Fort Knox, Kentucky, – Fort Knox never sleeps. The sun has hours before it will peek over the horizon, but that doesn’t stop Cadet Summer Training Cadets from putting in the work and pushing past limits in the early morning hours.

Lit only by harsh fluorescent lights, Cadets of 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp complete their Army Combat Fitness Test on July 18, 2024 on Fort Knox, Ky. ACFT consists of six timed physical fitness tests, all of which must be passed.

“It’s pretty stressful,” said Cadet Victoria Purchase, Penn State University. “I was so nervous this morning. But once you start doing it, the people are the best part. They make you actually have fun and laugh during it. So as much as it sucked, it feels good to accomplish something, especially with these people around you.”

With deadlifts, planks, and a two-mile run–all before breakfast–Cadets depend on support from their platoon to get through. Although Cadets of 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp just arrived on Fort Knox, they’ve already formed bonds with their new battle buddies.

“It’s only been five days, but I feel like I’ve known these people forever,” said Cadet Jeffrey Monacelli, Rutgers University.

Cadets come to ACFT with different levels of experience. Cadet Luke Logan, University of Kentucky, the first Cadet in his platoon to finish the two-mile run, played sports throughout high school and college, and he has worked to stay fit while at home in preparation for CST.

“I love doing triathlons and ultra marathons,” Logan said. “Everyone has their strong suit and mine is running. For me, the two-mile run is fun–that’s my bread and butter. I just enjoy being out there. And I enjoy doing hard things. I try to push myself all the time. That’s why I’m here at CST.”

CST events aim to prepare Cadets for service as military officers, ensuring they have the necessary skills to one day lead soldiers of their own.

“You have got to be at the top of your game,” Monacelli said. “If you’re going to be leading your soldiers, you can’t expect them to do better than you’re doing. So you have to be able to lead by example.”

An important leadership quality honed at ACFT is reaching your end, and then finding the strength to push through it. In order to succeed here, you have to dig deep.

“It’s all about the mindset and believing in yourself,” said Cadet Adriana Delgado, University of Texas at San Antonio. “You have to believe that you can do it. And you definitely can. You just have to switch from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.”

In order to achieve the mindset of a leader, Cadets not only work to better themselves, but learn to be there for their battle buddies to lean on. You may be weary with exhaustion and ready to collapse on your bunk in the barracks, but a true leader knows when their platoon needs them to hold it together and lift them up.

“I had a great group of people around me. They were all cheering me on the whole time,” Purchase said. “I would not have been able to get the scores I got if I didn’t have the people behind me helping me and encouraging me on literally every single event. So cheer on your battle buddies and try and get them to cheer you on because it makes a huge difference.”