FORT KNOX Ky. – Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the Warrior Skills training event at Fort Knox, Ky., July 20, 2023.

Warrior Skills introduces Cadets to many procedures that focus on the fundamentals of munitions and range finding. The Cadets have hands-on experience that allow them to understand important Soldiering tactics.

Cadet Brandon De La Rosa, from East Stroudsburg University, shares his thoughts on the importance of Warrior Skills.

“I was successful in throwing today because the grenade was like a baseball,” De la Rosa said. “A lot of kids grew up playing baseball, including me, so it was easier to get a grip on the grenade and throw it.”

Cadets are instructed by Cadre on how to throw grenades before moving to their lanes to engage a target in the field. Experience levels for each Cadet vary, so an overview of munitions and fundamental safety practices for each is necessary.

“I wrestle for my college at a D2 level, and you have to be very mentally and physically strong for wrestling, so it correlates well with the Army,” De la Rosa stated. “This training is good because it teaches you discipline much like wrestling, and when I’m in a situation where you need to act, like when throwing a grenade, I have the background knowledge to where I won’t freeze up.”

Many stations like the grenade throwing lane at Warriors Skills, built on concepts Cadets are familiar with. The goal of this training is to use these familiarities and transform them into skills that become valuable to the U.S. Army.

“I think as a future leader, you need to know all the tasks from the bottom up,” said Cadet Darryl Wilson, from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. “That way, you can better direct your subordinates, and they can be better leaders as well.”

Warrior Skills will continue to challenge the Cadets as well as expand their leadership skills, confidence in themselves, and build team cohesion.

“This is great for teambuilding and us all cheer each-other on,” De la Rosa said. “We’re all there for each other in these events, and we’re all here to help each other out.”