Photo By Scott Sturkol | The Fort McCoy rail operations team with the Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center...... read more read more
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Going into 2023, Fort McCoy had a lot going on. The installation had numerous construction projects and planned construction going on, lots of training was planned, and historic things were happening.
And as the first half of the year went on, the Fort McCoy team and workforce stepped up to get many, many things accomplished successfully. No matter what challenge arose, through every month, the installation team stood strong to get the mission done.
APRIL
— Contractor JMJ Construction of New Lisbon, Wis., and Heritage Movers of Blue River, Wis., successfully moved the second two of four World War II-era barracks buildings from the 1600 block to the 1800 block and 2800 on April 4 and April 6, respectively.
Engineering Technician/Construction Inspector Timothy Peterson with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Construction Inspection Branch said the building are now all set up in open lots among the rest of the barracks in the blocks where they were placed.
“Eventually they will be brought back on-line and returned to use for units that come here for training,” Peterson said.
In moving the third barracks building, the contractors continued what they did with the first two buildings on Fort McCoy — they were moving an 81-year-old, 90-foot, two-story barracks building with a remote-controlled system on wheels down streets and through parking lots.
The move of the third building actually began on April 3, and it went out of its old area of the 1600 block and into the parking lot of directly in front of one of the newest four-story barracks buildings recently constructed on post. It was, again, a moment of “old meets new.”
After an overnight in the parking lot of the new barracks, on the morning of April 4, Matt Childs with Heritage Movers guided the barracks on its course down the street past the 1700 block to the 1800 block to its new location.
Childs said at the end of moving the third building he thought it “went well” after setting down the remote control from steering the building on wheels for almost three-quarters of the mile at 3 miles per hour.
On April 6, the contractors had the fourth building all prepared to be moved to the 2800 block. However, because this time it was going to be going a couple miles to its new spot, the move was going to be completed with the use of a truck.
In the 8-o-clock hour on the morning of April 6, with power company insulated bucket trucks and utility crews going ahead of them moving power lines, the contractors moved the fourth World War II-era barracks slowly and safely through the cantonment area.
— Construction of the first new multi-million-dollar transient troop training barracks at Fort McCoy, funded in fiscal year 2020, was completed and turned over to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) on April 1, said Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy.
The $18.8 million project was awarded to L.S. Black Constructors, which is the contractor who built the first barracks building at Fort McCoy, Green said. The contract was awarded Sept. 29, 2020, and the notice to proceed was issued Oct. 28, 2020. The contract duration was scheduled for completion in 780 calendar days. Most of the work of this barracks project was completed by December 2022. Some delay was just waiting for furniture to arrive to turn it over, for example.
In the last update about the project in March, Green said all remaining work that had to be done was completed and the building would be officially signed over to Fort McCoy DPW on April 1.
— Fort McCoy leaders signed observance proclamations March 30 during the April Awareness Kick-off event at McCoy’s Community Center at Fort McCoy. The proclamations signed during this event included for Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention and Awareness Month and Alcohol Awareness and Prevention Month. Proclamations also were later signed to observe Autism Awareness Month and Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month as well.
The Fort McCoy Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Prevention (SHARP) team, Family Advocacy Program, Exceptional Family Member Program, and Army Substance Abuse Program coordinated this effort to bring the awareness to the monthly observances, officials said.
— As April continues, a lot of progress continues with the $11.96 million transient training brigade headquarters project at Fort McCoy, including the installation of the roof for the facility.
According to an April 7 update by Ken Green with the Army Corps of Engineers Program Office at Fort McCoy, the project reached 25 percent completion. And with spring now in full swing and warmer weather in place and no snow, the pace of construction and progress has grown by the day.
As of April 11, contractor L.S. Black Constructors was installing more roof covering and was working on installation of more exterior items. In his April 7 update, Green said ongoing work included truss detailing, concrete work, decking had started, interior framing started, and more. Essentially, the building is really starting to take shape.
— Wisconsin Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk aircrew members with the Madison, Wis.-based 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment trained to drop water on wildfires April 10 using a Bambi bucket at Fort McCoy while the Fort McCoy prescribed burn team completed a prescribed burn.
Personnel with the Fort McCoy prescribed burn team helped coordinate with the Black Hawk helicopter and crew to complete water drops on specific areas during a prescribed burn at Training Area B-18 near Badger Drop Zone on South Post.
Fort McCoy Forester Charles Mentzel with the Forestry Office of the DPW’s NRB said the training with the Wisconsin National Guard crews went well.
“It went very well,” Mentzel said. “Our feedback from them was that it went great, too. There were six drops that were accomplished by them. They told us they got two or three pilots trained. And the prescribed burn accomplished our goal of setting back that area to an oak savannah.”
— In late April, Fort McCoy personnel, in coordination with local and regional fire departments, began the cleanup of a wildland fire on Fort McCoy’s north border.
Fort McCoy Senior Commander Maj. Gen. Matthew Baker said in April that the Army and Fort McCoy value their long-standing relationship with local communities. He said that “our Soldiers and civilian workforce are your family members, friends and neighbors, who live, work and play within your community.”
He reiterated the Army’s condolences to those who were displaced, lost property or have otherwise been affected by this incident. Fire departments and law enforcement organizations from throughout the state supported the firefighting efforts. Beginning the afternoon of April 12, firefighting resources — people and equipment — began arriving.
By the evening of April 12, more fire teams from across the state supported the effort through mutual aid agreements. In addition to statewide support, Fort McCoy also received Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard resources.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources established a Unified Command in Black River Falls north of Fort McCoy and coordinated firefighting efforts to cut off the fire from the north while Fort McCoy focused on the fire inside Fort McCoy.
— Four noncommissioned officers and five junior enlisted Soldiers vied for the distinction of “Best NCO” and “Best Junior Soldier” of 2023 Army Reserve Medical Command Best Warrior Competition (AR-MEDCOM BWC) that took place here, Mar. 28 - Apr. 2.
All nine competitors encountered a gamut of events and assessments that tested their endurance and aptitude. These abovementioned trials consisted of written examinations; a 12-mile ruck march; drill and ceremony; preventive maintenance, checks and services; water survival test; M4 Carbine and M9 Pistol qualification ranges; combat medical evaluations in the Medical Simulation Training Center (MSTC) here; day and night land navigation; the Army Combat Fitness Test; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) qualification; casualty evacuation training and qualification through the Litter Obstacle Course here; obstacle/confidence courses; and an appearance board.
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Daniel Naes, a combat medic with the 7215th Medical Support Unit out of Saint Louis, Missouri, was unveiled as the recipient of the “Best NCO.” Army Reserve Spc. Michael Glosemeyer, a health care specialist with the 7228th Medical Support Unit out of West Columbia, Missouri, earned the title of “Best Junior Soldier.”
— Fort McCoy held a special event April 20 in the chapel building 2672 to observe the 2023 Holocaust Days of Remembrance and Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Rabbi Brian Serle, the rabbi for the Congregation Sons of Abraham of La Crosse, Wis., served as the featured guest speaker and presenter for the event that was organized by the Fort McCoy Equal Opportunity Office.
During the event, Serle sang a Jewish song, “Ani Ma’amin (I Believe),” in Hebrew. The tune, according to the program, was sung by dozens of Jews as they were marched to the gas chambers. Serle also led the effort as a candle lighting ceremony was held during the event.
“Today we remember, and we honor the murdered victims of Hitler's criminal empire,” Serle said. “But we also praise the virtues of those who will stand in the way of these murders and explain to the world — never again.”
— An extensive grading project began in April around Fort McCoy’s building 2000 on the cantonment area to improve drainage in that area, said General Engineer Gareth Ferguson with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works.
The project was awarded in an $850,000 contract to RHI construction, Ferguson said, and Gerke Excavating of Tomah, Wis., is working as a subcontractor on the project.
“This is to improve drainage around building 2000/2001 from the site down to Tarr Creek near the A Street and 10th Street intersection,” Ferguson said. “The project is expected to be complete by mid-summer.”
The work comes just several years after building 2000 itself was upgraded in 2018-19 with an approximate $5.1 million renovation. Work on the renovation began in October 2018 and was completed by contractor Platt Construction, also of Tomah.
— Fort McCoy Garrison, 88th Readiness Division, and other community members gathered April 21 at McCoy’s Community Center for an early celebration of the Army Reserve’s 115th birthday.
The Army Reserve’s birthday was officially observed on April 23 — harkening back to April 23, 1908. At the Fort McCoy observance of the birthday at McCoy’s Community Center, dozens of community members were treated to music, food, a cake-cutting ceremony with Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger and the oldest and youngest Soldier present, and special remarks by Messenger.
— Fort McCoy community members participated in the Month of the Military Child Pajama Run/Walk 3k on April 22 at the South Post Housing Area at Fort McCoy. The event was among the many events at Fort McCoy to commemorate and celebrate April as the Month of the Military Child. The event was organized by the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, and all who wore pajamas had chances to win prizes.
— Anglers had several thousand more reasons to fish at Fort McCoy in 2023 as workers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Genoa National Fish Hatchery of Genoa, Wis., stocked more than 15,000 rainbow trout in several waterways throughout the post.
USFWS personnel delivered the trout April 24 and 25, said then-Watershed Management Biologist Steve Rood with the Colorado State University who works in cooperation with the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB). Trout were stocked in Suukjak Sep, Sandy, Stillwell, and Big Sandy lakes and Sparta and Swamp ponds.
The trout were stocked in time for the new fishing season, which begins May 6, and the average fish size is 10 inches long, hatchery officials said.
Some fish are larger as well as evert year hatchery personnel generally throw in some larger fish to give anglers a chance at some bigger fish. According to the NRB, Fort McCoy has an agreement with the USFWS to do the fish stocking every year. The USFWS hatchery raises the fish and certifies the fish health before delivery and stocking on post, Rood said.
— Fort McCoy held its 2023 Arbor Day celebration April 28 with dozens of community members that included adults and children in attendance who in turn planted more than 500 trees in a plot near building 102 on the cantonment area at the installation.
During the observance, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger and other installation personnel and children from the post Child Development Center planted the hundreds of tree seedlings in rows that were pre-dug by Directorate of Public Works (DPW) staff.
“Today we are going to plant some red pine that are going to get really big over the course of time,” said Forester Charles Mentzel with the Forestry Office of the DPW Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch. “We’re going to eventually fill in this field behind us, but we’re just going to do a portion of it today.”
Messenger addressed everyone, but he specifically addressed the children in attendance to the event.
“Happy Arbor Day everybody,” Messenger said. He asked the children many questions about trees. One child said she liked apple trees. Another said she liked trees because her dad liked them. Another child said they liked trees because they give shade and grow tall. And there was much more.
And at the end, they all said in unison, “I declare today, Arbor Day!”
— Soldiers from across the Wisconsin Army National Guard gathered at Fort McCoy April 20-23 where they endured wind, sleet, snow, and rain to crown winners of the 2023 Wisconsin Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition.
The four-day competition tested the Soldiers' physical and mental stamina, as well as their knowledge of military tactics and procedures.
Spc. William Warner, a sniper with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, from Seymour, Wis., and Staff Sgt. Michael Petersen, a training noncommissioned officer with Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry Regiment from Arlington, Wis., emerged atop the enlisted and NCO categories respectively.
— The Dankers family from Hokah, Minn., has been donating Girl Scout cookies to service members training at Fort McCoy since 2009.
“For the first two years, in 2009 and 2010, I brought the cookies out to the post and gave them to the headquarters, and they gave them to the Soldiers,” said Scott Dankers “From 2011 on, we handed out the cookies at the dining facility.”
The Dankers, Scott and Jessica, along with their three daughters, MacKenzie, Nataleigh, and Bella, have handed out hundreds of boxes of free Girl Scout cookies since 2009 to service members training at Fort McCoy. In 2023, the Dankers handed out cookies to service members at the lunch meal on April 29 in Warrior Restaurant (Dining Facility) 1362.
— Members from Minnesota Task Force 2 participated in an night-time Operational Readiness Exercise in late April with the Wisconsin Region-al Emergency All-Climate Training (REACT) Center at the Fort McCoy Combined Arms Collective Training Facility on South Post.
The objective of the multi-day training event was to simulate a type 3 collapse team deployment response by request of the Minnesota state fire marshall for a large-scale structural collapse scenario. Members were able to use this training partnership to enhance their skills on communications, incident command, mapping, resource requests, and deployment accountability. The REACT Center is based at nearby Volk Field, Wis.
— Fort McCoy volunteers were recognized at the Garrison Commander’s Volunteer Recognition held April 20 at the installation.
The volunteers, along with the Fort McCoy Army Community Service (ACS) Army Volunteer Corps Coordinator Lorie Retzlaff, presented Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger with a symbolic $352,182 check for the hours volunteers donated from January through December 2022.
The check represented the dollar value Fort McCoy volunteers extended the Army’s budget as a result of their volunteer efforts. Eighty-two volunteers were recognized for donating 11,759 hours of service. The dollar value of volunteer work was based on an estimated $29.95 an hour wage at the national level.
MAY
— The 2023 Fort McCoy fishing season opened May 6, concurrent with the Wisconsin general inland fishing season opener.
Fishing on installation lakes and flowages was allowed May 6 through March 3, 2024, said Fisheries Biologist John Noble with the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch. The general inland trout season on post and in Wisconsin was from May 6 to Oct. 15, 2023. Fort McCoy has 10 installation lakes and impoundments and approximately 71.2 miles of cold-water streams and tributaries.
— Several Fort McCoy Soldiers and civilians and their units supported a special event for youth May 11 at Brookwood Elementary School in Norwalk, Wis.
The event, entitled “Touch a Truck” allowed youth in grades kindergarten through second grade at the school to see up close large military and civilian vehicles and learn what they were all about. Overall, it was part of a Career Day completed between the school and a parent-teacher organization.
Supporting the event were Lt. Col. James Lavelle and Sgt. 1st Class Sean Elwin with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kevin Gabrielson, Sgt. 1st Class Emmanuel Maldonado, Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Vazquez, Staff Sgt. Bryan Zinsmaster, and Staff Sgt. Alicia Curtis with Regional Training Site (RTS)-Maintenance; and Travis Ford and Anthony Peterson with the Fort McCoy Draw Yard of the 88th Readiness Division.
Lavelle said RTS-Maintenance brought along a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4 Recovery Truck or Wrecker. According to the manufacturer’s description for the vehicle, it “offers heavy-duty power and extreme performance for the most difficult recovery missions. It has the maneuverability to traverse any type of terrain and the power to recover vehicles weighing in excess of 30 tons, even those mired in mud, sand, water or snow.”
— Assistant Chief of Army Reserve Stephen D. Austin visited Fort McCoy on May 10 as part of an official visit to U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy.
According to his biography, “Austin was selected for the Senior Executive Service in June 2007. He became the Assistant Chief of Army Reserve (ACAR) on Oct. 4, 2015. He serves as the primary advisor to the Chief of Army Reserve within Headquarters, Department of the Army.
“He represents the Army Reserve in the formulation and synchronization of policy and strategy at the national, departmental, and service levels,” the biography states. “He provides oversight to the Chief of Army Reserve’s staff and directs the development of policy, resourcing, and plans for generating, sustaining, and integrating Army Reserve force capabilities in support of the nation.”
Austin’s first stop on his visit was to Fort McCoy Garrison Headquarters where he met with Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger, Garrison Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Chad Maynard, and garrison directorate leaders and special staff.
Messenger described to Austin some of the installation’s recent successes with inspections and process improvements. Those areas were also briefed by Eric Haschke with Resource Management Office, Jamie Gular with the Directorate of Human Resources, and Fort McCoy Food Program Manager Andy Pisney with the Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center. Haschke, Gular, and Pisney all also received a special coin for excellence from Austin.
— Staff with the Fort McCoy rail operations team at the Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center are supporting their first major rail operation of 2023 with the reception of 210 railcars between May 19-26 at the installation.
Installation Transportation Officer Douglas “Terry” Altman said for this rail movement the number of railcars loaded with equipment was staggered over several days.
“This is a significant rail mission for Fort McCoy that will test our capacity and rail capability,” Altman said. “We will have 140 railcars on station for most of this mission. This will require the Transportation Office to utilize a significant amount of track space.”
Fort McCoy’s rail operations support team is staffed by people operating locomotives to move railcars in place for loading, people working with units and unit Soldiers to get training on how to load railcars, people to assist with moving cargo, and more.
— Soldiers with units associated with the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade of Fort McCoy led a ruck march around Sparta, Wis., on April 28 in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
According to Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Settles with the 181st, who serves as the brigade’s sexual assault response coordinator, they donated items to the organization Brighter Tomorrows — a community-based victim advocacy program that serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault of Monroe County, Wis.
Dozens of Soldiers participated in the event on the morning of April 28, and they rucked several miles. Soldiers with Fort McCoy Garrison and other units also participated. The event was based out of Memorial Park in Sparta.
— U.S. Army Soldiers (49 of them) from active, Guard, and Reserve forces journeyed to Fort McCoy compete in the 2023 U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command (AR-MEDCOM) Expert Field Medical Badge competition from April 30 to May 12.
Hosted primarily by the Central Medical Area Readiness Support Group (CE-MARSG) out of Fort Sheridan, Ill., this year's competition marks the third consecutive event managed by AR-MEDCOM.
Since its inaugural debut in 1965, the EFMB competition has challenged Soldiers in their technical proficiency and tactical acumen under extreme stress and scrutiny.
“It is a coveted badge that really exemplifies expertise, both in warrior and medical skills,” said Army Reserve Capt. Kevin Stoll, a health services materiel officer and commandant of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, Army Reserve Medical Command (AR-MEDCOM) out of Pinellas Park, Fla. “And for me, I want to take this back to my team and unit to make sure that they see that it can be accomplished. If they wish to pursue it, I want to provide them all of the training and resources available that I can give them to make them successful.”
— During the more than two weeks of training at Fort McCoy over the first half of May for the Spartan Warrior IV exercise for units with the 300th Military Police Brigade, hundreds of Soldiers from those units were treated to some meals and camaraderie through “Building Strong and Ready Teams” efforts and community-readiness events.
That work was completed and led by the Fort McCoy Garrison Religious Support Office personnel and their facilities, and by chaplains with the 530th Military Police Battalion, 327th Military Police Battalion, 384th Military Police Battalion, 391st Military Police Battalion, and 785th Military Police Battalion.
— Workers with R.J. Jurowski Construction Inc. of Whitehall, Wis., continued their work on the renovation construction project of the Rumpel Fitness Center into May 2023 at Fort McCoy. The project began Nov. 1, said General Engineer Gareth Ferguson with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works.
“The Rumpel Fitness Center project currently sits at approximately 60 percent complete — just over halfway through the planned period of performance,” Ferguson said. “Current work includes interior framing; drywalling; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and electrical installation; pool deck concrete work; exterior roofing; excavating and pouring additional foundation for exterior brick siding; new entranceway construction; and excavation for new domestic and fire suppression water services.”
— Construction operations are complete to build a C-17 load trainer facility at Fort McCoy's Young Air Assault Strip on South Post, according to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW).
Contractor Veteran Range Solutions received a contract for $1,497,609 to build the facility at the air assault strip, said DPW General Engineer Gareth Ferguson. According to the contract's statement of work, it states to “construct a C-17 load trainer, complete with ramp and simulated cargo area with tie downs, and house it within a 3,500 square-foot pre-manufactured metal building.
As of May 16, the building was completed by the contractor and ready to be turned over to Fort McCoy officials.
— Performer Yogitha Rajkumar with the Kalaanjali Dance Company of the School of Classical Indian Dance of Madison, Wis., performed several dances and described them as well during the 2023 Fort McCoy Asian-American Pacific-Islander Month observance May 18 at McCoy’s Community Center.
Rajkumar and the Kalaanjali Dance Company perform across the U.S. and the world showcasing traditional dances of India. At Fort McCoy, dozens of people from the Fort McCoy community were treated to Rajkumar’s talents in dance — all in celebrating the 2023 Asian-American Pacific Islander Month.
— Fort McCoy’s 2023 Armed Forces Day Open House is being considered a great success by installation officials as nearly 3,000 people visited the installation to see numerous vehicle and equipment displays, interactive and information displays in tents, and much more.
The day’s activities were centered on the Commemorative Area, which features the History Center; five World War II-era buildings filled with historical equipment and displays, the outdoor Equipment Park, and Veterans Memorial Plaza. Visitors were treated to sunny day and temperatures in the 70s as well.
“We had a great day to hold the event, and we had a steady flow of people throughout the day,” said Fort McCoy Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell. “Within the Commemorative Area, we had more than displays set up under tents. We also had guided installation bus tours, a sandbag-filling station, personalized ID tags, military equipment displays, marksmanship galleries, and more.”
The free event ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and people appeared to enjoy everything that was available, Townsell said. The Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office even put together a special four-page history and heritage edition of The Real McCoy newspaper to support the event where more than 2,000 copies were distributed.
Also included in the 2023 event for the first time in several years was the inclusion of an Army band. The Army Reserve’s 204th Army Band of Fort Snelling, Minn., played at the event for several hours to the delight of event-goers. An Army band last played at the Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House in 2019.
— Leaders from Fort McCoy Garrison and the 88th Readiness Division supported 2023 Memorial Day events in communities near Fort McCoy.
Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger spoke as part of the Sparta, Wis., Memorial Day observance on May 29, in Blyton Park in Sparta. Annually, Sparta holds a special ceremony honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country during this special ceremony on Memorial Day.
The same observance in Sparta has been attended not just by other installation garrison commanders over the years but also the installation's founder, Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy. During this event, Messenger also met McCoy's grandson, Alan McCoy, he said.
— Two Chinook helicopters supported training May 24 at Fort McCoy for Soldiers with the 224th Engineer Battalion of the Iowa National Guard, officials with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) said.
The helicopters supported training for the engineer Soldiers throughout the day while flying over Fort McCoy’s cantonment area and training areas. The 224th was completing extended combat training operations at Fort McCoy. The unit regularly completes training at Fort McCoy, DPTMS officials said.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger held a town hall session with the installation workforce May 25 to provide an update on news and information in the garrison, and more.
This was the first town hall for 2023 for Messenger. Two previously planned sessions for the town hall had to be postponed due to other events and weather. “We’re going to talk about a lot of cool things that have been done over the past couple months,” Messenger said as he started.
— U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy was among many garrisons and units named in an official order published Feb. 1 stating that the garrison has earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its support for Operation Allies Refuge/Operation Allies Welcome (OAR/OAW).
Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger presented the award and related streamer to the garrison during a special town hall session May 25 at Fort McCoy.
“It was an incredibly difficult time for Fort McCoy, and you all performed outstandingly,” Messenger said.
The recognized timeframe for support for the award for Fort McCoy Garrison is Aug. 15, 2021, to April 1, 2022.
“On Aug. 31, 2022, the Secretary of Defense announced that all units involved in the retrograde operation from Afghanistan, Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome will be awarded, based on the president’s direction, the Meritorious Unit Commendation or its equivalent,” the order states.
The Army awards units the Meritorious Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or service during combat or non-combat, requirements show.
— UH-60 Black Hawks operated by a Wisconsin National Guard crews conducted training May 5 near the Medical Simulation Training Center at Fort McCoy to support an operation that was part of a medical exercise called Operation Ouija.
The Black Hawks were performing a simulated tail-to-tail transfer with C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Air Force Reserve’s 934th Airlift Wing of Minnesota and the 452nd Air Mobility Wing of March Air Reserve Base, Calif., Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs officials said.
— There was never any doubt that Kevin Herman loved coming to work every day as the director of the Fort McCoy Army Community Service (ACS) Office since 2015.
“My highlights as an ACS employee were being able to meet so many great people,” Herman said. “And my top enjoyment was presenting information on the Thrift Savings Plan along with federal employee retirement options.”
Herman officially retired from government service May 18 in a ceremony at McCoy’s Community Center at Fort McCoy. He had served 15 years as a government civilian, and prior to that approximately 25 years as a Soldier. That’s 40 years of serving in many different areas — all of which he said were worth it.
JUNE
— At the beginning of April, the $11.96 million transient training brigade headquarters project at Fort McCoy was at approximately 25 percent complete. Now as of early June, that project is close to 40 percent complete, according to Ken Green with the Army Corps of Engineers Program Office at Fort McCoy.
Green reported in his June 2 update that the project was at 38 percent complete, and work was on a steady pace, which likely means crossing the 40 percent completion threshold will likely come very soon.
Green stated in his update that current work includes mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installation; interior framing; roof placement; masonry; interior sheet rock; and lightening protection.
Through April and May, weather held well so work could continue mainly on schedule. Green’s update also showed work was steady both on the interior and the exterior of the building.
Overall, the contract for the project, totaling $11,964,432.87, was awarded June 9, 2022, and construction operations began in August 2022. The current contract completion date is set for February 2024.
— Air Force security forces with the 115th Security Forces Squadron, Truax Field, Madison, Wis., flew into a training area at Fort McCoy on a Wisconsin National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk and then conducted a training field exercise June 2. The Airmen completed several training scenarios and training requirements during their time at Fort McCoy. Air Force personnel regularly complete training at Fort McCoy. The 115th is an Air National Guard unit.
— The Army Reserve’s Iowa-based 389th Engineer Company returned to Fort McCoy in June to complete more work on troop projects at the installation.
In 2022, Soldiers with the 389th completed work on many projects — the biggest being the installation of metal siding on numerous buildings at Tactical Training Base Courage on South Post at Fort McCoy.
In 2023, the company completed several new projects. On the Fort McCoy cantonment area, the 389th Soldiers removed and poured a new section of sidewalk near a walking bridge. At Logistical Support Area Liberty, the company installed a 400-amp breaker along with the supporting electrical lines. And at the Fort McCoy Central Receiving Shipping Point (CRSP) parking lot, company Soldiers worked with Fort McCoy personnel to install new energy efficient light poles throughout the parking lot.
The 389th Company Commander, 1st Lt. Kelly Merritt, said the unit was busy.
“It's a lot of hands-on work that we haven’t really been able to experience here before over on McCoy,” Merritt said about the 2023 projects.
She said her unit’s Soldiers were very motivated complete projects on post and get the hands-on training. “It helps them progress to the next level of training,” Merritt said.
— Hundreds of members of the Fort McCoy community took part in the many events and activities offered at the installation June 14 during the Fort McCoy celebration of the Army’s 248th birthday.
The birthday bash, coordinated by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, began early in the day with the Commander’s 5k/2-Mile Run/Walk that began and ended at McCoy’s Community Center. The run/walk generally would be held at Rumpel Fitness Center, however this year the center is under a major renovation.
For the run/walk, nearly 200 people took part in all ages, and all those participants received free Army Birthday t-shirts as well. There was even a couple of canine participants. At the end, Varinka Ensminger finished the 5k run first in a time of 21 minutes even.
At the same time as the run/walk, a free breakfast was provided for all the run/walk participants at McCoy’s Community Center as well as for other community members who came to watch and participate in the festivities. Breakfast items included, juice, water, bars, donuts, and more.
DFMWR officials said the run/walk was one of the most successful in recent years, and the weather for the event turned out to be exceptional.
Later the same day, beginning at 11 a.m. and also at McCoy’s Community Center, the birthday celebration continued with a free lunch, cake-cutting ceremony, and on-site band entertainment from the Army Reserve’s 204th Army Band of Fort Snelling, Minn.
The 204th Army Band also played during the 2023 Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House, and they also played during the 2022 Fort McCoy Army birthday celebration. For the 2023 celebration, band members played on the stage at the McCoy’s Community Center courtyard.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger was among several Fort McCoy people to support the week-long Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Kamp, or STEMKAMP, at Sparta Meadowview Middle School in Sparta Wis., in mid-June.
The event, according to https://stemkamp.net, “is a 5-day summer camp that offers hands-on STEM experiences for third through eighth grade students at military-connected schools.”
From 2021-2023, the website stated they were offering the camp in 10 locations each summer. Sparta was one of them. Through the five days of the camp, children participated in a wide range of activities at the school. On the last day, June 16, Messenger gave a speech to camp attendees and staff and served as a panelist for a special question and answer session.
— Soldiers with the Rear Detachment of the Army Reserve’s 411th Engineer Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were at Fort McCoy in June to support several troop projects but completed one large road-building project.
The project work for the road 411th Soldiers graded and graveled is in an area of land near the old Gate 20 and Logistical Support Area Liberty and the cantonment area fence, said Troop Projects Coordinator Larry Morrow with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW).
The overall site plan for that area is to make it into a base operations support site for installation service contractors, such as facility maintenance, roads and grounds, solid waste, custodial, pest management, and more, Morrow said. This road, now fully graveled and allowing full access to the site, will make work on the ongoing site project go even faster.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Eaton with the 411th said his small contingent of Soldiers were supporting the 389th Engineer Company at the installation on projects but completed the road project with their engineer Soldiers of which many were new to the unit.
“We're here in conjunction with one of our sister units, the 389th, and we're doing some troop projects,” Eaton said. “We were able to get a lot of our newer Soldiers fresh out of advanced individual training some valuable stick time. We've got three pieces of equipment — we’ve been running a road grader, a loader, and a 10-ton dump truck which has been giving them some valuable experience.”
— Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) had their “best year yet” with the 2023 Down and Dirty Trail Run at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area.
“We ended up with 227 runners,” said DFMWR Recreational Special Alex Karis. “That includes 101 walk-ins on the day of the event. This was our best year yet.”
All of the participants arrived to decent weather and a course that was ready for them. Karis said there were 15 different obstacle areas.
— Thousands of troops trained at Fort McCoy in June during the 87th Training Division’s Warrior Exercise (WAREX) 87-23-01. The exercise took place at Fort McCoy from June 8-22, 2023.
According to their mission statement, the 87th Training Division designs, develops, and executes ‘’live, virtual, and constructive training exercises and conducts mission command and staff training as directed, in support of the 84th Training Command, Army Reserve Headquarters, and combatant commands in a Total Army, joint, interagency, intergovernmental, multinational environment to enhance U.S. Army readiness and lethality.”
Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) officials said troops were completing training operations for the exercise in training areas on both North Post and South Post at the installation.
— For yet another year, the Monroe County (Wis.) Invasive Species Working Group held their annual 2023 Field Day on June 15 at Pine View Campground at Fort McCoy.
More than four dozen people participated in the event that included numerous briefings about invasive species and how to control them, and updates from landowners currently fighting invasive species on their lands, and more.
Event coordinators included personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and others. The group is a cooperative effort led by Monroe County Land Conservation, WDNR Forestry, Fort McCoy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies.
— Watershed Management Biologists Steve Rood and Derek Maki with Colorado State University who work in partnership with Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB) decided to dive into their work, literally, on June 15 to lessen the impact of invasive plant species in Fort McCoy lakes.
The two biologists, who are typically conducting fish surveys and other habitat work, did something different. They donned diving gear and went on the hunt in West Sandy Lake on Fort McCoy’s South Post to look for invasive plants in the lake.
“We were scuba diving to remove the aquatic invasive plants — Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed,” Rood said. “We have been managing these species in West Sandy Lake since 2011 and have been successfully able to keep the population under control with relatively minimal effort.”
— In June 2023, the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office received a letter from Steven Knight of Clever, Mo., who mailed two World War II-era post cards he found to the installation.
The post cards, which are from 1944, include a post card showing the Fort McCoy Garrison Headquarters building, which in 1944 was the division headquarters. And in the second post card, it shows a set of three buildings that were the military police headquarters in 1944.
Each card was created by Moen Photo Service in La Crosse, Wis., in the 1940s.
Knight noted in a card sent with the post cards, “While shopping in a flea market in Springfield, Mo., I was looking at old vintage post cards, and I hate to see anything of the past lost. I thought you folks might like to have them.”
— Fort McCoy Fisheries Biologist John Noble with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch officially retired from government civil service on June 29 with 32 years on the job.
When he started at Fort McCoy in 1991, Noble took a fledgling fisheries program and over three decades turned it into something that has made Fort McCoy one of best-managed fishery programs in the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense.
Through the support of others, Noble said Fort McCoy’s natural resources program is one of the best anywhere and it’s because of the people he has worked with in the past and now. During his time, Noble has helped the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch earn awards from Installation Management Command, Secretary of the Army, the Department of Defense, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and more.
“I started here on Nov. 4, 1991,” Noble said. “Before here I worked for three years at the National Fisheries Research Center in Gainesville, Fla. … Back in the day, we were a small operation. We had rotary phones — anybody remember rotary phones? And we had one computer. Things have changed quite a bit since then.”
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. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)
| Date Taken: | 01.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.03.2024 18:10 |
| Story ID: | 461277 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 354 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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