FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from the 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, practice their shooting accuracy gushing an engagement skills trainer at Fort Knox, Ky., June 16, 2023. Here, they get the opportunity to learn about their weapons. Similarly, Cadet Landon Dugas, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is in the same regiment as Smith. Dugas comes from a military family, and he has decided to follow in the footsteps of his father. During training, they learn different skills such as shooting positions, changing magazines, and practicing using their sights. The sight produces a red dot on the targeted area, ideally providing for [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – During field leaders reaction course training at Fort Knox, Ky., June 17, 2023, small squads from the 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets learned how to come together as they rotate from one station to the next. Capt. Eric Engel from the University of Cincinnati explained that FLRC is designed in a way that forces Advanced Camp Cadets to work together as a unit. “We have 16 lanes of squad obstacles here, and they approach each one from their own squad’s perspective, and one squad leader receives a mission brief,” said Engel. “They make decisions and communicate, and [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The field leadership reaction course, known as FLRC, puts Cadet’s strength, quick thinking and teamwork to the test. Cadet Lauren Alexander, Indiana University, is doing her best to move as a member of a team during FLRC, June 15, 2023. “I think we are working extremely well, especially given that this is our first tactical event where people are switching leadership,” said Alexander.   Cadets must complete as many obstacle courses as possible within the four-hour time limit. A team leader receives a briefing from Cadre about the obstacle, then they inform their teammates about the rules [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., – 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets spent the day participating in the warrior skills training, in Fort Knox, Ky., June 15, 2023. Cadets went through eight stations, including learning how to use claymore mines, employ hand grenades, and complete special team tasks. The special teams tasks teach Cadets how to move as a squad, move through dangerous areas, react to contact, check enemy prisoners of war, and prepare injured friendlies for evacuation. Cadet Jonathan Michael, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, reflects on the importance of the warrior skills training event during Cadet Summer Training. “It is important [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., – U.S. Army 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, Cadets participated in the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear chamber at Fort Knox, Ky., June 14, 2023. The Cadets go through gas chamber training to learn how to properly put on their gas masks and to do so in the correct timeframe. The training helps to prepare them for a possible enemy attack in combat. Cadet Serena Williams, Minnesota State University, Mankato, has been through a CBRN chamber before. Williams went through basic training in 2021 and is a part of the Minnesota State National Guard. “I was excited. I’ve done [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., – U.S. Army Cadets from 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, tackle group and zero at Fort Knox, Ky., June 12, 2023. Group and zero is the third, and final, training exercise that Cadets must go through before they can complete their weapons qualification. When his fellow Cadets had questions about where to aim on the targets for each distance, Cadet Noah Bufalini, Rochester Institute of Technology, approached a nearby Cadre member to ask if a whiteboard was available. Once he was given the materials, Bufalini drew diagrams and reviewed with his fellow Cadets. “I had some knowledge in that, [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Armed with a compass, protractor, pencil, map, and a list of coordinates, pairs of Cadets in the 1stRegiment, Advanced Camp, set off on their last day of land navigation practice to find at least two pinpoints in under 90minutes, Fort Knox, Ky., June 10, 2023. One pair that completed the event under the allotted time are Cadet Rebecca Galan, from the University of the Incarnate Word, and Cadet Akilah Austin, from the University of Idaho.  “Land nav [navigation] is basically an adult scavenger hunt,” Austin said. “I’ve never thought of Land nav as ‘hard’, instead it’s [your] judgment [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., – Cadets from the 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, spent the day completing the engagement skills trainer exercise in Fort Knox, Ky., June 11, 2023. The EST is a simulated rifle qualification table. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Robert Points, senior military science instructor at Truman State University, explains the importance of EST training. “Some of these Cadets don’t have the opportunity to handle weapons as much,” Points said. “The engagement skills trainer is a cheap and easy way that they can learn to handle those weapons systems and practice fundamentals without having to spend ammunition and time on getting [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The 2nd Regiment Cadets at Advanced Camp arrived to the preliminary marksmanship instruction range in Fort Knox, Ky., early June 10, 2023 for a refresher course in marksmanship. During PMI, nobody is above the basics of marksmanship. Even the most experienced Cadets must go back to basics and work on their technique. Before the 2nd Regiment Cadets get released to their stations, the Cadre give a briefing over the four pillars of weapon safety. The instructor explained to the Cadets that the key to a smooth shot is keeping a position that is stable. The instructor also [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – U.S. Army Cadets conduct training for Group and Zero, shooting five rounds at a 25-meter target with their M4 rifles at Canby Hill Range in Fort Knox, Ky., June 7, 2023. The goal is to get a tight shot group in the center mass of the targets.  Staff Sgt. Cody Grunwald, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment explains the importance of the group and zero training. “We need to get them grouped and zero here so when they go to the range they can actually get targets that they shoot at,” Grunwald said. U.S. Army Cadets Nayla Borrego [...]