Cadet 3rd Class (C3C) Katie Albright pins a shoulder board on Cadet 4th Class (C4C) Eric Wardner at the conclusion of his 6 week long Basic Cadet Training (BCT) Program on Acceptance Day. On Acceptance Day, the Basic Cadets join the Cadet Wing, where their training continues, in addition to a rigorous academic load. Albright, a Southwick resident, and Wardner, of Westfield, are 2011 and 2012 graduates of Westfield High School respectively.
Wardner spent the summer BCT program learning the fundamental concepts of military organization: drill, ethics, honor, Air Force heritage and physical training. Two weeks was spent in Jacks Valley, where the Basic Cadets set up a tent city and continue with rigorous physical and mental training on such courses as the Assault Course, the Obstacle Course and the Leadership Reaction Course among others.
Albright completed her BCT in summer of 2011 and completed her freshman year majoring in Economics. This summer she completed a course in Expeditionary Survival and Escape Training (ESET), Jump (skydiving) and Space (a program where Cadets retrieve data from satellites for the Department of Defense).
