Photo By Scott Sturkol | A student in Cold-Weather Operations Course class 22-05 participates in cold-water...... read more read more
Subscribe
Twenty-five Airmen from multiple Air Force units were among the 35 graduates of the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) class 22-05 that took place on post from late February to early March.
Most of the Airmen were security forces from the Air National Guard. Their presence marked the third straight year that Airmen comprised a majority of one of the CWOC classes.
“It’s always great to bring some of our Airmen back here for training,” said Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Harvey, security forces manager with the 164th Mission Support Group, 164th Airlift Wing, at Memphis Air National Guard Base, Tenn. “I could fill as many seats as they give me for this training.”
Harvey was among the first Airmen to attend CWOC training in 2019, and he has returned to assist with teaching every year since when there’s Airmen attending whom he has sent. In 2021, Harvey said the CWOC training is a great opportunity for Airmen.
“In the first class where the Air Force attended, I was a student,” Harvey said. “The information we received was great information, such as learning to (operate) in a cold-weather environment like Arctic or sub-Arctic weather. In this training, you learn how to properly wear the (cold-weather) uniform and use the equipment. … You’re learning how to operate in this cold environment and use snowshoes, how to use skis, how to ruck, and how to set up a base camp in these conditions.”
During CWOC class 22-05, the 25 Air Force students came from the 164th Security Forces Squadron at Memphis; 134th Security Forces Squadron of McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn.; 103rd Security Forces Squadron of the Connecticut Air National Guard at Bradley Field in East Granby, Conn.; 128th Security Forces Squadron of the Wisconsin Air National Guard at Milwaukee; 180th Security Forces Squadron of the Ohio Air National Guard at Swanton, Ohio; 110th Security Forces Squadron of the Michigan Air National Guard at Battle Creek, Mich.; 174th Security Forces Squadron of the New York Air National Guard at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, N.Y.; 138th Security Forces Squadron of the Oklahoma Air National Guard Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Okla.; 104th Security Forces Squadron of the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.; 107th Security Forces Squadron at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y.; 142nd Security Forces Squadron of the Oregon Air National Guard at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore.; 193rd Security Forces Squadron of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base in Middletown, Penn.; 144th Security Forces Squadron of the California Air National Guard at Fresno; 127th Security Forces Squadron of the Michigan Air National Guard at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich.; and the 166th Security Forces Squadron of the Delaware Air National Guard at New Castle.
All the Airmen received the full gamut of cold-weather from a Wisconsin winter, including frigid temperatures and snow. They also were able to receive all the training they needed to deal with the conditions.
“This course drastically enhanced my skills in areas that I have very little experience with,” said Tech. Sgt. Francis Gelada, unit training manager with the 103rd Security Forces Squadron. “Skills learned in this course such as knot-tying, fire starting, and proper cold-weather uniform wear are skills I think I will be able to share with other troops. … Also, security forces as a whole can benefit from this training greatly — especially with the patrolling aspect that was added to the course.”
All the skills Gelada mentioned are just a part of the training. During CWOC, students complete snowshoe and skiing in training areas throughout the post. Overall, students completed nearly 40 kilometers of marches during training. They also learn how to pack and use ahkio sleds to carry and move gear, and they practice extensively in building the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent as well as improvised shelters from what’s available.
Course objectives also include focusing on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, developing winter fighting positions, camouflage and concealment in a cold-weather environment, cold-water immersion reaction and treatment, and injury prevention, 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 to complete the training.
Tech. Sgt. Jordan Spetz, security forces craftsman with the 180th Security Forces Squadron, said having security forces in CWOC training is a good idea to prepare for future operations.
“Our (operations) landscape for the last 20 years has been about the desert terrain,” Spetz said. “We haven’t paid much attention to the cold-weather areas of operation. I feel confident after attending this course that I can help train my unit members to be effective to operate in cold weather. … It isn’t that bad, and it’s manageable if you’re focused.”
Field training appeared to be a great teacher for Senior Airman Tanner Hostetler, a student with the 110th Security Forces Squadron.
“Nothing is as good a teacher as actually applying the skills you learn,” Hostetler said. “The days we had training in the field were some of the most enriching in terms of a true learning environment. … I also very much look forward to honing all these skills both inside and outside my unit. This was one of the best military classes I have ever taken.”
Airman 1st Class Caden Delabarre, a student with the 128th Security Forces Squadron, said he had fun while learning lots of skills.
“I believe the best part of this course was the patrols,” Delabarre said. Those were really (educational) and reacting to fire was really fun. The after-action reports after those training events also were helpful.”
Delabarre also said Fort McCoy was a great place for the training.
“Fort McCoy is a massive open/wooded area that feels like you’re not in Wisconsin,” Delabarre said. “It allows someone to really hone in on their skills and learn to the maximum.”
Tech. Sgt. Joshua Luke Peters, a combat arms instructor with the 134th Security Forces Squadron, also said his skill level has increased.
“I’ve learned a lot about how to operate in a cold environment,” Peters said. “The instructors were able to deliver material in a way that was easy to learn. … Thank you for some great training! I would like to come back some time as an additional instructor.”
Master Sgt. Mark Curry, also with the 134th and a CWOC class 22-05 student, said he enjoyed many aspects of the training, including the ahkio sled pulling, fire-starting training, cold-weather uniform training, shelter building, and cold-water immersion training.
“I learned a lot in the course … best course I’ve been to in 23-year military career,” Curry said.
“This isn’t just a course that’s about cold-weather operations,” Harvey said. “It’s also a course about teamwork, and leadership, and resiliency. Resiliency cannot be trained in the classroom. It can only be achieved in an environment like this.”
Heard said having the Air Force be a part of the course is great to see any year they are in it.
“Having other branches of the military like the Air Force come through our course, in my opinion, is beneficial from an instructor standpoint,” Heard said. “It gives the instructors a better idea of the different needs of the other branches.”
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 the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, 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: | 03.22.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2022 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 416944 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 370 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 25 Airmen among graduates in Fort McCoy’s Cold-Weather Operations Course class 22-05, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
