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Cadets performing well at summer training course

(July 16, 2012) In early results, cadets from North Georgia College & State University are performing well at the U.S. Army’s Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC), currently underway in Washington state.

Also known as Operation Warrior Forge, LDAC is the capstone training and assessment exercise for the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Each summer from June to August, thousands of Army ROTC cadets from more than 1,100 colleges and universities attend Operation Warrior Forge at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. This year, that number includes 78 cadets from North Georgia.

At LDAC, cadets spend every day in exercises aimed at training cadets to Army standards, developing leadership and evaluating officer potential. The course is required of all cadets who will be commissioning into the U.S. Army upon their graduation from college.

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Cadet Abigail Estrada

North Georgia cadets Abigail Estrada and Charles Inglet each scored in the top 5 percent of their regiments, and three others, Jacob Shealey, Thomas Jaesser and Kenneth Fischer, earned "recondo" status. Recondo status requires that a cadet perform at the "success" or "excellent" level in all areas. North Georgia's cadets have performed well overall in land navigation, scoring an average 86.3 out of a possible 100.

North Georgia cadets in several other regiments have yet to complete their assessments and all scores haven't yet been reported.

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Cadet Kenneth Fischer

Cadets at Warrior Forge are tested on physical stamina, endurance, ability to navigate over difficult terrain, and team-building and leadership skills. The cadets' results from LDAC, along with their overall grade point averages, ROTC grades, the Army Physical Fitness Test scores, and extracurricular activities all are compiled and submitted for the Order of Merit List. The annual list ranks cadets in more than 270 Army ROTC programs, based on those criteria.

Supporting LDAC are more than 3,000 cadre and staff from all Army components, including active duty, Reserves, National Guard, civilian employees and contractors, making LDAC one of the largest training exercises in the Army. Several instructors from North Georgia are among those at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., for LDAC.

North Georgia is one of only six senior military colleges in the United States and military education has been part a vital of the university since its founding in 1873. The Corps of Cadets is made up of some 800 cadets from around the country and around the world. Each semester, dozens of North Georgia cadets commission as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.