Third platoon of Alpha Company stands at attention during Monday's graduation ceremony. Photo by Bobby Ellis/LTC PAO
By Thomas Gounley
Staff writer
As family and friends gathered Monday morning at Fort Knox’s Brooks Field, Brig. Gen. Barrye Price had a word of warning for them.
“You may have a hard time recognizing the people who arrived here 29 days ago,” said Price, deputy commanding officer of U.S. Army Cadet Command and the graduation’s guest speaker.
One-hundred ninety-five Alpha Company Cadets from schools across the country graduated from the Leader’s Training Course, formally ending the 29-day program that allows them to return to school as third-year ROTC students.
LTC Commander Col. Eric Winkie urged Cadets to remember their training, everything from navigating the high ropes course to putting their marksmanship skills to the test.
“You never quit, you never gave up,” he said. “You pulled each other through.”
After recognizing those among the audience who served, Winkie urged Cadets to follow suit.
“You are following in great footsteps … you are the reason they’ll be free tomorrow,” Winkie said.
Price, himself an LTC graduate, urged Cadets to commission upon returning to their home campuses.
“I pray that I’ll see you in these colors on the team in a couple years,” Price said, referring to their uniforms.
The reunions among family and Cadets after the ceremony were much as Price had predicted.
“He’s kind of changed from a boy to a little bit of a man here,” said Mark Connor of his son, Cadet Andrew Gillespie-Connor.
After nearly a month of minimal contact with his son, Connor and his family drove down from Peoria, Ill., to witness the graduation.
“We were pretty excited to get down here – all hyped up,” he said.
Many of family members discovered that, in their absence, Cadets had formed a family of their own.
“When I came here, I didn’t think I’d meet so many different people,” said Gillespie-Connor, of Western Illinois University.
After arriving and knowing no one, Cadets quickly bonded within their company, and particularly within their platoon.
“I’m going to miss the camaraderie – having that kind of support,” said Cadet Jacob Rafidi, of Kent State University.
“It’s amazing how quickly you can build a team,” said Cadet Lawrence Hsieh, of the University of Maryland.
In addition to learning teamwork, Cadets also spoke of learning the inner workings of the military, a world few get to see in-depth.
“I definitely learned a lot of discipline and a lot more respect for what everyone does in the Army,” Rafidi said. “It’s a different world.”
