229th Engineer Vertical Construction Company Soldiers complete electrical project at Fort McCoy

While one group of Soldiers with the 229th Engineer Vertical Construction Company, a Wisconsin National Guard engineer unit based in Richland Center and Prairie du Chien, were working on an office building troop project, a smaller group from the unit worked on an electrical project nearby at Life Support Area (LSA)-Liberty on North Post at Fort McCoy in early June.

Soldiers with the 229th were completing annual training at Fort McCoy during the first half of June, and as part of the training they worked on troop projects on post. Larry Morrow, Fort McCoy troop projects coordinator with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, works annually with units to develop a list of planned projects to hopefully get completed each year.

At LSA-Liberty, an ongoing office building project was the biggest priority for the 229th personnel. But, another smaller project included upgrading some underground electrical lines around some of the Alaskan tents within the training area.

LSA-Liberty, formerly known as Forward Operating Base-Liberty and then Integrated Tactical Training Base-Liberty, has been a well-used training location at Fort McCoy for decades, and much of what has been built there was created through past troop projects.

Morrow has said these projects make a difference all throughout the installation improving the quality of life — not just at training areas like LSA-Liberty.

Morrow also described in past news articles what he does to create his annual list of projects to get completed, such as the electrical project. Morrow said he plans projects to coincide with troop training needs.

“I work with the units to find out what they’re trying to accomplish each year,” Morrow said previously. “From there, we come up with projects that we need to have done and at the same time helps them meet their training goals.”

And since the 229th is a unit with electricians as part of the unit, this project lines up with the skill sets of people in the unit to get training while also supporting a need for Fort McCoy. A “win-win” as Morrow would say.

More troop project work will be completed yet as 2024 continues, Morrow said.

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.

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. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”