FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 9^th Regiment, Advanced Camp, traversed the daytime Land Navigation course, July 19, 2024, on Fort Knox, Ky. Land navigation allows Cadets to practice locating checkpoints while maneuvering through different terrains during a 4-hour time limit. The provided equipment includes a compass, protractor, pencil, map, and a list of coordinates.

Cadet Wade McClune, University of Montana, described his thought process as he ventured out to the field to find his coordinates.

“We all start at the same spot. From there, we get points that we have to plot on the map,” McClune said. “I like to go on the road, find a corner to hit closest to the point, and then I’ll shoot an azimuth from that corner to the point.”

Ever since he was a kid, McClune had a desire to pursue work with the military. When college approached, he decided to do the best of both worlds and opened the door to ROTC. That decision led him to Cadet Summer Training to become a future leader.

“After we plot the coordinates on our map, we each go our separate ways,” McClune said. “Everybody has a different way of doing their land navigation. That’s why everybody went a different way.”

Similarly to McClune’s adoration of the military as a kid, Cadet Matthew Cain, Indiana University – Indianapolis, had an interest that ultimately led him to ROTC.

“I always knew I wanted to go to college. My dad was an army engineer in Vietnam,” Cain said. “I was a bit overweight as a kid. I went to college, lost 70 pounds, and then joined my junior year. It has been great ever since and I’ve learned a lot.”

Going into land navigation, Cain felt nervous. Though his university’s ROTC program gave him an insight into land navigation, he explained that he didn’t perform as well as he hoped. This time, he went into the daytime land navigation training by plotting his points more carefully, double-checked his pace count, and monitored the terrain as best as he could.

“My thought process going into this was hoping that I don’t get lost,” said Cain. “After that, it was terrain association. I had to readjust and reevaluate my plan a couple times. I found all my points, thankfully.”

As 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, progresses through their Cadet Summer Training journey, Cain wanted to offer a piece of advice to those currently in training.
“Stay motivated. There will be days when you get rained on, you get muddy, you feel dirty, and you feel like you just don’t want to do it anymore,” Cain said. “But just remember everything will pass. But the next day it’ll be dry, and everything will be right.”