DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled

This Month in Fort McCoy History — June 2024

Courtesy Photo | This is a news clipping from the June 10, 1944, edition of The Real McCoy newspaper at...... read more read more

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

06.26.2024

Courtesy Story

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from June 2024 and back.

80 Years Ago — June 1944
FROM THE JUNE 10, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Nearest thing to battle (By The Real McCoy staff) — The nearest thing to actual battle — a duplicate of what the invasion of France entails — is in store for the 700 industrial giants and thousands of civilians who will “invade” Camp McCoy Thursday to witness the 76th Infantry Division’s war games in commemoration of Infantry Day and the second anniversary of the division’s reactivation.

Men of the 76th will demonstrate to the visitors how fighting men of today train for future combat. The onlookers will get an eyeful of some of the greatest training aids yet devised. They will see rigid standards which infantry troops must hurdle to attain the expert badge. They will see how bayonet assault courses prepare men for mortal combat with cold steel — why the men must be to “kill” or “be killed.”

These visitors will witness a problem in which doughboys battle for a Nazi village. The town in this instance is Schnickelgruber, mock German village, which has most of the deadliness of the Nazi-defended cities in Italy and France.

How Soldiers are taught to hug the ground under live machine gun fire will be demonstrated when the visitors get grandstand seats at the infiltration course. All the realism of the battlefield confronts the watchers at this juncture. The division’s pattern of victory will be on parade when tge Liberty Bell men attack “Nazi” pillboxes in the camp’s fortified area. The dismounted review will complete a full day.

FROM THE JUNE 10, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Laundry worker’s son dies in action (news brief) — A gold star shone on Mrs. Minnie Berg’s dress this week. An employee of the post laundry from Tomah, she received word her son was killed in action.

Staff Sgt. Gordon C. Berg, a tail gunner in the Army Liberator bomber, was killed in action April 10 in an air battle near the Japanese bastion of Truk in the Central Pacific. In the Army since October 1941, he had been overseas since November 1943.

60 Years Ago — June 1964
FROM THE JUNE 19, 1964, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Surgeon, dentist heads Reserve unit — One of the largest units in the Chicago area, the 374th Convalescent Center, is commanded by Col. Earl Herron, a surgeon in civilian life. His executive
officer is Col. Henry Rosenberg, a dentist in civilian life.

A total of 236 assigned and attached personnel, including several physicians and dentists,
are here for two weeks of annual training. The 374th is capable of providing facilities necessary
for the physical reconditioning and medical care for 1,500 patients.

The center could be activated during a civilian defense emergency.

50 Years Ago — June 1974
FROM THE JUNE 20, 1974, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Former unit honors World War II members — Friday afternoon was filled with nostalgia for members of Company K, 38th Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, who returned to Camp McCoy for a memorial service honoring those among them who had paid the supreme sacrifice during World War II.

It was 31 years ago the unit (then designated the 3rd Battalion, 38th Regiment) arrived at Camp McCoy on Thanksgiving Day for basic training. For many of them the snow was unique and a radical change from their warm Texas and Oklahoma hometowns.

A memorial service was conducted at Chapel 1 for the 65 members and their families. Following a roll call of deceased members, a memorial address was delivered by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Edmund G. Bettinger (Ret). Following the chapel services the unit members and their families embarked on a tour of their former company area in the 400 block, now troop billets housing Reservists and National Guardsmen.

They were especially thrilled to inspect one of their barracks. One member vividly recalled their arrival in 1942 into the unpainted buildings and the fact that they had to wait a week before doors were put on the building.

The men and their families were especially interested in touring the old division headquarters, now Post Headquarters. During the Second World War Post Headquarters was located in the southwestern corner of the post.

The days itinerary also included visits to the obstacle course, CBR training area, the rail siding where the men first arrived to begin basic training, and the small arms ranges on South Post where range firing is conducted.

40 Years Ago — June 1984
FROM THE JUNE 21, 1984, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Reserve medics trained as EMTs (By Lou Ann Mittelstaedt) — Three Milwaukee-area physicians have created their own solution to the problem of getting proper training for medics in their reserve-component units.

When the Army Reserve medic school in Milwaukee closed because of major changes in requirements for medics on active duty, area units were left with no place to train.

“We were faced with the question of how to upgrade our old trainees, especially in trauma skills, to keep up with the active force,” said Lt. Col. Norman Reynolds, commander, 135th Medical Clearing Company, Milwaukee.

One choice was to train with the regular Army. But Reynolds, along with Lt. Col. Guenther Pohlman of the 13th EVAC Hospital, Madison and Cmdr. Richard Zimmerman, Fleet Marine Forces, Milwaukee Naval Reserve thought the solution might be found in Emergency Medical Technician training.

“We worked together and set up a program with the Milwaukee Area Technical College faculty,” Reynolds said. The program, which emphasizes trauma care skills, attracted 35 students —15 from the 135th. Military courses in battle injuries, chemical casualties, extremes of heat and cold and psychiatric aspects of battlefield experiences supplemented the school’s EMT course.

“Trauma care was strongly emphasized because, from military projections of further conflicts, trauma care seems to be the biggest requirement,” Reynolds said.

Instructors for the program are physicians from Wisconsin National Guard and Naval Reserve units as well as the MATC staff. Most of the EMT instructors from MATC have been in military service, Reynolds said.

“They really enjoyed teaching the course and understood some of the problems we faced,” he said. “They also commented that the military students seemed more motivated to learn.”

The course was an example of inter-service cooperation and coordination with sharing of facilities, equipment and responsibility for instruction.

“The course has been a very successful, innovative thing that has been endorsed at all levels,” Reynolds said. “It proves this sort of schooling can be done theoretically anywhere in the United
States.”

30 Years Ago — June 1994
FROM THE JUNE 3, 1994, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Crowd helps
post celebrate Open House (By Rob Schuette) — Military equipment, tents, informational displays, bus tours, helicopter takeoffs and landings, and sunny weather all played a role in making the Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House May 21 an event for the whole family.

Linda Fournier, post Community Relations specialist, said 4,000 to 5,000 people stopped at the post's Constitution Park and Parade Field No. I between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Among the more popular attracions were the Army Adventure Van and the post’s Fire Department Fire Safety House.

Sally House of West Salem, Wis., said she brought her three children, who enjoyed all the displays, getting their faces “painted” with camouflage patterns and getting dog tags.

About 1,000 dog tags were distributed, according to the post’s Military Personnel Section. Julie Simons of Tomah said she brought her family, which included daughter Jenna, 6, and Staff Sgt. Jack Simons of the Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) Support Center, because the event looked like a lot of fun. She also wanted to visit the Fire Safety House.

Staff Sgt. Jack Simons was one of a number of people who helped paint camouflage faces. More than 400 people of all ages, including Stephen Lingle, 6, and his father, Mike Lingle of Reeseville, had their faces painted, according to the post's Headquarters Company.

“I brought my family out here because it’s a good place for a family outing,” Mike Lingle said. “I think my son’s favorite part was (climbing on and looking at) the equipment.”

“I came out here last year, and it was a lot of fun, so I wanted to come back,” Stephen Lingle said.

Joan Shaurette of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., brought her two children back because they enjoyed the 1993 event.

“My children liked climbing on the tanks and other equipment,” she said. “I liked the displays and other information that was set up.”

Son, Jon, 6, said he liked the tanks and walking around the set-up areas.

20 Years Ago — June 2004
FROM THE JUNE 11, 2004, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Golden Medic 2004 exercise under way at McCoy — Soldiers from across the country are at Fort Gordon, Ga., and Fort McCoy, Wis. to participate in Golden Medic 2004 (GM04).

The exercise, which is set in a Southwest Asian scenario, is running concurrently from June 5-19 at Fort Gordon and Fort McCoy.

Golden Medic is a medical field training exercise sponsored by the U.S. Army Reserve Command. It is designed to provide realistic training experiences to participating combat support and combat service support units, while enhancing the overall training and readiness of Army Reserve medical units.

Golden Medic integrates medical and nonmedical units representing every echelon of medical care found in a theater of operations. As the executive agent for Golden Medic, the 3rd Medical Command of Fort Gillem, Ga., has command and control authority over the exercise and its participants. Subordinate commands and supporting units deploy to designated training sites, establish operational areas and conduct battle-focused training on all aspects of combat health and service support.

All assigned and attached units conduct a multi-echelon, multifunctional, field training exercise focused on their Mission Essential Task Lists. By incorporating unit annual training plans, the design of Golden Medic accommodates organizations of different sizes and very different combat support and combat service support roles and missions.

Many of the units participating in GM04 were mobilized and/or deployed in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The exercise incorporates a variety of lessons learned from those involvements. These lessons, combined with pre-scripted
scenarios and mass casualty exercises, are driven by a Master Scenario Event List and challenge commanders and staffs to solve and anticipate many of the problems expected in a theater of operations.

10 Years Ago — June 2014
FROM THE JUNE 13, 2014, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Logistics Readiness Center team fills Fort McCoy fuels mission (By Scott T. Sturkol) — Whether it’s coordinating maintenance or ensuring Fort McCoy has enough unleaded gasoline, diesel fuel or JP-8 jet fuel, the team at the Central Fuel Operations (CFO) office keeps the installation fuels mission flowing smoothly every day.

The CFO, located in building 405, is part of the Logistics Readiness Center, a tenant organization. Its staff is responsible for ensuring the availability of the fuel needed to keep tactical vehicles as well as government service vehicles moving. It’s a tall order to keep the tanks full.

“Annually, our team manages the flow of more than 1.1 million gallons of three types of fuel at Fort McCoy,” said Customer Services Branch Supervisor Michelle Martin. “The fuel itself is owned by the Defense Logistics Agency, and we work with them to manage the ordering and distribution of the fuel used at this installation. We also have a great team that takes great pride in taking care of our customers.”

The team has many responsibilities that have to be tracked every day, including the managing of all fuel keys for the installation, ordering fuel and tracking usage as well as maintaining the fuel facility and equipment.

When the post has a large presence of troops during training season, the CFO just gets busier. Martin said they are tested consistently but the job always gets done efficiently. She cited the recent Warrior Exercise (WAREX) where more than 4,500 troops were on post using the fueling points on a regular basis for more than two weeks.

“Any unit here for training must fill out a Fort McCoy Training and Support Form 38,” Martin said. “On that form the unit lists what their projected fuel usage is for the duration of their time of training. During WAREX, this is what every unit had to do. We kept ahead and planned out the tens of thousands of gallons of fuel that were used during that large exercise.”

Jil Bohnert, fuel supply technician, completes the fuel ordering, tracking and fuel key distribution for CFO. She is also a key player in completing a monthly report that reconciles fuel used at Fort McCoy.

Bohnert said her team exhibits great communication and support, which makes the work they do to support Fort McCoy as a “Total Force Training Center” even better.

“I work with some of the best people fulfilling a very important mission for Fort McCoy,” Bohnert said. “We work hard every day to make sure the fuel this post needs to do its mission is available at all times.”

5 Years Ago — June 2019
FROM THE JUNE 28, 2019, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Troops appreciate Fort McCoy’s training capabilities — Whether it was winter training in the Cold-Weather Operations Course or gunnery training in Operation Cold Steel III, troops who have trained at Fort McCoy in fiscal year 2019 have said they appreciate the capabilities the installation has to support training.

During six classes of the CWOC from December 2018 through March, instructors received constant feedback from each class about how Fort McCoy was an ideal winter training location.

“Fort McCoy is always a good place for any kind of training I have done since joining the military,” said CWOC Class 19-06 student Sgt. Joshua Harvey with the 323rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Company of Sioux Falls, S.D. “I will definitely be encouraging Soldiers from my unit to attend this course because it is good training, and the instructors are full of endless knowledge.”

Staff Sgt. Kimberly Gorman, CWOC Class 19-02 student with the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion at Little Rock, Ark., said Fort McCoy’s unique terrain helped her gain valuable skills.

“Fort McCoy really is a good place to teach this course,” Gorman said. “Some skill sets I take with me from the course include learning how to build and sustain a fire using multiple techniques and working as a team or squad during movements carrying equipment and pulling an ahkio sled. … Spending a week in the field to test our skills was really one of the best parts of the course.”

Sgt. Nicholas Powers, also a CWOC Class 19-02 student also from the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry of the Wisconsin National Guard, said the post is great for all kinds of training. “I’ve been to Fort McCoy for all my field training exercises for seven years, and it’s always a solid location for training, specifically for cold-weather training,” he said.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Cosme with the 442nd Engineer Company of Angleton, Texas, completed training in the Regional Training Site-Maintenance’s 91L10 Construction Equipment Maintenance Repairer Course in February. He said he enjoyed the course and training at Fort McCoy.

“Fort McCoy is a nice post, and I’ve enjoyed my time training here,” he said.

During Operation Cold Steel III at Fort McCoy from late March to early May, hundreds of troops trained with Task Force Fortnite.

Task Force Fortnite Commander Lt. Col. Greg Derner said gunnery crews trained day and night using several Fort McCoy live-fire ranges, and those ranges and training areas worked well.

“The ranges themselves are the best equipped, technologically, in the Army Reserve,” Derner said. “Of the locations where they have conducted Cold Steel, McCoy is the best. … Overall, the installation is well set up to do this.”

Maj. Benjamin Nonaka, Operation Cold Steel III Task Force Fortnite executive officer, said Fort McCoy’s geographic footprint also helped in streamlining training. At many other places where Cold Steel training has been completed, he said the distance to training ranges is longer.

“Fort McCoy is much more compact, and it reduces the amount of time and logistical requirements for us,” Nonaka said.

Every year, thousands of troops complete weekend, extended-combat, institutional, and exercise training. During fiscal year 2018, 148,733 personnel trained at the installation.

Fort McCoy first broke the 100,000 troop training level in fiscal year 1985. An annual training record of 155,975 was set in fiscal year 2017.

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. 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.)