Fort Knox, Ky. – As the moon gleams overhead and cicadas roar, Cadets, assigned to 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, walk between the dense forests of Fort Knox, Ky., August 10, 2025. The 12-mile foot march is one of the final challenges of Cadet Summer Training, testing Cadets’ ability to push through hardship and endure discomfort.

During the march, Cadets often find themselves relying on their own mental fortitude to keep them going.

Cadet Dustin Nguyen, University of Kansas, assigned to 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, finds his strength through the people back at home.

“You want to be able to remember all the good things that you’re going to go back home to,” he said. “The things that you’re working towards.”

After moving to the United States several years ago, his mom started a business in a brand-new country, learning a new language, working past discomfort and prioritizing her family.

Nguyen describes his family as a good reminder of the person he wants to be.

“I just try to take care of myself and take care of my brothers so that she doesn’t have to worry a whole lot,” he said. “I help my brothers with homework, enrolling in classes and learning new skills.”

Nguyen looks up to his mom after the challenges she experienced, leading him to further strengthen his leadership characteristics.

“I believe my biggest strength is resilience,” he said. “Things will be hard, but I’ll never quit.”

Nguyen plans to take this mentality back to his biotechnology program back at college, choosing to further work on his resilience and self-independence.

“(Professors) are not going to give us a set procedure on how to do things,” he said. “You have to discover it yourself. In our degree, you have to put the hours into the lab to get your results and data collected.”

Nguyen speaks about further building resilience, putting in long hours with no guarantee for results. Those are the times he learns the most.

“You have a duty to accomplish, and you become independent while you’re there. You have to take care of yourself. Every time I do that, I change as a person.”

While amidst the discomfort the 12-mile march brings, a familiar quote from his uncle echoes through his head.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the ring, kneeling or fighting. What matters is the man who stays in the ring and continues to fight no matter what’s hit them.”