Photo By Scott Sturkol | A member of a squad of Cold-Weather Operations Course Class 20-01 students made up of...... read more read more
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Thirty-eight Soldiers and Marines graduated from the Fort McCoy’s Cold-Weather Operations Course’s class 20-01 in mid-December 2019, kicking off the 2019-20 winter training season for the course.
Led by instructors Hunter Heard, Manny Ortiz, and Joe Ernst with contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which works with Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security, Cold-Weather Operations Course, or CWOC, students trained for 14 days in a variety of cold-weather subjects.
Students completed snowshoe training and skiing, and they learned how to use ahkio sleds and the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent and to build improvised shelters.
“It went really well with this class,” Heard said. “It was a really great group of students. They all worked really well together and kept a high level of motivation throughout the entire class.”
CWOC training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, proper cold-weather clothing wear, developing winter fighting positions, camouflage and concealment in a cold-weather environment, cold-water immersion reaction and treatment, and injury prevention.
“An important part of the training and understanding operations in the cold weather is how to identify and understand what causes cold-weather injuries,” said Ortiz, who was a combat medic in the Army. “This year, we have scenarios on how students can respond to help a victim of hypothermia. This helps them build confidence and knowledge in understanding cold-weather injuries overall, as well.”
The class included more than a dozen Marines with the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines (2nd, 24th), which 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. Many enjoyed their training in the course.
“Some of the best parts of this course were the leadership roles and communication skills one had to develop to help make the team work together and function efficiently to complete tasks,” said Cpl. Emilio Zuniga-Montoya with the 2nd, 24th. “We had to do this while having to deal with harsh weather conditions.
“The training also definitely improved my social skills, especially when I had to communicate with military member from a military branch other than the Marine Corps,” Zuniga-Montoya said.
Staff Sgt. Brian Daliege, also with the 2nd, 24th, said he can now help train other Marines.
“As a Marine assigned to an infantry battalion, field operations and exercises occur often,” Daliege said. “The skills learned in this course provided me a strong foundational understanding of cold-weather operations that I can pass on to other members of the unit.”
Many students applauded the instructors for providing excellent training.
“The CWOC instructors never set you up for failure,” said CWOC student Sgt. Edwin Bennett with the 733rd Support Maintenance Company at Canton, Ill. “You leave the classroom confident and excited, but also aware of dangerous situations when you go out to the field. This is by far one of the best courses I’ve attended.”
Students also liked what Fort McCoy, as an installation, offers for a training environment.
“The ranges and facilities available (at Fort McCoy) allow for all the training incorporated into the course,” said Sgt. Eugene Matarazzo with the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion of Newport Naval Station, R.I.
“Additionally, the geographical location of the installation is well-suited for the particular kind of training.”
ROTC Cadet Joshua Ayala with Loyola University in Chicago added, “Fort McCoy is literally the perfect place for teaching this course.”
This class of students also practiced a new cold-water immersion training scenario, Heard said. 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 help the wet squad member warm up and recover.
This 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 further warm up and recover to prevent injury.
“This course taught me new skills and reinforced my current knowledge and skills,” said Capt. Joshua Bagley, also a student from the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion. Bagley was the first student to complete the cold-water immersion scenario as the service member who went into the water.
“This course taught me how to build proper shelters, manage cold-weather operations, and survive the cold-water immersion,” Bagley said. “All the skills I have learned I will take back and use in my own winter exercises.”
Four more 14-day courses are planned during the remainder of the winter training season at Fort McCoy, Heard said.
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: | 01.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 01.09.2020 12:14 |
| Story ID: | 358548 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 257 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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