Green Bay Packers 2019 Tailgate Tour visits with Soldiers at Fort McCoy

Green Bay Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and six Packers alumni were among the people on the 14th annual Packers Tailgate Tour who visited Fort McCoy on April 10.

The tour stopped at the installation for approximately 90 minutes, visiting with dozens of military members and Fort McCoy workforce members.

"We wanted to come here to take the opportunity to thank you for your service," Murphy said to a gathering of about 70-plus Soldiers at a Fort McCoy dining facility.

Packers alumni on the tour were Earl Dotson, Nick Barnett, Ryan Grant, Aaron Kampman, Scott Wells, and Bernardo Harris. All of the tour members mingled with Soldiers, signed autographs, and posed for photos.

Tour members also visited Fort McCoy's Range 2 to learn about operations for Operation Cold Steel III and Task Force Fortnite. Cold Steel III is a gunnery exercise with Soldiers qualifying on the M2, MK-19, and M240B weapon systems. According to the Army Reserve, the training completed during Operation Cold Steel is critical to ensuring that Army Reserve units and Soldiers are trained and ready to deploy on short notice and bring "combat-ready and lethal firepower in support of Army and Joint Force partners around the world."

Task Force Fortnite Commander Lt. Col. Greg Derner and his staff were on hand to show tour members the weapons systems used for Cold Steel III training and more. "These things are pretty heavy," said Barnett after lifting an MK-19 grenade launcher.

The Tailgate Tour had stopped at the Tomah Veteran Affairs Medical Center prior to visiting Fort McCoy. At both the center and at Fort McCoy, Murphy presented veterans and service members with a commemorative Tailgate Tour coin.

In addition to stopping in Tomah and Fort McCoy, the Tailgate Tour had planned stops in Marshfield, Sparta, New Richmond, Chippewa Falls, and Antigo.

Fort McCoy has supported America's armed forces since 1909. The post's varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching "ftmccoy," and on Twitter by searching "usagmccoy." Learn more about the Packers Tailgate Tour by visiting packers.com.