More than 90 Colorado State University Army ROTC cadets recently traveled into rival territory to participate with University of Wyoming cadets in field training exercises at Camp Guernsey.

In all, more than 150 cadets from the two universities took part in the weekend-long event, which provided training in marksmanship, land navigation and patrolling operations.

CSU Army cadets traveled via helicopter and bus on April 21 to Camp Guernsey, located approximately 100 miles north of Cheyenne. The cadets lucky enough to travel via helicopter departed from Christman Airfield in Fort Collins.

According to Lt. Col. Matthew Tillman, the field training exercises were especially critical to junior cadets, many of whom will participate in the Army ROTC Cadet Summer Training Leadership Symposium at Fort Knox in Kentucky. The Cadet Summer Training is the U.S. Army’s largest annual training event, where nearly 7,000 cadets from across the country are assessed on their leadership skills. Last year, CSU sent 34 Ram Battalion cadets, with 40 scheduled to attend this summer.

Adaptability was the theme of this year’s training exercise as blizzard conditions hit Camp Guernsey. Tillman said senior cadets from CSU and Wyoming battalions had to work together to devise recommendations.

Over the course of the weekend, Tillman said the cadets were able to come to a detente over the Border War and forge an important bond.

“I heard a few times that (Wyoming) has the Bronze Boot,” said Tillman, referring to the football trophy in the annual rivalry game. “But Army training transcends school rivalry. And by the end of the weekend, they had accomplished their mission and left with some pretty strong ties.”