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Students and staff with the 89B Ammunition Supply Course conduct sling-load training with a CH-47 Chinook crew at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport on Feb. 7, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Ammunition Supply Course, taught by Regional Training Site-Maintenance staff at Fort McCoy, is a four-week course that provides training for Soldiers who are reclassifying to the 89B military occupational specialty. The sling-load training is one of the last major training events during the course. A sling load is used to transport munitions to remote locations or to expedite shipments in hostile locations. The CH-47 crew is with the Army Reserve’s 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment of New Century, Kansas. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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Marines with the 6th Marine Regiment of Camp Lejeune, N.C., participate in training Dec. 1, 2021, in the Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 22-01 at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 150 Marines participated in the course that was temporarily reworked to support the training needs of the Marines. CWOC staff ran three, three-day field training exercise courses with the Marines from Dec. 1 to 9, 2021. After the first CWOC class completes its training, the CWOC training team of instructors will also conduct five more 14-day training sessions of CWOC into March 2022. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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A Marine participates in cold-water immersion training Dec. 9, 2021, at Big Sandy Lake in the Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 22-01 at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 150 Marines participated in the course that was temporarily reworked to support the training needs of the Marines with units associated with the 6th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. CWOC staff ran four, three-day field training exercise courses with the Marines from early to mid-December 2021. The cold-water immersion is the final training event in the course. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear, too. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)
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Soldiers at Fort McCoy, Wis., for training conduct training operations Jan. 5, 2022, at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol/Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)
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Students in the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 22-02 complete skiing orientation and familiarization Jan. 7, 2022, at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area at Fort McCoy, Wis. In addition to skiing, CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) class 22-03 practice snowshoeing and pulling an ahkio sled with gear as a team Jan. 31, 2022, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy with support from contractor Veterans Range Solutions. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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An aircrew with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment operates a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter March 28, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Members of the unit regularly complete training operations at Fort McCoy and the unit also supports numerous training events at the installation each year. According to the Army fact sheet for the Black Hawk, its mission is to provide air assault, general support, aeromedical evacuation, command and control, and special operations support to combat, stability, and support operations. The UH-60 also is the Army’s utility tactical transport helicopter. The versatile helicopter has enhanced the overall mobility of the Army due to dramatic improvements in troop capacity and cargo lift capability over the years as well. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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A student in Fort McCoy's Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) class 22-04 works on building an improvised shelter Feb. 16, 2022, at a remote location on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. (U.S. Army Photo by Kevin Clark, Fort McCoy Multimedia-Visual Information Office)
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Training operations are shown April 29, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The operations shown only feature a small portion of thousands of troops completing training at the installation in April 2022. Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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Students in the Fort McCoy Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy’s Basic Leader Course (BLC) get a class photo completed May 19, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The NCO Academy was activated at Fort McCoy in 1988. The academy is one of the largest tenant organizations at the installation providing institutional training with more than 1,800 students attending annually for the Battle Staff Noncommissioned Officer Course and BLC. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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An aircrew guides a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft in for a landing July 13, 2022, at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport at Fort McCoy, Wis. In a rare training event at Fort McCoy, aircrew with the Marine Corp’s Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., flew a pair of MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft July 12-14 at the installation for aerial gunnery training at the impact area on North Post. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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Service members drive Joint-Light Tactical Vehicles on the cantonment area July 8, 2022, during training operations at Fort McCoy, Wis. During July 2022, like other months of the year, thousands of troops held training at Fort McCoy in a variety of types of training operations for active- and reserve-component forces. Fort McCoy's motto is to by the "Total Force Training Center." (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
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Sgt. Matthew Suson, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines (2/24), conducts a contact patrol with other Navy Corpsmen on July 22, 2022, during training on North Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 2/24 is an infantry battalion based out of Chicago consisting of approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors. The battalion falls under the 23rd Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division. The 2/24 is holding annual training at Fort McCoy. (Photos by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)
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Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Brian Gutierrez, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, conducts a contact patrol with other Corpsmen and Marines on July 22, 2022, during training on North Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 2/24 is an infantry battalion based out of Chicago consisting of approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors. The battalion falls under the 23rd Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division. The 2/24 is holding annual training at Fort McCoy. (Photos by Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)
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Due in part to supporting Operation Allies Welcome where nearly 13,000 Afghan guests stayed at the installation, Fort McCoy supported the training of 77,421 troops on post during fiscal year (FY) 2022 — less than the 116,053 troops who trained at Fort McCoy in FY 2021.
Larry Sharp, chief of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) Training Coordination Branch, said the training numbers include Army Reserve Soldiers; National Guard service members; and active-duty troops from not just the Army but also other services, such as the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
Training statistics reflect many types of training opportunities that take place at the installation by active- and reserve-component forces and other governmental agencies, according to DPTMS.
During fiscal year 2022, training included several Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) sessions; battle-drill (weekend) training; annual training; mobilization; institutional training; and numerous exercises, including a Warrior Exercise, Combat Support Training Exercise, Global Medic, Spartan Warrior III military police exercise, and numerous other training events.
In July 2022, hundreds of Marines with 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines (2/24) conducted training at Fort McCoy on North Post. The 2/24 is an infantry battalion based out of Chicago consisting of approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors. The battalion falls under the 24th Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division.
Medical Officer Navy Lt. Toby Keeney-Bonthrone with the 2/24’s Headquarters and Service Company coordinated a combat casualty care exercise with Navy Corpsmen assigned to the unit as part of the training. The training was conducted in hot weather and overnight in a wooded and hilly training area on North Post. Keeney-Bonthrone said Fort McCoy’s terrain presented an extra challenge and added to the training experience.
“It definitely made it tougher,” he said. “There was the rough terrain and the steep elevation to get to the casualty and then those afternoon temperatures.”
Afternoon temperatures on July 22, 2022, hovered around 90 degrees and humidity was also high. Keeney-Bonthrone said they kept on … that is until a major thunderstorm halted all training on post on July 23. Overall, though, he said everyone did well.
“You have to train like you fight,” Keeney-Bonthrone. “So, the more realism, the better the corpsmen are prepared for combat. We got to constantly reinforce principles of tactical medical care under stressful conditions with a realistic mannequin generously provided by the McCoy Medical Simulation Training Center.”
DPTMS personnel document the training statistics each month of the fiscal year, Sharp said. This involves combining numbers of the entire transient training population, which encompasses reserve- and active-component military forces as well as other training agencies, such as law-enforcement agencies or the Wisconsin Challenge Academy.
And also, during FY 2022, Fort McCoy held its busiest season of Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) training.
“The fiscal year 2022 season was our largest season to date,” said CWOC Instructor Hunter Heard, who coordinated training with fellow instructors Manny Ortiz, Brian Semann, and Joe Ernst. All were with contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which worked with Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security to complete the training.
“We trained 288 Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen, and that was an incredible feat,” Heard said in April 2022. “That brings our total students trained to just over 1,000 since the course’s inception.”
The 2021-22 CWOC season started off with special training held in December 2021 for 145 Marines with the 6th Marine Division prior to a deployment to Norway. CWOC class 22-04 was the class with 45 Army Rangers. The improvised-shelter building and other field training were great for class 22-04 student Spc. Chase Clemens with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
“My favorite aspect of this course was the field training,” Clemens said. “The prolonged exposure to the cold gave me more confidence I can successfully operate in cold-weather environments. It was a fun challenge both physically and mentally. I also especially enjoyed the cold-water immersion training.”
In CWOC class 22-05, most of the class of 35 students was comprised of Airmen — 25 in fact. Most of the Airmen were security forces from the Air National Guard. Their presence marked the third straight year that Airmen comprised a majority of one of the CWOC classes.
“It’s always great to bring some of our Airmen here for training,” said Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Harvey, security forces manager with the 164th Mission Support Group, 164th Airlift Wing, at Memphis Air National Guard Base, Tenn. “I could fill as many seats as they give me for this training.”
All of the training during the fiscal year also plays a role in the economic impact the installation has on local economies. According to the Fort McCoy’s Plans, Analysis and Integration Office, in fiscal year 2021, Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for that fiscal year was an estimated $1.93 billion.
“FY 2021 operating costs of $249.88 million included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, as well as salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy,” states a story about the economic impact prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office in March 2022. “Other expenditures accounted for $36.25 million and covered $332,635 in payments to local governments (including land permit agreements, school district impact aid, etc.) as well as $35.9 million in discretionary spending in local communities by service members training and residing at Fort McCoy.”
Numerous Army engineer units came to Fort McCoy to help with troop projects, too. In all, hundreds of Soldiers worked between May and August on numerous projects that improve the installation’s training infrastructure.
Over the course of several days in late July, heavy equipment operators with the Army Reserve’s 390th Engineer Company (Vertical) completed the “coal field fill” troop project at Fort McCoy.
The combat engineers who are based out of Chattanooga, Tenn., were at Fort McCoy for the Army Reserve’s and 78th Training Division’s Warrior Exercise 78-22-02.
“We (were) conducting earth-moving operations to fill a coal pit that was an environmental hazard right close to the base,” said Engineering Officer 2nd Lt. Donovan McCaskill. “They’ve been trying to get this done for three years. However, this project provided an opportunity for us to reach one of our mission-essential tasks that we’re required to train on annually.”
DPTMS officials project similar training numbers or higher at the installation in fiscal year 2023.
Fort McCoy was established in 1909 and its motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services for 36 of 38 years since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.
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