Inside the Army's Largest Training Program

In a sprawling tent city deep inside Fort Knox, a five-foot Latina from South Central L.A. is among 6,000 hungry cadets angling for an upgrade to officer.

Photos by Harrison Hill

Natali Juarez sits cross-legged on a green, standard-issue cot. Her hair is up, in accordance with military hairstyle standards, and the word "ARMY" is printed across her T-shirt. Beside her lies a Vietnam-era M16 assault rifle. She stretches out her neck, lifts her chin and opens her mouth into a wide, toothy grin, a piece of floss stretched from one hand to the other.

She’s teaching her squad how to floss. “You have to get it riiiiight up against the gumline.”

They’re all sitting in a large, Army-green tent, one of hundreds in an expansive city built from canvas. The tents stand tall in thick mud and strong against the relentless rays of Kentucky’s summer sun. The city of tents is deep within Fort Knox.