FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets with 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, conquered rappel training, June 6, 2025. The daunting 64-foot tower helps Cadets build confidence in themselves, their equipment and their company. For many, the rappel tower is an obstacle that not only challenges their trust but also an exercise in overcoming their fears.

For Cadets, there is only one way down the tower, over the side using nothing but a rope. Facing the fear of heights and going over the ledge can be quite a challenge for many.

Cadet Adam Shinberg, George Mason University, Charlie Company, 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, began to question his career choices as he made it to the ledge and assumed the L-position.

“(I thought), why am I here,” said Shinberg. “Why did I choose the Army?”

But after overcoming his fear of heights and finishing his descent, Shinberg gained newfound confidence in both himself and his equipment.

“I knew the equipment was good, the instructors were helpful,” he said. “It was just the height that was killing me.”

Similar to Shinburg, Cadet Jesus Pascual, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Charlie Company, 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, felt the pressure of having to complete the rappel. When Pascual made it to the ledge, his mind began to race.

“Standing on the edge, getting ready to go (over) it, you have 1,000 thoughts per second,” said Pascual. “You’re thinking of safety, you’re thinking of your muscles shaking and everything.”

With encouragement from his instructors and peers, Pascual was able to calm his mind and bound down the tower.

“After you take that first jump, you see how the instructions given by Cadre kick in,” said Pascual. “You just do what you were trained to do.”

For other Cadets that have completed this training in the past, already having overcome the fears many Cadets were facing, they were excited and ready to take the leap of faith again.

“Ready to go for (round) two and three,” said Cadet Brittany Dunn from Texas A&M Central Texas.

Despite questioning the choices that led him to the top of the tall tower, Shinberg and his fellow Cadets are 64-feet closer to graduating Advanced Camp in hopes of possibly commissioning into the U.S. Army.