Fort Knox, Ky. – As Cadets secure the mannequin to the stretcher and drag it to the end of the course, they understand that every second counts during medical evacuation training at Cadet Summer Training, July 26, 2025.

Cadets are tasked with learning how to use a tourniquet, call for support over the radio, perform CPR and secure an injured Soldier to a stretcher.

Cadet Nathan Smogur, Indiana University, Bloomington, 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, finds that when dealing with life-or-death situations, sometimes the key is having clear priorities.

“I try to just focus on one thing at a time,” he said. “I think a lot of people get too mixed up in their head when they’re trying to do multiple things at once.”

While treating the injured, Smogur feels that getting your reps is essential when working in a high stress environment.

“(With) Anything in the Army, to get better at it, you need to practice at it,” he said.

While learning more about medical evacuation during his training, Smogur was reminded of family back at home.

He has a deep family history, his mother, a nurse, and his father, a paramedic firefighter, taught him to give back to his community.

“My parents definitely inspired me to do something that was greater than myself,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily have to be doing a job like this but being involved in your community.”

These ambitions didn’t start at Cadet Summer Training. Smogur’s parents taught him at a young age the importance of helping others.

During a flood back in his hometown several years ago, he remembers going around the neighborhood with his dad, helping his surrounding neighbors brace for the storms.

“Ever since that day, I knew that I would have to do something like that,” he said. “That sense of getting out there, doing the work and try just trying to help.”

Understanding his purpose in such an early time in his life has allowed him to be intentional every step of the way, leading him straight to CST.

While out training, Smogur feels that this is where he’s meant to be.

“I’m glad to be out here,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard, but the hard stuff is what makes it fulfilling.”