Early Saturday, cadets from around the upper Susquehanna Valley loaded coach buses bound for Camp Karoondinha in Union County to conduct their first major field training exercise of the semester. Arriving before 6 a.m., cadets from the institutions that comprise Bison Battalion (Penn College; Bucknell, Bloomsburg and Susquehanna universities; and Lycoming College) began a marathon two days of training in squad tactics and land navigation. Throughout the weekend, all cadets were assessed in day and night land navigation that required them to locate five out of eight points during the day and three of five at night. Juniors were additionally assessed on their leadership abilities – and, to a lesser extent, their strategic knowledge – through a series of tactical missions. For junior cadets, the training was their last major exercise within the battalion before they display their skills with other juniors from across the nine-state Freedom Brigade in two weeks. That annual Spring Joint Field Training Exercise, to be held at Fort Dix, N.J., helps junior cadets prepare for summer training at this year’s Cadet Leadership Training at Fort Knox, Ky.Photos provided by Cadet Michael Embs, public affairs officer, Bison Battalion