[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. – Why are we here? To fight. Why do we fight? To win. Cadet from 2nd regiment loudly called out this chant while beginning day two of Fire Team Movement training. “The weather is nice and it is a good training experience,” Cadet Ny’Asia Campbell from Dillon, South Carolina, and attending Claflin University, said. “It is a good day.” The Cadets spent the morning learning and practicing skills that will be required of them as they finsih Fire Team Movement training and head into the field. “We have been learning tactical skills and things for the field out [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT5b_m7VGGM[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Cadets from 4th Regiment, Basic Camp, faced their fears during the confidence course on July 15. The Basic Camp confidence course consists of three different events: the climbing wall, the Alpine Tower and Rudder’s Ropes Course. The three different variations of obstacles are meant to challenge the Cadets physically but also mentally. “The biggest thing we have the Cadets doing out here is facing their fears,” Georgia State University Military Science Instructor and Confidence Course Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, Sgt. 1st Class Barry Ray said. “It is not actually to get rid of the fear. [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 1st Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets completed their 10K Ruck, also called the six-mile ruck, July 15 during Cadet Summer Training. “We just did a six-mile ruck march. It’s just putting a 35-pound ruck on your back and walking for about six miles,” clarified Cadet Celeste Doiron, California Polytechnic State University. While traversing each mile, Cadets reflected on what they found the most challenging about the ruck. “Probably the main thing was the terrain. As far as I know, most ruck marches are on flat ground. This is relatively hilly. It wasn’t too bad,” stated Cadet Brody Roberts, [...]

[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 [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 1st Regiment, Basic Camp performed Field Training Exercises in their “run” phase July 14 during Cadet Summer Training. The “run” phase of an exercise consists of cadre taking a step back and providing feedback during the exercise when absolutely necessary to Cadets. The exercise Cadets from Alpha company, 3rd platoon, 3rd squad performed was an ambush. “We just conducted an ambush on the objective, which was a linear ambush on the road. We had two enemy and were a squad element. We were directed by our squad leader to form up and I was on Bravo Team, [...]

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 [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 1st Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets completed a day of Field Training Exercises (FTXs) July 13 during Cadet Summer Training. For many Basic Camp Cadets, this FTX was one of their first experiences obtaining an objective in the field. “We just accomplished our first run through with an ambush. It was many of our first time, a few of our second or third time. Most of us, it was our first time going through an ambush and we were pretty successful I think,” said Cadet Abigail Newman, Northern Illinois University. “We had a lot of things to work [...]

[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 [...]

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=eyzKi2qYFsQ[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — The sounds of coughs and cries filled the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) range while Second Regiment, Basic Camp, Cadets completed CBRN training on July 10 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. CBRN included eight different trainings on Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) levels, the Chemical Corps and the confidence chamber, which were meant to instill trust in their equipment. Cadets left with a new found confidence in not only their equipment, but their battle buddies as well. “In the [confidence] chamber specifically, when you are about to be let out, usually you can’t see, you’re [...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr96sToeLGU&t=18s FORT KNOX, Ky. — 3rd Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets completed the High Ropes Confidence Course July 10 during Cadet Summer Training. The course consists of three different obstacles including Moore’s Mountain rock wall, the Alpine Tower, and Rudder’s Rope Course. “We were briefed and told we would be going onto these confidence courses and that they would help us see that, if we chose to push through something that was difficult, we could do it and we could do it with the help of our teammates as well,” said Cadet Jayden Fritz, Minnesota State University, Mankato. “Doing all of these [...]

[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=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=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 [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — 1st Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets focused on teamwork, leading, and listening to one another at the Team Development Course (TDC) July 7, 2019 during Cadet Summer Training. “We’re doing some team building events and obstacles. It’s basically not about strength, but thinking about how we can work together to get through these obstacles and how we can get everyone through it,” stated Cadet Asia Foster from the University of Kentucky. The obstacles, as Cadet Jacob Wakeley from the University of Kentucky explained, are puzzles where Cadets must get from one point to the next with all of [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ-siJgIQCc[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Second Regiment, Basic Camp, Cadets learned how to navigate terrain during Land Navigation training on July 7 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. “Here at the land navigation course, they learn how to get from point A to point B in the most effective manner, using only a map, protractor and compass,” Texas A&M University Military Science Instructor, Staff Sgt. Calvin Hickman, said. Cadets were paired into buddy teams to complete the training. “They are paired in twos so they learn to trust their partners,” Sgt. 1st Class Debra Weir, a land navigation grading tent instructor, said. [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hLs8R3yoE[/embedyt] Cadets from 4th Regiment, Basic Camp, arrived in Fort Knox, Kentucky, yesterday, beginning their training to become Army Officers. Basic Camp provides first and second year Cadets with the basic soldiering skills they need for Advanced Camp and for their future careers in the Army. Coming into Day Zero of camp, Cadets were nervous. “I’m a little nervous because it is my first time really doing anything like this,” University of Mississippi Cadet Matthew Vandarwater, from Nashville, Tennessee, said. Vandarwater is in ROTC at the University of Mississippi but has never been in the field because he is not [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnNSzNH2G1w[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Basic Camp, 2nd Regiment Cadets went back to the basics of Field Craftsmanship to prepare them for the Field Training Exercise (FTX) later in the Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky., July 6. Field Craftsmanship helps prepare Cadets to be able to live in the FTX lanes for multiple days. Cadets learn the fundamentals of how to camouflage their gear and themselves. Along with how to set up camp to protect themselves from the elements around them. Alongside the camouflage and shelter, the Cadets learn how to pack their ruck in a way that has [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuA0zCGhWKA[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Advanced Camp, 5th Regiment Cadets tracked through the woods as part of Field Training Exercise (FTX) during Cadet Summer Training, at Fort Knox, Ky., July 5. Cadets had to execute a move to contact exercise. A move to contact exercise has the Cadets dropped off in the woods where they must make their way to a certain point along the route on the map they have. The platoon leader along with the platoon sergeant and squad leaders huddle together to make a plan of action. Once the platoon leader has a strategy of how they [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckFmkk7jp24[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky., — It was a beautiful, warm sunny day for 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets to arrive at Fort Knox, for Cadet Summer Training, July 2. Once Cadets arrive they are shuttled to the Disney area of the installation, where the Cadet’s barracks are located. Cadets check in with the Cadre members first before they unpack anything. Cadets then receive what company they belong to, they collect their luggage and go to the respected area for that company. Cadres have the Cadets unpack all of their bags and lay everything out in a specific order. The Cadre [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets finished the Confidence Course during Cadet Summer Training on July 2, placing them one step closer to graduation. “The confidence course is a set of obstacles you have to maneuver yourself through,” said Cadet Sarah Toomey from Marquette University. “It tests your ability to trust yourself and also to trust the people around you, because they’re all safeties there to catch you. It’s a lot of stuff with heights and climbing, things I am scared of, so it definitely puts yourself to the test.” There are many obstacles throughout the course that [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g65zqR9-gms[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — 1st Regiment, Basic Camp, Cadets completed Land Navigation training, a vital tool for all soldiers on July 3. “From the Private to the General, this is a skill that every soldier needs to know,” Staff Sgt. Richard Heinzman, a land navigation instructor, said. Cadets were responsible for finding at least three out of four given points in order to achieve a passing grade. While time played a part in this training (three hours to complete the course), rushing could cause Cadets to make unwarranted mistakes. “I think a lot of it is being precise,” Cadet [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgYYGbzCBIY[/embedyt] Third Regiment Cadets endured 29 days of high temperatures, monsoon rainstorms and nights in the woods during Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Through those 29 days of harsh conditions, Cadets from 3rd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, learned to persevere as a team. “A lot of the conditions for this summer have been horrendous rain and thunderstorms, so from start to finish, as a platoon, they learned to adapt and apply everything they learned [over] the last three years in adverse situations,” Capt. Jonathan Dieckman, an ROTC instructor at Bowling Green State University, said. Coming together [...]