilson, Rochester institute of Technology. “It’s really nice to see them again after so long. [I] really missed them, in the field especially.” Cadets lined up in formation outside Waybur Theater, where parents and grandparents are inside catching up on what their Cadet [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky – After nearly a month apart from their loved ones, 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets greeted their families and friends with smiles, hugs, and kisses on Family Day, July 9, 2018. While parents and siblings finished viewing a presentation in Waybur Theater, cadets lined up in formation outside the door. The joy was radiating off the cadets, as chatter of plans and excitement filled the air. With only 8 or 9 hours before they must return, Cadets try to make the most of their time outside the gate. “I think we might be headed to see Lincoln’s birthplace, [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.—Military families learn to treasure small moments in between leaves. In many ways, those times become that much sweeter. 1st Regiment, Basic Camp graduates tomorrow, bringing their 31-day stay at Fort Knox to a close. Today, families, significant others, and Cadets reunited, trading embraces, kisses, and congratulations. “We love getting her back, but we are so proud of what she did,” Steve Friedrich said. “Giving her a hug, that was the main thing I wanted to do today.” His daughter, Cadet Madison Friedrich, thanked God and Jesus for being back with her family. Basic Camp is the first step [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Families and friends packed into Waybur Theater on family day to learn about what the Cadets have been doing during Advanced Camp, at Fort Knox July 4, 2018. Parents left the theater and waited in the sweltering parking lot near the parade field to wait for the Cadets to be bussed in. Once the Cadets arrived they rushed from the buses to the parade field, some quickly grabbing hugs or waving at their families. After getting into formation they began getting briefed on the rules of family day. Once released Cadets sprinted either toward family members or [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.- Basic Camp 2nd Regiment Families came out to see their Cadets after the 30 day Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The families met at the Gaffey Hall in the Haszard Auditorium where they got a taste of what the Cadets did over the past month. At the end of the briefing parents would walk out to all of the Cadets standing at attention. The Cadets were given the go ahead, many ran straight to their families. One particular mother Jo Rieck, the mother of Daniel Reick, was egger to see her son. “I’m excited to see [...]