FORT KNOX, Ky. – Working together in teams of two and three, Cadets from 1st Regiment, Basic Camp completed the Forest Hills Climbing Complex at Fort Knox, Ky., July 21, 2023. The FHCC is made up of three parts, the Rudder’s Rope Course, the Alpine Towers, and the rock wall. It challenges Cadets physically and mentally to overcome their fears and become confident in themselves, their peers, equipment and their Cadre. “You’re really learning to trust your equipment, being able to know it all works, and then trusting your peers because they’re the ones that are helping you get up and [...]

Cadets go through preliminary marksmanship instruction to gain a better understanding of how to operate an M4 rifle at Fort Knox, Ky., June 5, 2023. Cadets must qualify in marksmanship later this week to continue onto the next stage of Advanced Camp.

“Seeing her cheering me on was making me forget how high I was, and also her encouraging me to do it was like easing me off from being nervous, just making it fun for me,” Cadet Michelle Mercado said. From the University of Southern California, 1st Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets, Michelle Mercado and Chelsea Garcia, tackle the high ropes course at the Forest Hills Climbing Complex in Fort Knox, Ky. Although Mercado and Garcia have been going to the same school for the last two years, they did not meet until the beginning of Cadet Summer Training.  “She’s like a sister [...]