First there was the silence of aiming. Next the first couple gunshots of the eager. Eventually, the shots cascaded from the lined-up Cadets so fast that it sounded reminiscent of the opening drum solo of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher.” Although it sounds like fun, 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp’s Weapons Group Zero training was a serious event that demanded intense concentration. Each Platoon took a prone-supported position on a shooting range at Fort Knox, KY, and fired volleys of five rounds from their M4 rifles at a target approximately twenty-five meters away. The goal: grouping their shots together, and adjusting their [...]

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 [...]

A bullet from an M4 travels to its target at a rate of 2,970 ft/s. The impact of that bullet on the target is relative to the impact it has on a soldier’s career. Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp improve and test their weapons training during Weapons Qualification at the George Blair Range July 16, 2018. “They’ve already received their primary block of instruction, or PMI as we call it, which is classroom time,” stated Staff Sgt. Murray, the assistant to the Range Safety Officer. “…Then they come out here to apply those lessons learned.” “They have three shooting iterations. [...]

Movie physics has spoiled us! Directors demand ridiculous situations to wow audiences and drive movie sales, yet inadvertently, they implant false understandings of how firearms function.  “I got a lot of questions from my students back in the day, ‘Sergeant, can you curve a bullet?’” Sgt. 1st Class David Morris recollected. “Every time I shoot, the trajectory is parabolic in nature.” Which is to say, bullets do not travel left or right, but up and down. “In the past, we’ve had a couple of individuals state very firmly that they don’t believe in gravity—that the bullet moves in a straight line [...]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets performed weapons maintenance on their issued M4 rifles, July 31, during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox. Maintenance is an essential part of training as CST starts to come to a close for 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets. “We’ve got them cleaning their weapons out. They’ve been out in the field for about two weeks now. So, their weapons have a lot of carbon, tar and other stuff in them,” said 2nd Lt. Willie Walker. “They’ve been shooting a lot for the past couple days and it’s just a [...]

By: Madison Thompson FORT KNOX, Ky. – 5th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed weapons qualification at the Pells/George Blair Range, June 21, at Fort Knox during Cadet Summer Training. Weapons qualification is training where Cadets shoot live ammunition on a range at pop-up targets. “Yesterday, they did their grouping and zeroing to get their shot group closer and closer to the center of the target. Today, they’re going out onto the range and they shoot their targets and qualify,” said 2nd Lt. Michaela Bauman. Before going out to qualify their M4 Carbine Rifle, Cadets must go through several steps. “To get ready [...]