LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- College ROTC cadets are at Fort Knox this month before they finish school and commission in the army.
Cadet Summer Training is a 35-day officer training program. It's an opportunity for the cadets to develop the leadership skills they'll need as an officer.
"Obviously, if you're going to lead soldiers, you have to be capable of doing the things you're going to ask your soldiers to do," Cadet Kevin Crane said.
Their training ranges from land navigation and marksmanship, to first aid and chemicals.
Each day, they're switched out of leadership positions and evaluated on their command skills.
"Since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to do this," Crane said. "I always wanted to be here."
On Tuesday, the cadets went through the Confidence Chamber, which is a gas chamber. The goal of the exercise was to build confidence in their equipment and grow confidence in themselves and in each other.
The cadets entered a room filled with tear gas with their masks on and then removed them to try to sustain the effects of the gas while singing the national anthem before exiting.
"This was something I was looking forward to because I've heard stories about how bad it is and how challenging it is," Cadet Gabriel Ortega said. "While being in there, it definitely is a moment of not only courage, but also like resilience because you don't know how long you're going to be in there."
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