FORT KNOX, KY. – Leadership skills are developed, honed, and pushed to the limit as cadets assigned to 6^th Regiment, Advanced Camp work to successfully overcome ten obstacles at the Field Leader Reaction Course on Fort Knox, Ky., July 10, 2025.

Finding these skills to be applicable every day, Cadet Ethan Iozzia, who participates in the ROTC program at Gannon University, attends Mercyhurst University, is currently majoring in intelligence studies and hopes to branch infantry. After serving for four years, he also wants to detail military intelligence for the next four years.

“I think it’s (CST) given me a lot of like personal confidence in my own abilities,” Iozzia said. Like I just had a lot of uncertainties, like coming here, but I feel like I’ve proven to myself that I am a capable leader, which I wouldn’t have got, besides coming out here and actually just executing. So, I think that that’s something that I’ll take for not my military career, but for the rest of my life. So I think it’s (CST) very valuable.”

A good leader is tried, tested, and hammered by determination and the respect of your peers. Cadet Christian Brun, Xavier University, shares the most important aspect he has learned while at Advanced Camp.

“Most important thing I learned is how to be a good leader among our own peers, because like we’re all on the same level, so it’s kind of hard to like be in a position of leadership with people who are in the same boat as you and like, kind of have to gain their respect and their trust,” Brun said.

However, with respect, there must be a relationship, open communication and most of all, empathy. Brun explains the complexities between pushing the squad to be the best they can be and being sympathetic to the grueling environment of CST.

“So, it’s just kind of like tiptoeing that line of being a good leader and understanding that at most the time, they’re always going to be tired, or always like, going to not want to do it, but we’re here for a reason, to get our commission,” Brun said.

Coming from the unique perspective studying elementary education and wanting to branch military intelligence, Cadet Emma Clark, University of Tennessee at Martin, explains how truly knowing your team is another important aspect of leadership.

“I would just say the little details like teaching is all about knowing each individual student,” Clark said.

She exemplified this aspect while acting as squad leader during a simulated MEDEVAC obstacle at the FLRC. Clark chose two squad members to act as team leads weighing each members’ strengths and weaknesses and how to best position them during the obstacle.

These are just three out of thousands of cadets who are actively developing and refining their skills in becoming effective leaders and future officers in the Army here at Cadet Summer Training.