The deafening boom of gunfire echoed through Pells range as Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, went for their M4A1 qualification. This event is the culmination of prior training exercises that the Cadets had to go through in order to reach this point. Exercises such as preliminary marksmanship instruction, the engagement skills trainer, group and zeroing, and battle march and shoot all aim to prepare Cadets for this final moment. Of the Cadets present for the M4 qualification, Wang Ruan from the University of San Francisco waits for his chance at the range. While this would be Ruan’s first time qualifying [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., — When teenagers turn 16 in America, some parents go out of their way to make sure this day is a special one. Parties, limousine rides and expensive gifts are not a rare sight on this day. AnnaLee Reid’s Sweet 16 was just a little different. Reid, a Cadet from 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, who attends Central Washington University, received a present that unknowingly started her on the road to become a U.S. Army Officer. “My parents for my 16 birthday took me out and taught me how to shoot a handgun,” said Reid.  “That was like the [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB8qOtaHaZg[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets of 10th Regiment Advanced Camp qualified with their M-4 Carbine Rifles on the George Blair Range this morning, July 19. Cadets at Advanced Camp go through various forms of weapons training during their Basic Rifle Marksmanship training; Grouping and Zeroing is one example. The shooting done at the George Blair Range is different, though. There, they shoot at pop-up targets, appearing at random on their lane. This is the range where they train for their qualification, this is the range where they qualify. Stick to the Basics “I’ve shot quite a bit through my [...]

Fort Knox, Ky. – Normally the weapons qualification range is filled with the thundering boom of live ammunition. Today the booming noise was actual thunder. The first round of Cadets were beginning to shoot as the storm rolled in putting a temporary halt to the range activity. “It was pretty bad weather before, we did not know if it was going to be canceled or not,” Cadet Mitchell Sanford, from Lagrangeville, New York, and a student at State University of New York Cortland said. A few hours later the storm passed and weapons qualification carried on as normal, in bright daylight. [...]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAwCJqdPRBc[/embedyt] FORT KNOX, Ky. — While the rain may have added more challenge for 4th Regiment Cadets at this morning’s Weapons Qualification, they embraced it with open arms. 2nd Lt. Samuel Tease was one of the Fort Knox Cadre overseeing the event and he noted that while Weapon’s Qualification isn’t new, having the training at the pop-up is. “We did it last year, but it was a non-qualifying event,” Tease said. “I think they realized the pop-ups gave more dynamic training than stationary targets. So, by having a way for Cadets train at varying distances with a more realistic situation. [...]