FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fulfillment is something that we spend most of our lives chasing, and is something that some of us never catch.

For Cadet Phoenix Moore, however, assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Regiment, Basic Camp, from the University of Kansas, he is one of the fortunate ones.

As a third-year business major in college who had no idea what he was going to do with his degree, despite having considered pursuing real estate after he graduated, Moore eventually came to one conclusion — that the life he had been contemplating after graduation did not seem fulfilling to him.

It was not long after coming to that conclusion that he began thinking about what other opportunities could be waiting for him.

“If I am a young, healthy guy who likes to work out and kind of loves discipline,” Moore said. “[I thought] ‘what else is out there for me?’”

Only then did he stumble across ROTC.

At first, Moore was under the impression that it was too late for him to join ROTC, especially since he had no prior experience. However, once he found out about the ROTC Lateral Entry Program, which allows for students who missed the first two years of ROTC to join the program as juniors, the possibility became more attainable.

After an hour and a half long conversation with a recruiter, Moore left that call knowing that he had found his calling.

“Right after, I knew I was going to do this and I have been dead set on it ever since,” Moore said.

But the fact that he had no prior experience has little to no negative impact on the experience he is currently gaining at CST.

Despite having to adapt to cadet lifestyle, Moore claims that the only thing he has really struggled with has been the values and traditions surrounding Army life. The exercises and activities, however, he has had no issues with.

At the end of the day, ever since arriving at CST, Moore has come to one conclusion — that everyone’s experience during training is different. Whereas some cadets love every second of their experience here, others feel differently.

Even then, he claims that he knows that the things he is doing here are not easy, and that even though everyone is going to be a little bit scared, it is what you do with that feeling that matters.

“If it was easy, everyone would do it, right?” he said.