Cadets make strong showing at Fort Knox

Retired Command Sgt. Major Joey Blacksher, executive director of leadership development and senior advisor in the Cadet Leadership Academy, was thoroughly impressed by what he saw at Fort Knox.

"When you put UNG cadets next to their peers from anywhere in the country, they stand out - and for the right reasons. They can assess a situation, make the call and take charge without hesitation," Blacksher said. "That was on full display most recently at Advanced Camp - a 36-day crucible that tests cadets mentally, physically and emotionally. Our cadets not only met the challenge. They excelled. I wasn't surprised, because this comes from our deliberate training model - leadership is built into everything we do."

Garner enjoyed the field training exercise the most, but said the whole Advanced Camp experience reinforced her preparation at UNG.

"We were able to showcase the skills we've learned at UNG," Garner, who is pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies with an intelligence concentration, said. "The mentality that UNG instills in you is that excellence is expected."

Shayne Strickland, a senior from Savannah, Georgia, pursuing a degree in criminal justice, is in the Aggressors Platoon specialty unit that offers realistic training in small-unit, light-infantry and Ranger tactics. His time in UNG's Leadership Development Program his junior year further bolstered his readiness for Fort Knox. After previously serving as a squad leader, Strickland is now a platoon leader at UNG.

Strickland earned UNG's second-highest score on the AFT with a 499. He feels like the Corps is preparing him to be a leader of character in the active-duty Army Corps of Engineers.

"The Corps has helped me learn how to communicate with people in the way that's best for them," Strickland said. "When I started to buy into the training and what it was giving me, I began to appreciate UNG as a whole."