From fleet to field, Sergio Almeida, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, made the shift from enlisted Navy Sailor to Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Cadet.  “I chose to enlist the first time around for a sense of that typical, wanting to find yourself, wanting independence, wanting to be my own person,” said Almeida.  After being the first member of his family to join the military, Almeida trained for a year in San Diego before being stationed in Norfolk, Virginia on the USS Truxton in 2012.  “I got to really learn what the military was,” he said.  During his six years in […]

Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence Award This award is presented to the top Cadet in each Regiment, as determined by Regimental cadre board. Cadet Connor Hodes, Colorado State University First Command Financial Services Award This award is presented to the Cadet who best demonstrates the leadership traits necessary to encourage teamwork, improve unit cohesion, and reinforce mission accomplishment. Cadet Mariah Brelsford, University of Alaska Anchorage USAA Warrior Ethos Award This award is presented to the Cadet who best demonstrates the Army Profession, Ethics, and Officership while best exemplifying the warrior spirit. Cadet Jared Webb, Virginia Tech Armed Forces Bank Award […]

A telltale sign of the average Army ROTC Cadet participating in Cadet Summer Training is their youth and relative inexperience with the military; CST being their first major excursion into Army life. However, there are those among the ranks who have called the Army home for much longer. Among a sea of Cadets attending CST was one that had a history with the Army going back over a decade.  The man’s uniform was covered in patches denoting his past experience, which told stories of his time serving and deploying as an Army engineer. “Everyone refers to me as either grandpa, the […]

“Go…Go…Go…” was heard in the cold, quiet, hours before dawn, as Cadets from 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, stood lined up in front of the wooded trail that marked the beginning of their 12-mile foot-march route. Cadre member, 2nd Lt. Hailey Hutton stated that the 12-mile march serves to signify the Cadets’ last mission in the field, following their time at the Field Training Exercises (FTX). After 12 days in the field and waking up at 2 a.m. the Cadets were already tired, making morale important.  For Cadet Madison Nygren, from the University of Southern California, motivation came from thinking of her […]

From crawling, to walking, to running, 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed its Cadet led run through of missions during Field Training Exercise II in Fort Knox, Ky., on June 22, 2022.  According to Master Sgt. Alan Roche, a senior military instructor with U.S. Army Cadet Command, the exercise was last requirement Cadets fulfilled for their commission. He added it is more difficult than past training exercises because it’s meant to be a final test of whether a Cadet has what it takes to become an officer. “We’re gonna make them tired, we’re gonna make them hungry, and we’re gonna make them […]

Land navigation is one of the skills taught at Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, Ky., but DePaul University Army ROTC Green to Gold Cadet Ryan Russett, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, had prior experience that made this challenging event easier. “I applied my points really quickly” he said, and then, “I just picked the shortest path which was — to the south first.”  Russett is from Chicago, where his program honed his navigation skills further as a Green to Gold Cadet. To his advantage, the ROTC program at his university comes to Fort Knox to do their Field Training Exercises […]

“It seemed like every scary movie where someone’s about to fall off a cliff,” said Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Jasmine Valentine, from 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, when describing the feeling of being on the 64 ft. rappel tower at Fort Knox, Ky. Valentine is from the the University of North Georgia where she has done things similar to the rappel tower with its ROTC program, but those experiences did not take away the fear she had going into the rappel tower training event.  “I have a deathly fear of heights,” she said.  Valentine said encouraging words she received from […]

‘Slow is smooth and smooth is fast’, is the common mantra heard at the Field Leader Reaction Course (FLRC) during the first Cadet run-through of the summer. On June 3, 2022, 1st Regiment Cadets from the Charlie and Delta companies rotated by squad through 16 creative obstacles that challenge the Cadets’ problem solving and leadership skills. The courses require planning and a quick execution. They have five minutes to plan and 15 minutes to complete each one. Before they start, the cadre brief the Cadets by reading the mission details and limitations. Once time has run out they debrief to see […]

The ACFT (Army Combat Fitness Test) took place in the early hours of Memorial Day, with Cadets from 1st Regiment challenged to complete the six-event test. According to Capt. Rob Haight, a chaplain present for the test, this is the first time that many Cadets are facing the ACFT at Cadet Summer Training (CST).   The ACFT is a relatively new addition to the Army’s physical fitness program. “It’s been in the planning phases for about two or three years now. They just made the final changes to it and it’ll become [on October First] the standard record for physical fitness,” […]

As the summer begins, Soldiers from Fort Drum and Fort Polk assist Fort Knox Soldiers in a mass casualty training event prior to the arrival of the 2022 Cadet Summer Training (CST) Cadets. At ten o’clock a.m. the call came through telling the medical team that Soldiers with simulated burns and bus roll over injuries are in need of evacuation. A line of four medical trucks are equipped with; a map, a radio, a list of injuries and equipment needed for them roll out to triage and load up the victims. In charge of communicating this information is Sgt. Timothy Patterson, […]