Photo Essay: Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course students train in snowshoes pulling ahkio sled

Photo By Scott Sturkol | A squad of Cold-Weather Operations Course Class 20-01 students made up of Soldiers and Marines pulls an ahkio sled full of equipment Dec. 16, 2019, during the beginning of a new cold-water immersion training scenario for the course at Big Sandy Lake on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The scenario included having one of the squad members go through a cold-water immersion event in the lake and then the squad, as a team, has to take what they learned during the course to have that affected squad member warm up and recover. This effort included having the squad member take off most clothing and then climb into a sled lined with dry blankets. At the same time, other squad members would erect an Arctic cold-weather tent with a heater where the squad member would then further warm up and recover to prevent injury. Cold-Weather Operations Course, or 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, camouflage and concealment, and more. The training is coordinated through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

12.27.2019

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                               

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

A squad of Cold-Weather Operations Course Class 20-01 students made up of Soldiers and Marines pulled an ahkio sled full of equipment Dec. 16, 2019, during the beginning of a new cold-water immersion training scenario for the course at Big Sandy Lake on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis.

The scenario included having one of the squad members go through a cold-water immersion event in the lake and then the squad, as a team, has to take what they learned during the course to have that affected squad member warm up and recover.

This effort included having the squad member take off most clothing and then climb into a sled lined with dry blankets. At the same time, other squad members would erect an Arctic cold-weather tent with a heater where the squad member would then further warm up and recover to prevent injury.

Cold-Weather Operations Course, or 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, camouflage and concealment, and more.

The training is coordinated through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy.

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: 12.27.2019
• Date Posted: 12.27.2019 12:50
• Story ID: 357414
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US