Photo Essay: Cold-Weather Operations Course class 21-02 students set up Artic tent during training

Photo By Scott Sturkol | A student in Cold-Weather Operations Course class 21-03 helps build a tent during field training Jan. 28, 2021, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Students complete miles of ruck marching in the snow and cold during the course. Sometimes students move in snowshoes and skis covering dozens of miles. Students also complete training terrain and weather analysis, camouflage and concealment, and risk management. They also learn about properly wearing issued cold-weather clothing and how to prevent cold-weather injuries. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

02.12.2021

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                                

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Students in Cold-Weather Operations Course class 21-03 help build a tent during field training Jan. 28, 2021, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis.

During two weeks of training in each session of CWOC, students learn many skills. Among the most important of those skills is being able to create shelter in a cold-weather environment.

CWOC students learn specifically the Arctic 10-person tent, said CWOC instructor Hunter Heard, who coordinates training with fellow instructors Manny Ortiz, Brian Semann, and Joe Ernst. All are with contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which works with Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security (DPTMS) to complete the training.

During each class, students get training about the tent and the heater that goes into it. Students go out and practice building the tent throughout the course. According to Heard, students get about 12-16 hours of training with tents.

Students also spend several nights bivouacking in the tents at designated wooded areas throughout the installation. This provides a greater understanding on how to build and use these tents for shelters on various types of terrain.

CWOC students are also trained on a variety of other 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 Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy.

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.

• Date Taken: 02.12.2021
• Date Posted: 02.12.2021 15:36
• Story ID: 389019
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US