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Charlie charges toward future, graduates LTC

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By Sara Nahrwold
Staff writer

After 29 days of forming close friendships, enduring tough training and the shouts of drill sergeants, Charlie Company Cadets said their goodbyes Saturday to friends and training officers and hello to their families at graduation.
The company graduated 190 Cadets, who now have earned the opportunity to work toward a commission in the United States Army.

“You hung together strong, supporting your newfound brothers and sisters as a family,” said Col. Eric Winkie, the Leader’s Training Course commander. “You never quit, and you never gave up. You pulled each other through.”

Charlie Company Cadets present the colors during their graduation ceremony Saturday. Photo by Heather Cortright/LTC PAO

With the four platoon flags blowing in the wind, the company marched across Brooks Field, coming to rest directly in front of the crowd of families gathered for the occasion.

Parents said they were impressed by the discipline shown after their month of training.

“Most of you stepped off the bus four weeks ago with little to no idea what Army life was like,” said Maj. Gen. Mark
McDonald, commanding general for U.S. Army Cadet Command and the graduation’s guest speaker. “You must learn to crawl before you can walk, and you have to walk well before you can start running. You need to learn how to follow before you can be a great leader.”

Cadets formed strong bonds with each other from being together throughout their training, helping new friends overcome their fears.

“I had a fear of heights, but I did the 50-foot rappel tower twice,” said Stephen Bradley, of Georgia Military College. “They pushed me to get down that tower.”

Away from their families, Cadets formed new ones.

“We really didn’t know each other when we came here, and now we are all close and like family,” said Silimusa Miscoi, of the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

After a long month of separation, Cadets and families were able to see each other on family day Friday, but the moment when they could take their son or daughter home finally arrived Saturday.

“The opportunity exceeds the distance,” said Ted Keith, father of Cadet Alan Keith. “It’s an opportunity he wouldn’t have gotten any other way except through this. I’m very proud of him.”

Cadets were changed by LTC in many ways, including being physically and mentally strengthened.

“He’s normally a person who is very quiet and keeps to himself,” said Johenie Bradley, mother of Cadet Stephen Bradley. “He’s getting more manly, more disciplined and more of a go-getter.”

McDonald encouraged Cadets to do some thinking in four areas before heading back to school in the fall: Cadets need to have what it takes to lead American Soldiers, continue to push themselves in body, mind and spirit, demonstrate the Warrior Ethos and live the Army Values.

He said if the answer is yes, they should contract with the Army.

The company, as well as McDonald, thanked the families for their never-ending support of their Cadets while at LTC.

“It takes somebody special to raise a Soldier, and it takes somebody special to support and love a Soldier,” he said.

While Cadets reunited with their loved ones, they recognized that their summer at LTC has changed them. Many of them look forward to completing college and commissioning as second lieutenants, a feat that was unrecognizable just a month ago.

“Each of you walks off this field today better than when you arrived,” McDonald said. “You’re prouder, you’re more confident and you’re stronger.”

Recovery poses challenges of a different kind

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By Alex Aspacher
Staff writer

When Cadets return from one of the most action-packed events at the Leader’s Training Course, they go through a period known as recovery that often ends up being anything but a relief.

During the situational training exercise, Cadets put to work many of the skills they’ve learned during the past several weeks. After three days in the field, they find themselves spending much of their remaining time at Fort Knox — in what is called LTC’s Future Leader phase — confined to the barracks, cleaning equipment such as rucksacks, canteens, uniforms and other items they were issued shortly after their arrival.

“It’s really boring,” Cadet Carlos Moreno, from the University of Puerto Rico, said with a smile. “Sincerely, we feel like we’re in a prison right now.”

Cadre members must stay on top of the Cadets because, although grueling, recovery is an essential part of completing the course.

Brent Paul, of the Georgia Military College, cleans the inside of his helmet during Charlie Company's recovery period. Charlie Cadets graduate Saturday. Photo by Bobby Ellis/LTC PAO

“(STX) and the road march are pretty much the most physically exhausting (activities) they go through, so it’s time for them to cool down and relax their bodies,” said Staff Sgt. Chad Shoenfelder, a drill sergeant for Charlie Company’s first platoon. “It’s also when they get the most use out of their equipment, and they need to get ready to turn it in. There are pretty high standards for (cleaning) that stuff. It has to be as close to brand-new as they can get it.”

Cadets start paperwork to fix damaged or defective equipment, as well as prepare for their departure and practice for an awards ceremony. Recovery also includes exit interviews with the LTC commander and sergeant major that involves “getting their feelings out,” Shoenfelder said.

“It lets them get any gripes out, anything that went wrong and anything that can be improved,” he said.

As family day and graduation approach, some Cadets need frequent reminders they are still living in a military training environment.

Recovery is “kind of a relief because they’re getting ready to go, but it kind of fluctuates their motivation level,” Shoenfeld said. “It’s kind of tough to deal with them at this point because their mentality shifts toward going home as opposed to being here, so they kind of lose their discipline. It’s kind of a back-off period for (drill sergeants), but we have to remind them a lot that they’re still here.”

In addition to cleaning their equipment and barracks, Charlie Company has been working this week on “just staying awake,” Moreno said.

Many Cadets would much rather be out training. So when they’re not cleaning, they do unscheduled physical training on their own, as well as play pranks on each other and practice imitations of some of their drill sergeants.

“Anything to keep busy,” said Cadet Sean Armstrong of Central Michigan University. “Whoever falls asleep, they get woken-up in some way.”

Armstrong and Moreno said they have both impersonated drill sergeants and kicked the bay doors open “just to mess with” sleeping Cadets.

“I kick the door open, and (another Cadet) springs out of bed and everyone starts laughing,” Armstrong said. “We have it on camera; his reaction was pretty funny.”

As they complete tedious tasks while remaining lighthearted, Cadets can look forward to a change of pace the closer they get to family day, graduation and departure later today.

“For the first few days, it was nice,” he said. “Now it’s just getting old. We’re just sitting up here stir-crazy.”

Communication with family in Germany difficult

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By Sara Nahrwold
Staff writer 

By the light of his red flashlight, Charlie Company Cadet Trenton Floyd uses the hour he has in the evening at the Leader’s Training Course to write a letter to his parents.

“I haven’t gotten to talk to them on the phone since I’ve been here,” the Georgia Military College student said. “I’ve written two letters and gotten one letter back. That’s been my communication.”

Floyd’s parents live in Germany, which is six hours ahead of Fort Knox, making communication difficult for the LTC Cadet. His father recently retired from the Army and is there as a contractor. Floyd was born in Virginia, moved to Germany for three years, moved back to the United States for about six years and then moved back to Germany for the last nine years.

As he nears the end of LTC, he looks forward to reuniting with his family.

Charlie Company Cadet Trenton Floyd maneuvers the over-under objective on the obstacle course with last week. Photo by Heather Cortright/LTC PAO

“I just think about going back to see them again, and I just know there’s an end point to this,” said Floyd, whose company graduates Saturday. “It sort of feels like I’m distant because I don’t really know that many people, except for the people I met here.”

During in-processing, Floyd tried to set up a phone number and a phone but was not successful.

When mail is passed out, Floyd watches as his fellow Cadets receive mail, but not him. The last letter he sent was July 4, and he still hasn’t gotten one back.

“It makes me a little sad and that’s usually the time I take to think about what I’m going to write, asking people for stamps so I can send more letters out,” he said.

Another Cadet in his platoon is quite the opposite when it comes to communication.

“I get a lot of letters because my mom sends letters all the time,” said Charlie Company Cadet Aaron Gunn, of Wentworth Military College. “My girlfriend and her family, we are very close so they send letters. It’s the type of situation that even if I don’t write because I’m busy around here, I still get letters from them. They just want to make sure I’m still doing well and that I have something to look forward to.”

Gunn, who has gotten more than 20 letters, said that when the Cadets get mail, it’s a big deal to them, especially because they didn’t have access to phones for a portion of LTC.

“We all look forward to that time when we can call whoever we want, or just send a text,” he said. “For me, it is very helpful to communicate like that.”

Any communication at all is key for these Cadets to stay motivated throughout their time at LTC.

“You don’t have a lot of time here, but when you get the chance write a letter,” Gunn said. “Even if you don’t get one back, it’ll help you think that one of these days you’re going to get a letter back. You’re going to get that reply.”

Although his communication isn’t as much as he would like, Floyd said his family motivates him to finish LTC strong.
At the end of the summer, he will be going back to Germany for about a month before attending college — Georgia Military is a military junior college.

Not being able to call his family has been more difficult than Floyd expected.

“I thought I’d be able to contact my parents maybe once a week and get caught up on things, but it didn’t work out that way,” he said. “As long as I stay motivated and keep a good spirit about everything, I think that I can get through it.”

Floyd said being away from his family will help prepare him for a military career.

“I miss them, but I’m pushing through and I’m going to get some good training out of this,” he said. “I need to get ready for my life for when I am away from my family so it’s good practice.”

Panels offer advice, lessons learned from veteran Soldiers

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Cadets of Charlie Company take notes during the leadership panel. Photo by Sammy Jo Hester/LTC PAO

By Noelle Wiehe
Staff writer

Cadets are always encouraged to learn from their mistakes. But having only limited exposure to the Army, there has not been a lot militarily for them to to learn from yet.

To aid in their development, each company at the Leader’s Training Course takes part in a leadership panel where they hear from five veteran Soldiers who share their experiences and advice and field questions from Cadets.

The latest took place Friday for Charlie Company.

The panel consisted of four men and one woman officer, all with varying backgrounds and viewpoints. A Charlie Co. Cadet introduced them: an infantry officer, a Reserve training engineer officer, an aviation officer, a field artillery office and an air defense artillery officer.

“Someone or something influenced you to come here to the Army,” said Maj. Patrick Colloton, the infantry officer. “Open yourself up to those folks and draw on their experiences.”

Cadets’ questions ranged from what to look forward to as a commissioned leader to the difficulty of being the lone female in an all-male battalion.

“Don’t fall out of the runs, and always be professional,” Ro Clemente, the air defense artillery officer said. “Physical fitness is the first thing Soldiers will see and notice about you, whether you are male or female. It really shows how dedicated you are.”

Many Cadets’ attention was caught by the Reserve training engineer officer, Maj. Danny Jennejohn.

Cadet Paul Gregory of the University at Buffalo is majoring in civil engineering, and Jennejohn may have sparked his interest in going into the Reserves.

“I want to serve my country in some way,” Gregory said, “but I’m not so sure about moving. It seems like a good possibility.”

Another Cadet had interest in past regrets of the officers. Cadet Kyle Padilla of Georgia Military College asked if there was anything they wished they had done in their past.
Jennejohn urged them to “get as much education as you can, while you are still young.”

Oklahoma State University Cadet Nicholas Johnson has already finished his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is working for his master’s. He was inspired by Jennejohn’s advice, and decided he should do some research to figure out what he wants to branch.

“This definitely helped,” Johnson said.

A theme of the panel members was their love of the military.

When a Cadet asked how the officers chose their branches, none hesitated to answer — they all knew why they chose what they did.

“I picked a branch which was in line with my college major,” Jennejohn said. “Now I’m doing two things I wanted to do in my life – I’m in the Army, and I’m an engineer.”

Gross said he happened upon his branch of aviation.

“I rode in a helicopter at advance camp, and after that I didn’t give it a second thought,” he said.

Colloton emphasized an important aspect Cadets will gain in the Army.

“Being an officer in the Army is the single most respected position, bar none,” he said. “What makes you a valuable commodity coming out of the Army is your leadership.”

Volunteering for rescue missions part of Cadet’s life

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Charlie Co. Cadet Kolby Jarquin balances on a log beam after swinging to his landing on a rope at the Air Assault obstacle course. Jarquin's experience with the air patrol makes heights an easy feat. Photo by Heather Cortright/LTC PAO

 

By Sara Nahrwold
Staff writer

While his fellow high school students played sports and thought about senior prom, Charlie Company Cadet Kolby Jarquin was volunteering for the Missouri Wing Civil Air Patrol.

“I love doing search and rescue and looking for people and helping my community in times of disaster and emergency,” he said.

The Marion Military Institute student flew a plane before he drove a car. He was in the Civil Air Patrol all four years of high school, the first three as a Cadet and his final year as the emergency services officer.

The transition from Cadet to officer was a challenge for him.

“You get more responsibility, and people’s lives are actually in your hands,” Jarquin said. “It’s a lot to take on your shoulders.”

The Civil Air Patrol was started by American volunteers who wanted to help defend the country. This surge in interest occurred one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed into law the Civil Air Patrol as a non-profit organization. On May 26, 1948, the organization was permanently established as the auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force.

The Civil Air Patrol is based on aerospace education, Cadet programs and emergency services such as search and rescue, disaster relief and humanitarian services.

Jarquin focuses on search and rescue. He typically volunteers during tornadoes and floods.

“We help the community in any kind of disaster,” he said.

John O’Neill, Jarquin’s squadron commander, has known him for four years and said he is a helpful volunteer at all times.

“Anytime there was something that we needed, he was there to help,” O’Neill said. “He’s definitely someone we could count on.”

Jarquin hopes his background in the Civil Air Patrol will help him while at the Leader’s Training Course.

“I hope to learn good military bearing, land navigation because that takes a lot of practice and being a good leader,” he said.

Being in the Civil Air Patrol gave him the chance to do things that his fellow high school students could only dream of.

“I actually took part in the search and rescue of Steve Fossett, the guy who flew around the world” in a hot air balloon, he said.

He was also the first person in his squadron to get a find ribbon, which is given for finding a downed airplane.

“I know he will do really well as an Army officer,” O’Neill said. “He’s definitely going to succeed in whatever he does.”

One of the biggest areas the Civil Air Patrol can help Jarquin with while at LTC, and in his future, will be leadership skills.

“You’re always going to lead someone, no matter what rank you are,” Jarquin said. “Whether you lead a search and rescue team to go find someone, you’re always in that leadership position.”

O’Neill hopes the Cadet takes his learning experiences from the Civil Air Patrol and applies them to his Army life.

“I hope he learns a sense of community, being a part of a bigger society and helping out where he can instead of just being all about him,” O’Neill said. “He learned some pretty good lessons on leadership and learned some pretty good small unit leadership when he was with us. I think that will help him a lot.”

Jarquin wants to use his volunteer background in his future as a military officer.

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done through high school,” he said.

 

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