Omar Ocasio, an Alpha Company Cadet from the University of Puerto Rico, looks for a point on his map during the daytime land navigation test. Cadets must first learn to properly read a map before heading to the field. Photo by Bobby Ellis/LTC PAO

By Rebecca Grapsy
Staff writer

The Navy polices the sea, the Air Force controls the sky and the Army masters navigating the terrain.

Before a Cadet can learn how to do land navigation, however, they must learn how to read and navigate their way around a map.

Given the standard tools of a compass, protractor, straight edge and a 1:50,000 scale map, Soldiers are expected to be able to find a given point. It’s one of the critical skills Cadets at LTC quickly have to learn.

“It’s kind of a measure, for cadre to measure how competent they are as leaders, how they can organize,” said Lt. Col. Michael Wise, head of the LTC land navigation committee.

Cadets at LTC have a five-hour map reading class, followed by a written test. From different colors and symbols to learning the three types of north, there’s a lot to learn.

“This is the first time I ever looked at a map,” said Erik Honig, an Alpha Comapny Cadet from Florida International University in Miami. Honig added that while the drill sergeants were good instructors, he “learned more from his buddies” because he was more comfortable talking to them.

“I’m excited now, to see if what I learned, if it works,” Honig said before setting off on a site walk of the land navigation site with his company.

Once Cadets are familiar with the features of a map, they learn how to locate points using a grid coordinate of either six or eight digits. A six-digit coordinate is within 100 meters of the target point, an eight-digit coordinate lands within 10 meters.

Alpha Company Cadet Amanda Smith from Kansas State University came to LTC with some experience in map reading. Smith took a class at Kansas State that prepared her for this particular challenge.

“I’m confident that I can find my points and come back successful,” Smith said.

Passing the written map reading test is a requirement for graduating from LTC. Lt. Col. John Abroscato, the company tactical officer for Alpha, said initial results showed many Cadets had perfect scores, and only four Alpha Cadets had to retest.

“(When they) get out in to the woods, plot points – that’s the real test,” Wise said.

Land navigation training, where Cadets apply their map reading skills, spans two days: a day of practice, and a day of testing. Cadets have to find three out of four points in a densely-wooded area during the day, and two out of three points at night to pass their land navigation test.