FORT KNOX, Ky. — The confidence course was witness to inspiring leadership from the Cadets of Charlie Company, 1^st Regiment, Advanced Camp, June 6, 2025. Throughout the course, the Cadets displayed not just acts of courage and athleticism, but great encouragement.

The challenging course on Fort Knox, Ky. is a series of physical and mental challenges. They are referred to as tasks, and force Cadets to develop camaraderie and teamwork. In turn, the course creates trust within the Army’s latest cadets, while turning them into the Nation’s next finest officers.

Prior to the course beginning, Maj. Derrick Rondeau, a course instructor, assigned to University of Colorado, Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, told Charlie Company, 1^st Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets that “courage is not the absence of fear, it’s your ability to overcome it.” A quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The major’s words did not fall on deaf ears, in fact, the Cadets took them to heart.

Cadet Odessa Baker, Duquesne University, was at the weaver task. The weaver is a section of the confidence course that instructor Sgt. 1^st Class Joshua Seger said is one of the most failed tasks of the course. This is the case because it requires full body strength to accomplish.

Baker said, after completing the task, it was tough but great, and where she experienced the example of courage and the camaraderie of her fellow Cadets.

“I hadn’t pushed myself that far yet since being here, so it was good, and I saw what I’m dealing with,” Baker said.

While only being in Charlie Company for one day, Baker barely knew any of her fellow Cadets. Yet, Baker felt a bond after going through the weaver, especially as her teammates guided and encouraged her through it.

“It made me feel a lot more welcome, especially in the squad. That’s kind of what (Cadet Summer Training) is about. It was really good to see that in action when it really mattered, because they could have just stood off to the side and watched me—but they didn’t,” Baker said. “They hopped in and they helped me, pushed me through it even when I wanted to let go, but I thought ‘I can’t let them down.’”

This was not a rare story among these cadets.

During the course, a Cadet struggled doing the ladder task. Cadet Claudia Colston, University of Tennessee at Martin, stepped out to the side and cheered on her teammate as she completed the obstacle.

Colston is no stranger to supporting others as she’s been a cheerleader for 18 years. She loves encouraging people and considers it her passion. As she’s participated in cheer, track, soccer and gymnastics, Colston says she’s a team player.

“I mean I’m not going to succeed if they don’t succeed,” Colston said. “This is my squad. We all have to do well.”

She joined Army ROTC because of other Cadets she knew, saying she loved their outlook on life. She believed that ROTC would bring her out of her shell.

Similarly, Cadet Mahliya Curry, University of Louisville, found herself doing the same thing for another Cadet during the weaver task of the confidence course.

Curry wasted no time talking fellow Cadets through every step. No matter the difficulty, the pain, or the fear, Curry wouldn’t let them back down from the obstacle.

While Curry is studying occupational therapy at the University of Louisville, she says she thrives off of this type of environment.

Teamwork is made the same way diamonds are—under pressure. The Charlie Company, 1^st Regiment, Advance Camp, Cadets know this all too well, yet they refused to crack under the pressure and became stronger together on the confidence course.