Army Cadets Training Hard in Kentucky - Several CAP Cadets in Our Ranks

[COL Land]

The U.S. Army Cadet Corps has commenced Annual Training 2012, with nearly 200 recruits and Cadets on the National Cadet Training Center in Millersburg, Kentucky for between two and seven weeks of training.   Recruits from as far as California, China, Alaska, Jordan, Maine and France and all points in between reported for training last Sunday.   Many are part of the "Military Adventure Camp," which allows young people who are not associated with a USAC unit to attend our various summer training programs. 


U.S. Army Cadet Corps recruits in formation on the football field, known as "Death Valley," in Millersbury, Kentucky.   The football field was used repeatedly by Coach "Bear" Bryant for his football camps when Millersburg Military Institute was operational.   The field is very, very hot in the heat of the summer, acting as a large "bowl" where the ballplayers would practice.   Coach Bryant's long-standing policy was if you washed out of football camp, you had to walk the 29 miles back to Lexington!.  (We're not quite that "hardcore!")




U.S. Army Cadet NCOs who have been selected as "Troop Handers" receive the coveted "Pith Helmet" indicating their status as the leaders of recruits.   The Cadets are placed in a Cadet Drill Sergeant role (however that term is never used), under the close observation of an adult SSG. 

We are only in our second week of training.  Nearly 500 young men and women will undergo USAC training this summer.  Our 2012 summer training programs include:

     **  Basic Cadet Training (two weeks) (2 sessions)
     **  Cadet Basic Leader Course (three weeks)
     **  Cadet Ranger Challenge (three weeks)
     **  Cadet Ranger School (three weeks)
     **  Cadet Advanced Leader Course (three weeks)
     **  Cadet Military Police Academy (two weeks)
     **  The Army Cadets Martial Arts Program (TACMAP) (one week)
     **  Troop Handler Academy (9 days) 
     **  Officer Candidate School / Direct Commission Course (adult officers) (9 days)
     **  Basic Leader Course (adult NCOs) (9 days)
     **  On-the-job training (food service, admin, public affairs, etc.) (two to seven weeks)


Recruits undergoing Pugil Stick training during day three of their two-week Basic Cadet Training program.

We have several CAP Cadets in attendance, as well as a number of USAC officers/NCOs who are also members of CAP.   Further, we include an orientation to CAP and NSCC in our leadership training programs, emphasizing that it is USAC policy that our members will extend traditional customs and courtesies to CAP and NSCC officers.

For details and photos, go to our blog.   Our first of five graduations this summer is on 7 Jul at 1000.  The public is invited to attend. 

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Colonel, I had no idea pith helmets were still in any sort of use.

Looks like a motivated bunch.

[SARDOC]

Colonel, I had no idea pith helmets were still in any sort of use.

Looks like a motivated bunch.

The United States Marine Corps still uses them.  Range Instructors specifically.

http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/superphoto/editorial/images/savannah/mdControlled/cms/2010/04/27/626240739.jpg

[Eclipse]

I would love to see CAP move to a model like this, and not just for cadets, necessarily.

[ColonelJack]

Colonel, I had no idea pith helmets were still in any sort of use.

Looks like a motivated bunch.

I was given two pith helmets once.  One for use in the jungle ... and one to pith in.

Jack

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

I was given two pith helmets once.  One for use in the jungle ... and one to pith in.

Jack

That must be why my dad called his steel helmet in the Army (long before Kevlar!) a pith pot.

[bosshawk]

In my day, you could pith in them, wash out of them, shave from them, sleep with your head in it: all sorts of good uses besides deflecting incoming.

[GroundHawg]

There was an article in Kentucky Living Magazine about the Army Cadets assistance with local disaster relief efforts. Nice to see good deeds being done! :clap:

[COL Land]

I haven't seen that article yet.   Did you read it online or in a paper pub? 

[RADIOMAN015]

I would love to see CAP move to a model like this, and not just for cadets, necessarily.

I don't think there's anything stopping a CAP member (cadet or senior) from joining and participating in this program.  To me it looks like the entire organization is focused primarily on an extensive summer camp program, that may substantially fill its' cadet ranks with one time attendees ("Military Adventure Camp" ) intermixed with the smaller staffing of regular cadets.   HOWEVER, many working adults don't have that amount of time to spend at this type of activity; travelling/expense, and staying at a central location far from home, so the CAP model of primarily community training/activity or at least within a wing may be a better fit. 

The CAP program must be doing something right because our cadet & senior membership numbers far exceed what is in this organization.   BTW our programs are suppose to centered around what the Air Force typically does.   Their's center around with the Army does.  There is a difference :angel:

Personally, I have no interest in being associated with the Army, that's why I joined the AF Auxiliary --  Civil Air Patrol :angel:
RM 


     

[Eclipse]

This has nothing to do with the curriculum being trained, and everything to do with the high standards of excellence that the Army Cadets and their instructors exhibit in everything they do.

The point was that we would be better served as an organization, for our members and our customers, if we required consistent initial and recurrent training for all members.  There would be no need to have the constant "expectation & understanding" conversations with people since those would be set at the national level from day 1.

[fyrfitrmedic]

The point was that we would be better served as an organization, for our members and our customers, if we required consistent initial and recurrent training for all members.  There would be no need to have the constant "expectation & understanding" conversations with people since those would be set at the national level from day 1.

+1

The key word there is "consistent."

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

The CAP program must be doing something right because our cadet & senior membership numbers far exceed what is in this organization.   

CAP has also been around far longer.  USAC doesn't have the advantage of stretching back to WWII and having actual combat service.

In fact, one reaction I sometimes get when I tell people (usually older) that I am in CAP is "I didn't know you were still around...I thought you just chased subs in WWII."

BTW our programs are suppose to centered around what the Air Force typically does.   Their's center around with the Army does.  There is a difference :angel:

Personally, I have no interest in being associated with the Army, that's why I joined the AF Auxiliary --  Civil Air Patrol :angel:
RM 

I don't get your angle on this since you have been going on and on about how we need to be "less AF" ever since I can remember.

   

[GroundHawg]

I haven't seen that article yet.   Did you read it online or in a paper pub?

It was the paper version, it has the girl from Lexington who is Fencing in the Olympics on the cover.

[RADIOMAN015]

The CAP program must be doing something right because our cadet & senior membership numbers far exceed what is in this organization.   

CAP has also been around far longer.  USAC doesn't have the advantage of stretching back to WWII and having actual combat service.

In fact, one reaction I sometimes get when I tell people (usually older) that I am in CAP is "I didn't know you were still around...I thought you just chased subs in WWII."

Well I think the USAC in one form or another has been around for a long time.    I think they do a very good job with their summer camp programs  :clap: :clap: BUT CAP is a different organization with missions/objectives that are external to the organization, versus USAC which is primarily an internal VERY private organization  (just google news search and compare the number of articles on CAP units versus USAC units).

I don't want to come across as being anti USAC because I am not, I'm just saying that there's difference in our organizations and anyone considering joining that organization needs to take that into consideration to see if it fits into their available time & discretionary household budget.
RM     

[sparks]

Life and summer programs typically aren't free. CAP charges various amounts for NCSA traiing from about $150 to $800+ for the flight Academies. That cost doesn't include the expense of getting to the training location. Unless a cadet has a scholarship they (parents) bear the full burden.

Does the Army subsidize the Lexington training? If not what does it cost?

[a2capt]

USAC cites 100 years of service, actually.

The United States Army Cadet Corps (USAC) traces its heritage to the early days of the 20th century, making us the oldest nationwide Cadet program still existing today.  Our history and culture are steeped in the oldest traditions of Cadetting.  In those days, a group of veterans chose to create a military-style youth organization to give the young men of their community a chance for adventure.  The program was Navy based and taught boys good citizenship and patriotism.  This idea was the foundation of both the Boy Scouts of America and the American Cadet Alliance (ACA), the predecessor to the USAC.

The American Cadet Alliance was founded as Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts, by CAPT James H.C. Smyth on April 10, 1909, at the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, NY. April 10 is celebrated as the birthday of the Corps.

In 1911, the organization split into two organizations:  the Boy Scouts of America and the American Naval and Marine Scouts.  On Aug. 16, 1927, the American Naval and Marine Scouts was incorporated in New York state as the New York Junior Naval Militia.  Early in 1929, the organization split and Commodore Smyth and a number of senior officers left and on Feb. 19, 1929, incorporated the Junior Naval Reserve.Though not really anything of actually seeing combat. Working around it, I would say, actually. It could be argued that periods of that hundred year existence were fairly low key to barely hanging on...

[COL Land]

A ton of updates on our blog. 

[COL Land]

Lot of updates.  Here's the latest entry on our Cadet Ranger Challenge candidates in the field.   We have 14 expected to earn the Cadet Ranger Challenge tab this Saturday, with another seven going on to the next three weeks of Cadet Ranger School.     

[COL Land]

News story in the Lexington Herald Leader.