Courtesy Photo | This is a news clipping from the Nov. 25, 1944, edition of The Real McCoy newspaper at...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from December 2024 and back.
80 Years Ago — December 1944
FROM THE DEC. 2, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Silver Star medal pinned on Aleutian hero’s son (By Newspaper Staff) — A Silver Star medal, awarded posthumously, was pinned by Col. George MacMullin, post commander, on the chest of the dead hero-Soldier’s son in the arms of the boy’s mother Friday afternoon at a formal retreat parade.
For gallantry in action in the Aleutian campaign on May 30, 1943, of Pvt. Warren A. Oswald, infantry, the award was presented to Gary Oswald, 2, and to the late Soldier’s wife, Lucille H. Oswald, of Greenwood, Wis. Also present at the ceremony were Pvt. Oswald’s two sisters, Winifred Oswald, and Mrs. Eugene Nolan and her husband, all of Greenwood.
At the same ceremony a Presidential Unit Citation for his part in the South Pacific fighting with the First Marine Division, Reinforced, was presented by Col. MacMullin to Pfc. Edward B. Vogele, now a member of 1620 Headquarters and Service Section, 1620 H and S Section.
Col. MacMullin then welcomed new members of 1620 H and S Section who recently arrived from overseas service. “The excellent spirit of this camp we will be of benefit to you and certainly your inspiring decorations will be of benefit to us,” the post commander declared.
FROM THE DEC. 9. 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Combat training successes traced to Range Office men (By Newspaper Staff) — Credit much of the success in training of combat units to the work of the unsung heroes of the Range Section of the Post Training Division directed by Maj. Ervin A. Walser.
These men, who many times put in 24-hour stretches getting training aids and range facilities ready for troops preparing for combat, were recently personally commended for their efforts by Maj. Walser, who himself received a commendation from Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt, 76th Infantry Division commander, who praised the work of Maj. Walser’s unit in readying 500 combat source targets in a single night. His work in supervising construction operation and maintenance of these targets helped the 76th speed training.
The citation read: “During period 21 Sept. 1944 to 11 Nov. 1944, Maj. Walser’s efficient and timely assistance and cooperation in the construction, maintenance, and supervision of close combat ranges enabled this division to complete an invaluable amount of small unit training within a short period of time. His services in this respect were such as to reflect credit not only upon himself but upon his organization as well.”
29 course in 12 hours
Maj. Walser’s men readied 29 combat courses for division in 12 hours — setting some sort of record. Over 500 targets for the courses had to be made in one night.
When combat units are training in full swing it is not unusual for Maj. Walser’s crew of nine enlisted men to replace as many as 500 targets in a day. That the training division’s crew has its work cut out for is easily evidenced by the fact that there are 14 small arms ranges on the north range and 10 more on the south range.
There are also 18 special fire courses, including anti-aircraft, anti-tank, field artillery, infiltration, and mock village. In addition, 27 other training facilities are available, including obstacle courses, chemical warfare areas, and camouflage and driving courses. Twenty-nine squad combat courses and nine platoon combat courses are also available.
FROM THE DEC. 16, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Old fashioned Christmas planned at station hospital (By Newspaper Staff) — Christmas is going to be like old-fashioned Christmas at the station hospital if Col. David L. Robeson, hospital commander, has anything to do with it.
And he has plenty to do with it — pushing plans for parties and presents for patients and personnel. A Christmas dance next Monday night amid Yule decorations will lead off holiday festivities, according to Mary Glass, Red Cross program director.
With music by an …orchestra and girls from La Crosse as partners, the dance for patients and medical detachment members will be topped off with a buffet supper featuring delicacies as turkey sandwiches.
Santa Claus in person will be on hand to enliven a Christmas party for children of patients and detachment members at 7 p.m. next Wednesday. The identity of Santa is a military secret, Glass insisted, although she revealed he may resemble an officer.
This Sunday a Christmas Cantata will be presented at 2:30 p.m. in the Red Cross auditorium by a musical group from New Lisbon. It is under the direction of Rev. Joseph Mason and Miss Muriel Schoff.
Christmas spirit will resound through the wards of the hospital Christmas eve when a group of nurses, detachment members, and patients go caroling to the patients. Chaplain (Capt.) Howard K. Hilner is in charge.
40 Years Ago — December 1984
FROM THE DEC. 13, 1984, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Veterans helping veterans — Sending holiday smiles home (By Lou Ann Mittelstaedt) — Sending Christmas cards with photographs of family members to loved ones across the miles has become a tradition for many families.
Patients at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tomah had the opportunity to send a Christmas card and photograph, too, thanks to the State of Wisconsin Military Order of the Purple Heart.
“Operation Holiday,” the name for the Christmas card program, began in 1980 as a trial project, according to Omer Richardson, state commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization of combat wounded veterans.
“The program was something we dreamed up and decided to try,” Richardson said. “There are basically two reasons behind the program. One is that some of the patients wouldn’t or couldn’t get a Christmas card out to their families or to their most loved. Another is the idea of including a recent picture. Until the program began, it had been some time since some of these veterans have had the opportunity to have their picture taken,” Richardson said.
The program is usually run in early December to ensure that there is plenty of time for the cards with photographs to reach their destination. Richardson anticipated between 600 and 700 cards will be sent this year.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart finances the entire cost of the project, which includes cards, instant-type photographs, envelopes and postage, from proceeds generated from their thrift stores around the state.
For two days, seven volunteers visit the wards taking photographs, placing the photographs in cards, addressing envelopes and attaching postage. Then the cards are mailed.
“Right now each patient is limited to sending one card and picture through the program. Cost and time are the primary factors which preclude taking more than one picture,” Richardson said.
Patients have a choice of posing with Santa Claus, who makes a two-day appearance for the event, or by themselves in a holiday setting complete with a Christmas tree and festive decorations.
“We figure the program lifts patient morale considerably,” Richardson said. “We provide the veterans a service and let them know they're not forgotten especially during the holidays. Also, the cards and pictures reflect to the families that someone cares about the veteran patient confined to a hospital,” he added.
Richardson said that written and verbal responses of appreciation from both veterans and their families indicate that the program is working, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart plans to
continue the program for many Christmases to come.
30 Years Ago — December 1994
FROM THE DEC. 16, 1994, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Winter-weather training: Marines prepare at McCoy for Norway exercise (By Rob Schuette) — More snow and colder weather would have made it more realistic cold-weather individual survival training for
the first rotation of U.S. Marines training at Fort McCoy, but help. appeared to be on its way as the first five-day increment wrapped up its training.
About 580 Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force Forward (II MEF Forward) of
Camp Lejeune, N.C., trained from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7. Their five days of training included two days and three nights in the field in preparation for “Exercise Strong Resolve 95,” which will be held
in Norway in early 1995. By the time the training ends at Fort McCoy on Dec. 20, about 1,500 Marines are expected to have participated.
Capt. Charles Tappa, operations officer for the 2nd Force Service Support Group Forward (2nd FSSG Forward), said light snow the nights of Dec. 5-6 helped, but colder weather and more
snow would have made the training more realistic for the first rotation.
“Members of the first group weren’t able to use the four-man tents because they are designed to be built on top of snow,” he said. “But the wind-chill and nighttime temperatures did give them a
taste of what we expect in Norway — weather in the teens to 20s during the day and even colder at night, and a lot of snow.”
It is much colder at Fort McCoy than Camp Lejeune, which was in the 50-to 60-degree range when the Marines left and probably won't experience its first frost until January or February, he said.
Captain Ernst Schot, an exchange officer from The Netherlands who is the officer in charge of the Arctic Section of the Special Operations Training Group (SOTG), said the lack of cold
weather and snow was a disadvantage and an advantage at the same time.
"Obviously, it would be more effective and add more urgency to the training if we had more snow and colder weather to show them how to do cold-weather things, such as snowshoeing
and building survival shelters,” he said. “But the warmer weather makes it easier for the Marines to concentrate on what we’re teaching them. If they pay attention and remember the lessons
they've learned, they'll be OK in Norway.”
Sgt. Kelly Comstock of the II MEF Forward, Command Element, said she quickly learned two important lessons of cold-weather training and survival. The first was to eat continuously,
and the second was to walk around to keep warm, she said.
Staff Sgt. Phil Hensley, who is stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, N.C., said the key to the training was trying to stay warm.
“They’ve had good classes on building fires, making snares and constructing survival shelters,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot about survival techniques.”
Lance Cpl. Nick Mendoza of the 2nd Amphibious Assault Vehicle Battalion said the timing of the training was great because he had just finished training for desert-like conditions.
“It seems there is a lot more gear for cold-weather training, and you have to pay more attention to detail,” he said. “I also found out you have to dress in layers. When we were marched out here, I found out if you wear too much you can get warm and sweat a lot.”
Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Cook, Logistics chief for the 2nd FSSG Forward, said the training also will include an Arctic Warfare Drivers Course, which will familiarize the Marines with driving on snow and ice.
“We’re still going to Norway after this is done, and it will have snow and icy conditions for us to train in,” he said.
20 Years Ago — December 2004
FROM THE DEC. 10, 2004, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Railroad projects increase capabilities (By Rob Schuette) — Rail-loading operations at Fort McCoy are getting a boost because of a two-pronged project that will improve the loading capabilities at Track 1 on South Post.
Jane Schmidt, Directorate of Support Services (DSS) Transportation officer and Traffic Management specialist, said the concrete barriers along the track have been removed and the overhead utility lines are being buried.
“This will allow us to load and unload containers easier onto railcars along Track 1,” Schmidt said. “In addition to the capability we have to do this on Track F, this will expand our ability to perform this mission during a time of heavy mobilizations or other training that would increase rail traffic.”
The concrete barrier was part of the coal storage yards that is no longer needed since the installation now uses natural gas, according to Dave Gundlach, DSS project manager. The removal and burying of the power lines will provide more room on the side of railcars if a crane is being used, for example.
Personnel from Gerke Excavation of Tomah, Wis., did the project, he said.
Schmidt said the projects evolved from suggestions made by installation rail operations
personnel that were reinforced through the visit by personnel from the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Transportation Engineering Agency (SDDCTEA) earlier this year.
SDDCTEA personnel spent several days at Fort McCoy and made recommendations about what
projects could be done to improve the installation’s rail operations.
“Rail operations are, and will continue to be, important to move equipment and bring it back,” Schmidt said. “The SDDCTEA personnel made a lot of good recommendations that I hope we can enact as money becomes available.”
10 Years Ago — December 2014
FROM THE DEC. 12, 2014, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Units can create their own dining experience at Fort McCoy (By Scott T. Sturkol) — Most military installations have limited dining facilities to support operations. Service members at Fort McCoy have more options available.
Fort McCoy’s 32 transient training dining facilities provide a unique opportunity for unit
food service personnel to manage their unit’s dining experience, said Fort McCoy Food Service Manager Andy Pisney from the Logistics Readiness Center’s Supply and Services Division.
Pisney said units that sign out a dining facility develop their own food service schedules and menus and feed their troops on the unit’s schedule in a location convenient for their personnel.
“Each one of the transient training dining facilities is located in the various blocks on Fort McCoy,” said Pisney, a retired Soldier who spent more than 20 years in the Army’s food service career field.
“Depending on where they are billeted, units can sign out dining facilities in the same
area as their barracks.”
Fort McCoy’s cantonment area, built during World War II in “cookie-cutter blocks,” puts a dining facility within walking distance of wherever a unit is billeted, Pisney said.
“Most often it works out where we can accommodate units that want to cook for themselves,” Pisney said. “Our staff does an excellent job helping these units have that capability open to them.”
Each block has two dining facilities that are connected, Pisney said. Units with a large number of service members at Fort McCoy for training may end up signing out two of the facilities.
Regardless of the number needed, Pisney said the dining facilities are ready for use at all times.
“That’s what is unique about Fort McCoy,” Pisney said. “When you sign for a facility here,
you get a complete dining facility. It is first class. You have TVs, air conditioning, all new
cooking equipment, dishwashing equipment, a full pantry that has all your pots, pans and
utensils.
“All you need is the food,” Pisney said.
Zandra Myers, Fort McCoy Food Service specialist, said she and her coworkers in food
service management work hard to ensure units get what they need. Th ey also work with other
agencies, such as the Directorate of Public Works Training Facility Support Branch, to maintain the facilities.
“We make sure all the facilities are stocked with the right number of items needed to operate successfully,” said Myers who also is a retired Soldier from the food service career field.
“If any of our customers need anything, we’ll immediately help them get what they need.”
Pisney said all of the transient dining facilities have been renovated, and have had increased use over the last six years.
“The number of units wanting to sign out a dining facility has increased every year since
2008,” Pisney said. “We had 122 in the last fiscal year, 99 the year before that and so on.
Since the end of mobilization, more units are going back to having fully trained food service
specialists and doing their own cooking. Our facilities, I believe, make that effort easier for
them.”
In addition to transient training dining facilities, Pisney’s office oversees the food service
contract at two “brick and mortar” facilities — buildings 50 and 2674 — and will do the
same at the new dining facility at the Staff Sgt. Todd R. Cornell Noncommissioned Officer
Academy complex.
Having the ability to sign out a dining facility significantly helps with training too, according to Pfc. Stephanie Hajdas, food service specialist from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 132nd Brigade Support Battalion, Company D, at Baraboo.
“It’s nice to be able to come to Fort McCoy and get right to work,” Hajdas said. “The staff
support here, too, is excellent.”
Myers said everyone who supports the Fort McCoy Food Service Program is dedicated to
excellence. “I love food service — I have a passion for what I do and so does everyone else
here,” she said.
Pisney agreed. “I think all of us understand the importance of quality food service for the
troops. We understand food, and we understand our customers. We have a great team.”
5 Years Ago — December 2019
FROM THE DECEMBER 2019 NEWS ARCHIVE FOR FORT MCCOY PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE: First CWOC class of 2019-20 training season graduates 38 students at Fort McCoy (By Scott T. Sturkol) — 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.
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,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy,” on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fortmccoywi, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@fortmccoy.
Also try downloading the My Army Post 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.”
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2024 12:17 |
| Story ID: | 487205 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
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