Soldiers conduct bridge training at Camp McCoy in 1952. (U.S. Army file photo) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from June 2021 and back.
75 Years Ago — June 1946
Task force “Frost,” consisting of 1,475 enlisted men and officers of the Army Ground forces (AGF) assembled at Camp McCoy in late June 1946 to begin preparations and training for testing AGF equipment under winter conditions.
The unit assigned to McCoy is a part of a three-ply test unit to check AGF equipment under all winter conditions. Certain items of equipment used in winder combat in the European Theater proved “unsatisfactory” and task forces “Frigid,” “Frost,” and “Williwaw” were assembled for the testing at Fairbanks, Alaska; Camp McCoy; and Adak, Alaska, respectively.
70 Years Ago — June 1951
The longest bridge ever built by McCoy engineers: This feat was recorded not once, but approximately 20 times by the 317th Ponton Bridge Company. Aided by Company B of the 645th Engineer Combat battalion, the 317th again pushed its 713-foot M-4 ponton bridge across a back water of Castle Rock Lake between Necedah and Mauston, Wis., in June 1951.
Ordinarily, the bridge didn’t run more than 608 feet — that’s the length the 317th’ s training equipment permitted. “We borrowed some extra pontons and balk from the post engineers so we could build the longer bridge,” said Capt. Edwin S. Johnson, Levittown, N.Y., who commanded the 317th.
A former reserve unit from Benton Harbor, Mich., the 317th was bivouaced in a tent city a few hundred yards from the bridge site. They acted as an instructor group, and other engineer outfits put up the ponton bridge under their supervision.
The ponton bridge, which the 317th put up every two or three days, was a lifesize duplicate of a miniature model the company used for training purposes throughout the winter at McCoy and back in Benton Harbor before it was returned to active military duty. The bridge that the 317th used in June 1951 was worth a half-million dollars. It was developed late in World War II, used to cross the Rhine in Germany, and was one of the engineer work-horses in Korea.
(Editor’s note: Ponton is a largely disused variant of pontoon and was taken from the original article.)
60 Years Ago — June 15, 1961
The Honorable Carlisle P. Runge, assistant secretary of defense for manpower, paid a visit to Camp McCoy and to the 32nd Infantry Division, in which he served for many years.
Runge was a lieutenant colonel commanding the 32nd Division when he was called from the University of Wisconsin campus in winter of 1960 to become a member of the “Kennedy Team” in Washington. He was one of the highest offices in the nation’s defense establishment.
The visit to Camp McCoy by the public official whose responsibilities deal with the Armed Forces’ most important ingredient — combat-ready men — was one of the many tours he took in the performance of his duties.
35 Years Ago – June 12, 1986
(Editor’s Note: Flag Day is June 14. The following facts were printed in the June 12, 1986, edition of The Triad to commemorate Flag Day.)
Year the U.S. flag was first planted on the North Pole: 1909 (By Cmdr. Robert E. Perry)
Contents of the ball at the top of a flagpole, according to legend: One .45 caliber round and a book of matches
Farthest point from U.S. soil where the U.S. flag flies: The moon (Planted July 20, 1969, by Col. Neil A. Armstrong and Col. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.)
First time the U.S. flag was carried around the world: 1790 (Aboard the American sailing ship Columbia)
When the Pledge of Allegiance was first used in public schools: 1892 (Columbus Day)
Year the phrase “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance: 1954 (Under President Dwight Eisenhower)
Number of stars on the longest side a of perfectly folded flag: 4
(Article prepared from The Real McCoy and Triad archives.)
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