New York Wing cadets trained in traditional navigation skills, avoiding use of modern approaches like GPS and tracking systems and relying instead on maps, compasses, and land navigation techniques, during an April a session at Fort Drum arranged by the 10th Mountain Division’s Noncommissioned Officers Academy leaders.
During the session on emergency services and leadership, cadets were organized into four groups of four to five. While an adult Civil Air Patrol member and a member of NCO leadership cadre provided assistance and oversight to each group, cadets directed all operations, decision-making, and mission execution.
Each team was provided with essential materials, including a compass, topographic map, track sheet, pen, and protractor, enabling them to navigate and complete their objectives through independent planning and collaboration.
Organizers identified each team’s assigned coordinates, recording them on a scorecard and plotting their locations on a detailed map of the Fort Drum training area.
Once the coordinates were mapped, cadets were tasked with determining the precise distance they would need to travel between points as well as calculating the directional azimuths necessary for navigation.
Doing so required careful measurement, attention to detail, and solid understanding of land navigation principles.
Before heading into the woods for practical navigational exercises, cadets measured their individual pace counts by walking a known distance —100 meters on uneven terrain — while carefully counting their steps and calculating the average length of their stride in order to accurately estimate the distances they would travel on foot during the exercise.
The activity provided “the opportunity to learn valuable life skills —such as compass usage, land coordination, and map-reading,” said Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Naomi Degroat of the Fort Drum Composite Squadron.
“In addition, I learned the importance of teamwork, problem-solving, and attention to detail within my group,” Degroat said._____Cadet Maj. Sarah “Andi” AndersonFort Drum Composite SquadronNew York Wing
