Photo By Scott Sturkol | Spc. Nicholas Roman with the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry of the Wisconsin National...... read more read more
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Every class of students in Fort McCoy’s Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) spends a majority of their training time in the field learning. For class 19-02, many students said they appreciated their field time.
“Learning by doing was the best part of this course,” said student Sgt. Jeffrey Gilbert with the 349th Psychological Operations Company of Aurora, Colo.
“Learning how to build and sustain fires and building thermal shelters were among the skills (we learned) that have a lot of practical application.”
Gilbert was one of 50 students in class 19-02 who were in the first class session of 2019. During most of their 14 days of training, plenty of snow was on the hill at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area for the training activities and there were plenty of bitter cold January days and nights for the students.
“We would have liked more snow, especially during the start of extensive field training,” said CWOC Instructor Bill Hamilton, who works for contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which supports the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, or DPTMS. “But overall, this class of students did well in all the training.”
Course training includes a wide range of cold-weather subjects, including skiing and snowshoe training, how to use ahkio sleds, setting up the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent, cold-water immersion training, and improvised shelter building. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, proper wear of cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and more, Hamilton said.
Army ROTC Cadet Jacob Tyler Cash with Western Kentucky University of Bowling Green said he gained valuable skills during the course.
“I believe this course was excellent in growing my skills and capabilities,” Cash said. “This course exposed me to an environment that I was not familiar with and taught me how to survive and operate successfully in a cold-weather environment. … Also, the field (training) is the most beneficial way to actually put the techniques into practice.”
“The best part of this course is the application,” said student 1st Lt. David M. Graham with the 327th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Company of Chattanooga, Tenn. “This course actually had us doing what was taught. It’s a great layout of learning.”
Student Staff Sgt. Kimberly Gorman with the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion of Little Rock, Ark., agreed that spending most of their training in the field is “what works best.”
“The topics covered in the course have taught me to do a number of things,” Gorman said. “It’s taught me how to identify what type of weather is coming and how to prepare for it. It’s taught me how to build shelters, how to identify and prevent cold-weather injuries, and different movement techniques that can be used when moving in a cold-weather environment.”
Fort McCoy’s CWOC is modeled after the Cold-Weather Leader Course, which is taught by the Army Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) at Black Rapids, Alaska, Hamilton said.
“Our students use ahkio sleds to haul all of their equipment, and they will traverse through nearly 35 miles of terrain starting on North Post and ending at Big Sandy Lake on South Post,” Hamilton said. “Our program of instruction is nearly identical to that at NWTC with the exception that we don’t teach certain skills, such as mountaineering. However, we have added cold water immersion which NWTC does not currently integrate.”
Pfc. Myriah Miller with the 824th Engineer Battalion of Spooner, Wis., said she learned several skills that she can share with fellow Soldiers in her unit.
“Skiing tips such as ways to slow down and stop will be great to share,” Miller said. “Also, being aware of all the various resources that can be utilized to survive in a cold climate will be great to share.”
Nearly all the students were like Staff Sgt. Aaron B. Selleck with the 320th Psychological Operations Company of Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, Ore., who said one set of skills they are bringing back to their unit is “how to wear the (Army) Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) correctly.”
“Proper wear of the ECWCS was definitely the most useful knowledge I gained from this course,” said student Sgt. Joseph D. Grady with the 950th Engineer Company of Superior, Wis.
A total of six CWOC classes are being conducted through the end of March.
This is the third consecutive winter training season the Fort McCoy DPTMS has coordinated the training.
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 each 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.
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2019 14:33 |
| Story ID: | 309719 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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