Spring FTX

Spring FTX 2022

Cadet Keck serves as Platoon Leader during the Spring FTX at TA Clark

At midafternoon on March 31st, Charlie Company left on busses toward Camp Bullis to take part in the Spring 2022 FTX. Upon arrival C-Company immediately began to go through drills and set up patrol bases. Early in the morning of the following day, cadets began zeroing their M4A2 weapon in preparation for the qualification range. Upon zeroing their assigned weapon, Aggie cadets moved to the automated pop-up targets range, where they fired 40 rounds at targets popping up between 50-300 meters while moving from prone to standing positions. After the qualification, the cadets received an OPORD brief and began setting up their patrol bases for the follow on mission.

“It is important to be confident in your abilities and have good discipline while handling weapons. Discipline

is also important in following the proper steps to hit your target.” Josh Gonzalez explained.

The following day, Cadets from C Company participated in four STX lines: Ambush, Raid, Attack, and Defense. Three separate platoons conducted these operations. In addition to cadets

Cadet Hernandez, a squad leader directs his team during a mission on the objective.

Cadet McNaughton (L) and Cadet Snow guarding their post as OPFOR during the Spring MegaLab.

Cadet Dunn mans an M249 squad automatic weapon (SAW) during an ambush operation against OPFOR

MS II Cadets conduct ruck march back to campus from Training Area Clark during the Spring FTX.

from Texas A&M University, cadets from Prairie View A&M also participated. This afforded the cadets the opportunity to work with other cadets outside of their program and get a feel for what advanced camp would be like. After the long day of lanes, the cadets returned to get an early night’s rest in preparation for the 12-mile ruck march in the morning.

“During the lanes, I realized the importance of being an adaptable leader both tactically and interpersonally. You need to be able to adapt your leadership to the situation whether it is when attacking an objective or working with a peer.” William Fontana shared. At 0300 on the third morning, all cadets at Camp Bullis woke up in preparation for the 12-mile ruck march. Cadet Simrun Head shared her insight, “The 12-mile ruck march was definitely a mental and physical challenge. Camp Bullis has a lot of hills compared to our normal training area in College Station. Overall, I thought the ruck march was a great experience that tested my mental fortitude after a challenging FTX!”

Upon completion of the march, the cadets sat down to write peer evaluations for other members of their

squads. Three hours after departing Camp Bullis by busses, the cadets arrived back to campus to cleaned their weapons prior to going back to the dorm for studying.

The Spring FTX was a great success and a wonderful experience for our cadets. When asked about their experience with this semester’s FTX, the participants offered these responses,

“Overall I learned a lot about the interpersonal skills required when meeting new people and having to work with them in an FTX environment” - Justin Manne

“FTX was both a physically and mentally challenging experience that I feel is preparing me for just about anything at CST. Going through the lanes, as a Joe or as primary leadership, tested my knowledge of military tactics. Additionally, shooting at the range and improving my score has helped me feel better and more prepared for CST.” - Kyle Villanueva

Cadet Quinteros fires his M4A1 weapon at the 25-meter Zero Target

Cadet Meyer fires her weapon at the Automated Record Fire Range, Camp Bullis, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas