Cal Poly Army ROTC cadets attended Advanced Camp this summer and were awarded the highest combined performance average among the 32 Western ROTC programs and more than 265 units from across the nation.
Advanced Camp lasted 36 days in Fort Knox, Kentucky. It's a summer training that brings together cadets from across the nation. The training tests cadets' leadership skills, endurance, military proficiency, and problem-solving in high-stress scenarios.
Cadets are required to meet the standards of the Army Physical Fitness Test, which includes confidence courses, land navigation, marksmanship, and a 12-mile foot march.
At Advanced Camp, Cadets Zachary Cook, Isabel Herman, Andrew Koenig, and Avery White received Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG) recognition. DMG status is granted to individuals who display leadership, academic success, and physical fitness.
Cal Poly Cadet Gigi Travagline earned the Top Female Army Fitness Award.
In July, Cal Poly’s Military Science Department received news that the Cal Poly Army ROTC program would be eliminated by the end of the 2026/27 academic school year. The U.S. Army Cadet Command announced that Cal Poly, along with nine other universities, would be removed to reduce the civilian workforce within the Department of Defense.
However, the programs were reinstated after review and feedback from community stakeholders. Cal Poly’s Army ROTC program has since become an extension of the department based at U.C. Santa Barbara.
WATCH: Cal Poly's ROTC program spared from elimination
The Cal Poly Military Science Department was established in the early 1950s and has since commissioned more than 1,400 officers into the National Guard, Army Reserve, and U.S. Army.
