Fort Knox, KY. – Facing obstacles like the weaver, tough one, and low crawl, Cadets, assigned to 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, took on the confidence course in the early morning serenity.

The confidence course presents a variety of challenges for Cadets, building up multiple skills that are necessary to build up control and composure.

Cadet Zachary Ramos, Hardin University, tackled the course today, facing the hardship with wise words echoing in his mind.

“1st Peter 5:7, Cast your anxieties on the Lord for he cares for you” Ramos said.

Throughout Cadet Summer Training (CST), Ramos holds his faith close, relying on the strength it provides and the security it brings.

Ramos grew up in the church, but it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he started to realize the full scale of his faith.

He felt led to be involved in a leadership position in some of his school’s clubs. It was here where he acted as a mentor to his peers around him. He ended up at Harding University because of those experiences, and his time at Harding showed him his potential as a Cadet.

“Harding University, which is a Christian school, where faith is super important, even in the ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] program. And that really aligns with the United States Army. We’re talking about empathy and servant leadership, exactly what Christ calls us to do,” Ramos explained.

During his time at CST, Ramos has seen these values instilled through the people he interacts with, the challenges he faces, and way he composes himself.

After he completes Advanced Camp, Ramos hopes to branch nursing core because of the home environment he grew up around.

Ramos said, “Both my parents were occupational therapists. So, I grew up medical and I knew I wanted to help people in that way.”

For Ramos, his parents taught him to put people at the center, because of this, he finds joy and purpose in serving others. Recently, he got some practical experience doing what he loves through his college program.

Ramos got to serve on a Labor and Delivery Unit through college, working in hospitals and serving mothers in labor. He loved seeing the amount of care and effort it takes to bring life into the world.

His parents instilled in him the importance of servanthood and his time in CST enabled him to continue to support his platoon using the faith and skills he gained.

“When we ‘fall in’ and we say, ‘can you get two claps in a red flare?’ I just love that. That gets me excited and smiling. I just love this platoon over there.”