FORT KNOX, Ky. ─ As a voice boomed overhead, Cadets assigned to 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, adjusted their stances, their eyes locked on the targets during the M4 Qualification at Cadet Summer Training on Fort Knox, Ky., July 21, 2025.

During the M4 Qualification, Cadets are required to demonstrate proficient marksmanship with their M4 carbine rifles, a requirement to graduate Advanced Camp.

Some Cadets come to CST with little to no experience with weapons, but for Cadet Andrew Wells, Austin Peay State University, this is far from his first time operating a firearm.

Wells served active duty for five years, enlisting in 2019. He deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Niger, becoming an Aircraft Commander. It was during this period that he decided it was time for a change.

“I felt like I was getting a little bit complacent,” Wells said. “I could have become an instructor operator had I really wanted to, but I was just ready for something different.”

He found the change in the ROTC, where he plans to continue his love for flight by branching aviation, hoping to land in either the rotary or fixed wing specialized units.

“Manned aviation is just a little more challenging, a little more exciting,” he said. “I think its just the path that felt right for me and my family.”

Wells got married in 2018 before joining the Army. He had a son in 2020 and a daughter in 2022. They serve as his motivation to continue in the military.

“I would be nothing without them,” he said. “I’d just be sitting in the house rotting away. They get me going, they make me wake up every day.”

Wells is pursuing a master’s degree in leadership science as a part of the Green to Gold program. It was his first platoon Sgt. that encouraged him to join.

“He guided me through everything and now he’s a lieutenant,” Wells said. “I’m following in his footsteps. He’s just the type of person you want to be around all the time.”

It is that kind of person that Wells aspires to become.

“You need those types of people in these situations, you need someone who can be that rock,” he said. “Who you can always rely on to be the same, consistent. The type of person who can really hold the fort together.”

Being kind, humble and patient are tenets Wells lives by. He’s focused on spreading those ideas to those around him. His positivity is what opens him to a world of possibilities.

“You meet people from all over the world, and you make lifelong friends,” he said. “You get amazing experiences. I’m not looking forward to leaving the friends I’ve made here.”

Despite enjoying the friendships he’s made during his time at CST, Wells is excited to being reunited with his family.

“I have a little more experience with that (leaving),” he said. “They have kind of learned that I’ve been gone. They are so excited to see me, they get more excited as they get older.”

It is his enjoyment of the Army life and morale that has made the separation more bearable for Wells, finding passion in the training and events throughout Advanced Camp.

“I enjoy shooting,” Wells said. “It’s important to be able to shoot and operate it. These are just soldier skills that everybody has to do regardless of what branch we want, you have to be able to shoot. We’re soldiers, all of us.”

It may have been his experiences in active duty that led him to join the ROTC, but what’s kept him determined can be found in his young children and wife.