FORT KNOX, Ky. — Cadets from 8th Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the Field Leader Reaction Course on Fort Knox, Ky., July 17, 2023.

FLRC is a teamwork-based course in which Cadets complete challenging scenarios with the purpose of growing leadership and team-building skills.

“We’re given challenges and obstacles to get across,” said Cadet Katrina Thoms, Stephen F. Austin State University. “Some are impossible, some just take a lot of planning, but as a team, we work together to accomplish the task at hand.”

In preparation for the various obstacles, Cadets are given a scenario as well as a series of rules they must operate within in order to perform each objective.

“It was a thinking game. We always had to pay close attention to our instructions,” Thoms said. “Listen to the words that they said and look for the words that weren’t said to complete the task.”

For many Cadets, half of the problem is figuring out exactly what the puzzle is. Even when unable to complete the goal within the given amount of time, they are still able to learn from the challenge.

“We may not have completed all the obstacles, but the whole point of this was team building. I think we grew a lot,” Thoms said. “We hadn’t really gotten to work together like that yet and having that opportunity before the field I think will really pull us together for when we’re in those stressful situations.”

Cadets learn best through their connections and oftentimes those connections are the reason they choose to go in the direction of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in the first place.

“My dad was in the Army; I grew up around it. They all became very good people through the Army and were all huge role models in my life,” Thoms said. “I saw them and decided I wanted to do the things they do. They pushed me towards this path and I’m grateful for it.”

This event provides a strong foundation for Cadets to develop their teamwork and leadership skills. For Thoms, ROTC is just the first step for her to give back in the way that she wants to.

“My passion is to be a behavioral analyst for veterans. I wanted to be able to experience the same things they had. I wanted to be the best I could to give back to them,” Thoms said. “What they do for our country and what they’ve done for me has had a big impact. The way the Army seems to shape them is something I want for myself.”

ROTC allows Cadets to better build their futures, acting as a starting point to push past training and into careers.

“Yes, we’re training here, yes, they want us to pass,” Thoms said. “We’re working hard and learning a lot, but it’s the connections we make now and how we develop them for our futures gives us a great opportunity to meet people we never would have been able to otherwise.”