FORT KNOX, Ky. — Cadets from 5th Regiment, Basic Camp, competed in a drill and ceremony (D&C) competition today to test their marching and military bearing skills. The competition tested the basic foundations of D&C on how you march and conduct yourself in a formation. For the first portion of the competition, each platoon in the regiment created a routine that included numerous required elements and commands. Cadre graded Cadets on how well they conducted their platoon D&C routines and how well they maintained their military bearing. Maintaining a strong military bearing is holding and conducting yourself in a well-disciplined manner. [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — After 24 days at Basic Camp, 5th Regiment Cadets took on the 10k Foot March this morning to test their physical and mental endurance. Foot marches challenge Cadets with walking long distances at a fast pace with weight in their rucksacks. “It is mostly mental,” Cadet Mason Aldridge, from Birmingham, Alabama, and attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said. “Coming out here and doing this ruck march is to prove that you can go further than you think you can.” The Cadets began the march at 4 a.m. The purpose of this was to not only [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVrJrDR9tmQ[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fourth Regiment, Basic Camp, Cadets put their marching skills to the test today during the platoon and regimental drill and ceremony (D&C) competition. Cadets competed in two different competition; a platoon-level D&C competition, where the six platoons from 4th Regiment performed in front of Cadre who chose the wining platoon, and a regimental D&C competition, where Cadets are individually competing to win. Over the past 28 days, Cadets learned Army customs and courtesies, how to march and conduct themselves in a professional manner. “The purpose of this competition was to test the culmination of everything [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Cadets from 11th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed squad battle drill training today, to prepare for their Field Training Exercise (FTX) that begins tomorrow. Squad battle drills are the first time Cadets conduct platoon-level tactics together as one unit. It gives them the chance to iron out issues, develop their platoon identity and establish standard operating procedures (SOPs). Missouri State University Cadet Sierra Goslee, and her platoon, struggled during the training. “It was rough because it was our first time working all together as a platoon to actually do a platoon attack,” Goslee said. They have only been [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — First Regiment, Basic Camp, Cadets graduated today, completing the final event of their 31 days of training. Cadets sent to Basic Camp learned about different Soldier and leadership skills they will need as future Army Officers. “Basic Camps purpose is to give people who are interested in the Army a start,” Cadet Celeste Doiron, from Monument, Colorado, and attending California Polytechnic State University, said. “It kind of gives them a taste of the Army and [helps them decide] if it is something they want to do in the future.” “Get Up There and Lead”  Some Cadets came [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Spirit and morale were high within 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp, Bravo Company, 4th Platoon yesterday, as they completed another Field Training Exercise mission and took another step toward graduating. Cadets performed a platoon-level deliberate attack on an enemy strong point. Penn State University Cadet Brian Hobbs, from Fairfax, Virginia, said his platoon’s mission went according to plan, with only a few hiccups. He claimed it could not have gone that smoothly without the platoon’s teamwork. “I had a lot of support from all of my peers so that made it all run a lot smoother,” Acting Platoon [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUkESwRqd08[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fifth Regiment Cadets took another step toward commissioning as Army Officers today as they graduated from Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Cadets spent the last 37 days completing Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp is the training they must complete in order to continue in their university’s ROTC program and eventually commission as an Officer. The training gave Cadets experience in everything from basic soldiering skills, like rappelling, to organizing and executing platoon operations during the 10-day Field Training Exercise (FTX). After 37 days, Cadets were eager to have finished and head back home. “I’m excited [...]

[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. [...]

[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 [...]

[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 [...]

[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=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=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 [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw7AaXFOYXc[/embedyt] Fourth Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets conducted an attack on a group of Opposing Force (OPFOR) at approximately 8:15 a.m. today. “Today, they were focused on the first mission, which was an attack. An attack to defense,” Clarkson University Instructor, Master Sgt. James Prescott said. The attack was the first lane 4th Regiment was scheduled to complete for the Field Training Exercise I (FTX I), but the lane did not go as planned. The Cadets ended up defending their position after an ambush from the OPFOR team. Trouble stirred when information was not communicated correctly and the platoon got off [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMWMvid0Z10[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Weather may have kept 3rd Regiment Delta Company out of the confidence chamber, but it did not keep them from learning. While the Confidence Chamber may be the exciting part of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense training, 3rd Regiment Delta Company learned there was a lot more that went into CBRN and what it means for the Army. Staff Sgt. Scott Dimmick of the 22nd CBRNE (Explosive) unit out of Fort Bliss, Texas, oversaw the training today. “I think it’s important for the Cadets to learn, so if they choose to go CBRN [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1QV_lBkji8[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — Leading people is hard, but leading your peers is even harder as the Cadets of 3rd Regiment found out today at the Field Leadership Reaction Course (FLRC). The FLRC training the Cadets tackled was a course that was comprised of 12 different obstacles of which the Cadets are asked to attempt and or complete six. The idea behind these obstacles is to build teamwork between these Cadets who have only known each other for about 72 hours, as this is the first time the Cadets get to face a problem as a unit rather than [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMek7uvk0yg[/embedyt] Fort Knox, Ky. – Cadets from the 1st Regiment filed into formation behind the Copple Center today for Cadet Summer Training (CST) Advanced Camp inprocessing. Once inside the Copple Center, Cadets pass through seven different stations: including arrival at CST and CCIMS, listing special guests that might be coming to graduation, Cadet payment information and issues, verifying travel arrangements in Defense Travel System (DTS) after CST, confirming emergency data information, and a few other administrative stations. “We double check to make sure all their pay information is included, their scholarship payments, and if there’s any issues, they will be [...]

Name: Kyle Wolfe School: Baylor University Hometown: Parker, Colorado Major: Environmental Health What makes this Cadet stand out from their peers? Kyle Wolfe is the number one Cadet in the Baylor Bear Battalion. Consistently ranked at the top of his class by his peers, Cadet Wolfe competently and faithfully displays all the virtues of an excellent leader. As a member of the Baylor Ranger Challenge Team, Cadet Wolfe has been a reliable member of a dedicated team and has competed in several Ranger Challenge Competitions. Moreover, as a member of the greater Bear Battalion, Cadet Wolfe has taken it upon himself [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 7th Regiment, Basic Camp participated in a Drill & Ceremony competition on August 2. D&C consists of the proper way to move and hold oneself while in formation. The competition is a new addition to Cadet Summer Training this year. Cadet Jamie Bridenstine, who completed Advanced Camp this summer, is working as a Military Science III trainer at Basic Camp. Bridenstine, a student at the University of Wyoming, stated that D&C builds discipline and helps people work as a team. She went through Basic Camp in 2016. “We focused on D&C but it wasn’t to [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp ambushed Opposing Forces, also known as OPFOR, during Field Training Exercises on August 1, at Area of Operation Grizzly. When the Cadets woke up that morning, described Cadet Olan Field, they knew that they were going to be conducting an ambush but weren’t exactly sure where. “We had to … go and find out information and then utilize that information that we received into our next mission,” stated Field. Platoon Sergeant Cadet Perry Patton, a student at Harding University, explained that a leader’s reconnaissance element met up with a defector who [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – With only three days left until graduation, Cadets from 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp must begin asking themselves, “What’s next?” Lucky for them, Branch Orientation provides some answers. During Branch Orientation, Cadets rotate through various tents filled with information on each branch available to them. For some Cadets, selecting a branch is a walk in the park, but for others, selecting a branch will be the hardest decision they ever make. Cadet Anna Farmer from the University of Oregon has a decision to make. As of now, she has narrowed down her selections to Field Artillery, Military Intelligence and [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp conducted a raid on July 30, during the third and final phase of Field Training Exercises: the Grizzly phase. During the Grizzly phase, also known as the run phase, the Cadets conduct the missions themselves as opposed to being guided through them by Cadre like in the Wolverine (crawl) and Panther (walk) phases. Cadet Marc Venditti, University of South Florida, the platoon leader for yesterday’s mission, explained that he utilizes the chain of command to communicate with his platoon. He gives information to his squad leaders, who pass it on to their [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp began Situational Training Exercises on July 27, entering the crawl phase of Field Training Exercises. This phase of training is heavily guided by Cadre and serves as instruction for Cadets. Cadet Karli Ring, a student at George Washington University, called what the Cadets were being taught the “doctrine, know-how” way to carry out the mission set before them. As a small group of Cadets set off for a leader’s reconnaissance patrol, Ring explained, the Cadre had the rest of the Cadets follow and observe rather than post security, as would normally [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 5th Regiment, Basic Camp huddled around cell phone cameras before camp graduation on July 26, trying to see how their group photos with fellow Cadets turned out. 2nd Lt. Kasey Greenfield, a graduate of Texas A&M University, noticed an extraordinary difference in the demeanor of a lot of the Cadets – particularly their sense of pride – between the beginning of camp and graduation. Towards the end of camp, Greenfield stated, “a lot of them would stand up straighter,” and just wear the uniform a little differently. Between the homesickness, drill sergeants, and physical standards [...]