LRC-McCoy provides multiple logistic services to keep post running smoothly

By Jon Micheal Connor, ASC Public AffairsJuly 31, 2015

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4 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Central Issue Facility employee assists Soldiers receiving unit issue supplies, July 9. CIF is operated by LRC-McCoy. This fall, a new CIF building will open, and bring greater efficiencies to its operations. (Photo by Jon Micheal Connor, ASC Publi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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7 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – LRC-McCoy's Installation Materiel Maintenance Activity operates a "cannibalization point," providing badly needed vehicle parts that break down during training and exercises. This is the final stop before being turned into scrap metal. (Photo by Jon ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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8 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Two mechanics work on some non-tactical vehicles under the Installation Materiel Maintenance Activity, LRC-McCoy, July 10. IMMA has a 149,000-square foot facility with 55 maintenance bays, two welding bays, and two body repair bays, among other servi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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FORT MCCOY, Wis. -- Located in the semi-mountainous region of southwest Wisconsin is the only Army installation in the state, Fort McCoy.

This post, located amidst pine and oak trees, and with an origin dating back to 1909, provides quality training facilities for America's armed forces, both reserve- and active-components. It is a dichotomy of old and new with renovated World War II barracks -- which are heavily used -- juxtaposed against state-of-the art training facilities and functional buildings with even newer ones slated to open soon.

It is here where the Logistics Readiness Center-McCoy carries out the logistics missions necessary to keep this 60,000-acre post running. The installation has 46,000 acres of maneuver area, 92 miles in tank trails, 8,000-acre impact area, two forward operating bases, multiple rural villages, and a simulation center, all for training purposes, said Layne Walker, LRC-McCoy director.

LRC-McCoy is one of 71 LRCs worldwide that fall under the U.S. Army Sustainment Command. It reports to the 404th Army Field Support Brigade, headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

ASC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness --technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection and sustainment--to the total force.

With 2,200 employees, Fort McCoy supports training for more than 120,000 service members annually.

That number rose to 150,000 during the peak years of the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq -- between 2005 and 2007-- when it served as a mobilization and demobilization site, Walker said.

The mission of LRC-McCoy is to provide quality and timely logistics support to the installation, reserve component, active-duty units, state and federal agencies and other customers for maintenance, transportation, supply and services in support of missions locally and globally, Walker said. On order, it also provides mobilization and demobilization support operations.

This translates into functional areas such as the Central Issue Facility, retail supply operations, asset management, laundry and dry cleaning services, food services, materiel support maintenance, ammunition support services, and all transportation services.

"We want to ensure that every Soldier that comes to Fort McCoy gets all the equipment that they're authorized to get," said Tom Lovgren, CIF property book officer. "That entails ordering it, receiving it, stocking it, prepping it for issue. At the end of the day our job is to support the Soldier."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated for a new CIF building sometime this fall. Lovgren said it will be twice as large as the current building, be able to store items five levels high, have an intercom system to speed up communication amongst employees, have in-floor heat, and even features a humidity-controlled room to preserve the body armor and plates in the best possible environment.

All in all, the new building will allow CIF to help more Soldiers, Lovgren said, and it "gives us better accountability and more room to store equipment."

Despite the technological improvements, customer service will remain the top priority, Lovgren said.

"Those Soldiers are the reason why we're here," he said, citing that during mobilization to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, every Soldier left Fort McCoy with the proper equipment they were supposed to have versus being issued items in theater.

As it turns out, the LRC-McCoy CIF is the only active-duty location authorized to issue Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment directly to Reserve Soldiers, Walker said. In fact, LRC-McCoy's CIF issued OCIE to 5,025 Reserve Soldiers to take back to their home station in fiscal 2014. Also in that year were $26 million in Reserve transactions, he said.

Another mission is transportation.

"The challenges come to meeting mission and customer requirements," said DJ Eckland, installation transportation officer. "So when you look at freight requests, passenger requests and getting the Soldiers or service members from home station to the training location, from the training location back to home station, you've got some pretty tight timelines. You've got to be able to ramp your services up to meet the mission."

The transportation division provides freight and personnel movement services to more than 400 Army Reserve units in 24 states, he said.

"Pretty much you name it, we move it," said Al Scafe, freight weight specialist lead.

Scafe said freight ranges from 1-pound package to vehicles and cranes. The freight is transported by either train, ship, truck, or aircraft. Some of the items shipped include cleaning supplies, paper, weapons, vehicles, and tanks, he said.

LRC-McCoy is even responsible for a 120-ton GP-10 rail locomotive. It can travel on 8 miles of track, providing service to 10 ramps including one portable bi-level ramp, Walker said. And, there is adequate lighting for 24-hour rail operations if needed.

Like CIF, freight is also getting a new 30,000-square foot building.

"We're going to utilize it as a freight/container, A/DACG (arrival/departure airfield control group), rail facility," said Eckland. This will allow six different warehouses to soon be housed under one roof.

"We'll gain efficiencies there which will allow us to cross train (our personnel),"Eckland said. It will also be more of a "one-stop" shop for all services.

"It's designed for more of what we do," Scafe added, citing the current warehouse was built in the early 1950s. "It's better designed, newer equipment, all-around better, and up to date."

Helping to get everyone around on post is Daniel Wroblewski, motor transportation specialist.

"The main mission is to make sure that people have the transportation they need ... the units coming in for training. We have a variety of vehicles: buses, 12-passenger vans, pickups, sedans, and minivans," Wroblewski said. "That's the main focus. And we have 202 GSA vehicles that are used by units permanently assigned to Fort McCoy."

Of course, Soldiers must be fed, and to that end LRC-McCoy provides outstanding food and facilities to feed Soldiers who are hungry from training.

"Our goal is consistent quality," said Andrew Pisney, food program manager/contracting officer representative. "That means every day, every meal, it's a high quality meal and it's consistent. We don't like peaks and valleys. We want every Soldier that comes in the dining facility to have a quality meal."

A full-food service contractor operates one dining facility year round and additional DFACs during the peak summer season. There are also 32 DFACs used for Reserve Component Battle Drill Training and Extended Combat Training.

Pisney estimated that up to 350,000 meals are prepared annually. "I really think we've reached the apex of providing good food service here in the Army at Fort McCoy," he said.

Additionally, construction will begin soon on two new DFACs. One will accommodate 1,428 people, and the other will service 390 Soldiers at the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy.

"Every day, every meal, you got three meals a day," Pisney said. "Every day you have a mission, and you have to meet that mission."

Another mission of LRC-McCoy is the Installation Materiel Maintenance Activity.

"Installation maintenance is responsible for all the garrison equipment that is on the installation that basically supports the training mission, including some of the other customers we have," said Jeff Wessels, installation maintenance officer.

Some of IMMA's responsibilities include maintaining equipment for roads, grounds, and, ranges, he said.

IMMA also maintains a variety of vehicles, everything the Army has minus combat equipment, as well as and any wheeled vehicles, load systems, and some tracked vehicles, Wessels said.

Vehicles needing repair come from across the nation when Reserve units arrive at Fort McCoy for exercises and experience a part failure.

In fiscal 2014, there were 3,072 closed work orders consisting of 5,778 equipment pieces.

Fort McCoy's total economic impact in the local area is huge: in 2014 the impact was estimated at $944 million, stated in the installation guide.

For more information on Fort McCoy go to: http://www.mccoy.army.mil/