FORT KNOX, KY. – Live fire erupts through the air, punching holes through the target, forcing their own unnatural rhythm as the cadets from 7^th Regiment, Advanced Camp, proceed with the M4 Qualification on Fort Knox, Ky., July 9, 2025. Just like the targets, our lives are infused with turning points. Some points are loud and forceful, like a bullet punching through a target, while others are found during times of reflection rather than in the moment.

For Cadet Savannah Walthers, Xavier University, her journey is dotted with small pivoting points throughout her past and future military career.

Prior to her joining ROTC, Walthers enlisted into the Ohio Army National Guard in 2021 and served for four years. During this time, she was deployed to the deserts of Jordan and Kuwait as a non-commissioned officer and worked as Human Resources. There, she was mentored by her supervisor, Lt. Col. Dancy, who prompted her to pursue higher education and further her military career as an officer.

“The officer that was above me that really mentored me and supported me, and he was like, you’re very smart, you’re very intelligent,” Walthers said. “You need to go back to school, finish your education, and you have care for Soldiers like you would make a great officer.”

Walthers did just that. She graduated last May from Xavier University with a degree in psychology and plans to commission into the Army in August. Personally, Walthers is motivated by her beliefs in what a leader should be, which is ensuring that all soldiers are treated correctly.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is keeping our Soldiers first, people first. Winning matters,” Walthers said.

Since her arrival at Cadet Summer Training, Walthers has proven to be the leader she aspires to become by leading with respect, strength, and responsibility. Her squad member and platoon member, Cadet Cainan Schmidt, McDaniel College, shares his thoughts about Walthers and how their platoon has benefitted from her experiences.

“Her prior service being an NCO, it’s extremely helpful, especially in squad things,” Schmidt said. Walthers is not afraid of being a leader. She keeps the team on track and leads by example putting her teammates and squad first.

Looking beyond CST, Walthers will attend the University of Kentucky and receive her master’s in social work and branch into Medical Services. From there, Walthers is aiming to open a private practice and become a behavioral health officer in the military.

“It’s really important to me because I’ve seen a lot of stuff and seen how my battle buddies have reacted,” Walthers said. “I know a lot of people have a lot of trauma and built-up stuff, and it’s kind of a taboo subject in the military. So being that person that’s able to help and understand that they have somebody to go to, and they do not need to keep it in, even if they think it might halt their duty.”

The people we meet, the things we see and have done can set us on a radically different course. Permanently altering our meticulously placed bullet holes and turning points, Cadet Walthers shows that human lives were never meant to be linear.