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After a first half of the year with extensive construction projects going on and a historic rail movement and many types of training going on, the second half of 2024 at Fort McCoy continued to build on that foundation of activity.
Throughout the second half of 2024, Fort McCoy saw several large Army Reserve exercises take place, numerous troop projects were completed, and the start of yet another large construction project began. Here’s a continued look at main stories and events through the rest of 2024 at Fort McCoy.
JULY
— Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Ricciardi took command of the 88th Readiness Division from Maj. Gen. Matthew V. Baker during a change-of-command ceremony July 20, 2024, at Veterans Memorial Plaza at Fort McCoy’s historic Commemorative Area.
Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels, chief of the U.S. Army Reserve and commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command, served as the presiding officer for the ceremony.
Ricciardi was previously he was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Installation Management Command since June 2023. In addition to the commanding general of the 88th, he will also be the senior commander for Fort McCoy.
According to his biography, Ricciardi was commissioned through the U.S. Military Academy. He obtained master’s degrees in strategic studies from the Army War College and Purdue University. He additionally obtained a doctorate from Benedictine University.
— Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez assumed command of Fort McCoy Garrison from Col. Stephen Messenger during a change-of-command ceremony July 19, 2024, at Veterans Memorial Plaza at the installation’s historic Commemorative Area.
Patrick J. Appelman, director of U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Readiness, served as the presiding officer for the ceremony. Dozens of people were on hand to witness the ceremony as Baez Ramirez became the first woman to command the garrison in the installation’s history.
“Steve, I know this is a bittersweet day for you,” Appelman said as he reviewed the accomplishments of Messenger during his last two years as commander of the garrison. “Commanding a garrison is one of the most unique military assignments one can experience. Serving our Soldiers, civilians, and their families. … Installation Management Command and the Army entrust garrison commands to defend and secure Army installations. And you Steve as the garrison commander provided that defense and that security of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy with unparalleled expertise and grace. Thank you.
“I would also like to welcome Col. Sheyla Baez (Ramirez),” Appelman said. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you the past couple of days, and I also would like to welcome your family to the IMCOM-Readiness team. Sheyla, I am excited to see you assume command and lead U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy. As a proven leader, I am confident you will invest the same time, passion, professionalism, pride, and expertise into the entire community of Fort McCoy. Trust me, they deserve nothing less for each and every day of your command.”
After taking command, Baez-Ramirez said she was proud to come to Fort McCoy to lead the garrison.
“Today is a very special day,” she said in her first remarks as the garrison commander. “And not because I am here and not because I’m taking command of Fort McCoy. It is because we are expanding the community. It’s because we are building up on Col. Messenger and what he has done for Fort McCoy. I am super proud to have the opportunity to serve with you. I hope to have the opportunity to serve with all of our partners in the community.
“To the staff here at Fort McCoy, you have done an amazing job, and I hope to continue …,” Baez-Ramirez said. “All policies and procedures remain in place, and we will continue to move Fort McCoy forward.”
— In July 2024, an unusual discovery was made on one of Fort McCoy’s training ranges that sparked interest among archaeologists and workers alike.
What was first believed to be a Civil War-era shell unearthed during training was later revealed to be a replica used in reenactments during the 1970s to 1990s.
Range Safety Specialist Erik Christianson received a call regarding unexploded ordnance (UXO) that was found on one of the ranges. Finding UXO is not an uncommon experience while training, however, upon Christianson’s safety inspection and slight excavation of the UXO he noticed it did not have any tell-tale signs of modern ammunition.
“What was unique about this was there was no firing pin to indicate that it was any sort of projectile. There were no fins to indicate that it was any sort of mortar… taking some dirt away around it I noticed that there was a spot for a fuse.” Christianson recalled.
Christianson then called the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to ensure that the shell was rendered safe before further action. After calls were made, the explosive ordnance team with the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard in Madison was planning to take action to blow up the unidentified shell.
— In late-July 2024, aircrews with the Minnesota National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment operated UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at Fort McCoy supporting training operations at the installation.
Some of the operations included specialty training and others included unit-directed training. Black Hawk units and crews regularly complete training operations at Fort McCoy, and they also unit also support numerous training events at the installation each year.
— Fort McCoy’s Quarterly Safety and Occupational Health Advisory Council met on July 9, 2024, to discuss safety measures both on and off the base. The meeting, led by Safety Manager Edson De Leon with the Installation Safety Office emphasized the importance of safety awareness and proactive prevention of accidents.
De Leon’s presentation included a thorough review of safety statistics showing a significant downward trend in accidents, along with an open discussion encouraging input from attendees.
The exchange highlighted the need to communicate risks effectively, especially to those unfamiliar with them, noting, fresh eyes can give you a new angle to help mitigate risks that we become accustomed to. Normalized risks does not mean it is safe for others and allowing feedback from both experienced and inexperienced workers can better work environments.
Deputy Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Michael Corkum added, “Qualified doesn’t equal experience,” underscoring the importance of practical knowledge in safety practices. He also added to empower junior leaders to help them gain knowledge in more controlled environments so they can be successful in moments of need.
De Leon concluded his presentation with a poignant remark: “No safety, know pain. Know safety, no pain.” He stressed that being aware and making educated decisions are key to preventing accidents.
— Forty-five people over two tours from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin visited Fort McCoy on July 15 to participate in a butterfly field day at the installation for a second time.
The Fort McCoy coordination for the field trip was again led by Endangered Species Biologist Jessup Weichelt with the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB).
Weichelt said the weather for the event was ideal and he had a great turnout for both the morning and afternoon tours.
“The mission was to find as many butterflies as we could,” Weichelt said. “The goal also was to find some of the more rare butterflies, such as Ottoe Skipper and the Karner Blue Butterfly. And luckily the weather allowed us to be successful. We were able to find Ottoe Skippers and Karner Blue Butterflies.
“There were 25 people signed up for the morning session and 25 for the afternoon session,” Weichelt said. “We did have some cancellations, but total we had 45 people participate.”
— Fort McCoy’s rail operations support team steamed into action once again in late June and early July 2024 to support the return of more than 800 pieces of equipment and vehicles belonging to the Wisconsin National Guard’s 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in the post’s second large rail movement of the year.
Fort McCoy first supported a rail movement in May to move the same 800-plus pieces of equipment on dozens of railcars, which made their way to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, La., for a rotation of training for the 32nd.
All along, Fort McCoy’s personnel has worked in step with unit movement coordinators for the 32nd, who have conducted the loading and off-loading of the equipment with the railcars, said Warrant Officer 1 Eric Frank with the Wisconsin National Guard who has coordinated the rail movements for the 32nd.
The last of the equipment was offloaded on July 9 on the second rail movement, Frank said. And overall, he said it was not only a historic rail movement for the Wisconsin National Guard but also well done.
“This was the largest rail movement with civilian linehaul the Wisconsin National Guard has ever done,” Frank said in May when the movement of the 800-plus pieces of equipment and vehicles started.
— Fort McCoy held a special Triad Nights celebration to honor the Army Community Service’s (Acs) 59th birthday July 25 at McCoy’s Community Center.
The night’s events began with Lisa David Olson, a business humorist, having a discussion with several dozen attendees to the leadership discussion portion of Triad Nights at McCoy’s Community Center.
Olson held a humorous discussion, then also continued with activities that included audience members.
Olson’s event was then followed by the official cake cutting to celebrate the ACS birthday. But before that would happen, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez discussed the importance of what ACS does for the community.
— Soldiers from multiple units participated in the Installation Run on July 19, 2024, at Fort McCoy.
The formation run saw more than 130 Soldiers participate and covered approximately 2 miles.
The run included the installation’s senior commander, a two-star general, with the 88th Readiness Division leading the way with Soldiers from the division.
The run also included Soldiers with the Fort McCoy Garrison, 86th Training Division, 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade and its related units, Fort McCoy Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Fort McCoy Regional Training Site-Maintenance and related 94th Training Division service members, and other units.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez held her first town hall with the Fort McCoy workforce July 25, 2024, in building 905 to take an opportunity to introduce herself to the community.
Baez took command of the garrison on July 19 and has been busy learning more and more every day about Fort McCoy, she said.
As garrison commander, Baez is responsible for day-to-day operations and management of the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. A garrison commander also represents the Army and the installation in the surrounding community, approves and issues garrison policies in accordance with respective Army regulations, approves and issues policies for the civilian workforce, and supports mobilization station requirements.
Baez shared a lot of information about herself, such as how her last names are arranged. She said in her native Puerto Rico, it’s customary for children to take the last names of both of the parents. In her case, her father’s last name is Baez and her mother’s last name is Ramirez.
Baez also talked about how important family is to her, how she’s looking forward to working with the workforce, and more. She also discussed some of her command philosophy.
— Firefighters and police officers with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) respond to an emergency situation July 25, 2024, on the cantonment area at Fort McCoy, Wis.
Deputy Fire Chief Brady Brever with the DES Fire Department said firefighters safely stopped a heated brakes emergency on a military trailer with an immediate response.
“The fire department deployed a handline to cool the brakes and checked the temperature with a thermal imaging camera,” Brever said.
B Shift firefighters combined their skills to successfully complete the response, Brever said, along with police personnel providing additional support.
— Fort McCoy held an annual session of its Installation Planning Board (IPB) on July 18, 2024, at McCoy’s Community Center that included senior leaders and upcoming leaders at Fort McCoy.
Installation Management Command (IMCOM)-Readiness Director Patrick J. Appelman; Maj. Gen. Matthew V. Baker, then Fort McCoy senior commander and 88th Readiness Division commanding general; Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Ricciardi, now the Fort McCoy senior commander and 88th commanding general; Col. Stephen Messenger, then-Fort McCoy Garrison commander; and Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, now Fort McCoy Garrison commander; all attended.
The overall meeting was organized by the Fort McCoy Plans, Analysis and Integration Office (PAIO). The purpose of the IPB, according to the agenda, is it serves as a “forum for identifying, assessing, and providing a common operating picture regarding installationwide planning requirements.”
It also enhances “collaborative communication and decisions installationwide” and “ensures resourcing decisions are aligned with the installation’s strategic business plan.”
— The fiscal year 2022-funded Transient Training Troop Barracks Project, also referred to as the South Barracks Project, maintained its scheduled progress and stood at 25 percent complete as July 2024 began.
Framework for the four-story, 60,000-plus square-foot barracks started at the end of January 2024 and has continued to steadily be built up by contractor BlindermanPower (Construction) who got the contract to build the facility in June 2023 at just over $28 million.
As of July 5, according to an update from Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy, construction progress was at 25 percent complete and the contractor has made progress on building walls and installing the roof and more.
— Aircrews with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment operate UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in July 2024 at Fort McCoy.
Members of the unit regularly complete training operations at Fort McCoy and the unit also supports numerous training events at the installation each year.
— Hundreds of Army Reserve Soldiers with a multitude of units descended on Fort McCoy in July 2024 to train in the 87th Training Division’s Warrior Exercise (WAREX) 87-24-02, said Training Coordination Chief Larry Sharp with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.
The dates of the exercise are July 13-27, and it covers a wide variety of activities for units participating in the training. For example, at the 87th Training Division’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/87thTrainingDivision, a post from July 16 where Soldiers in WAREX were completing M249 shooting at a Fort McCoy live-fire range, division officials gave an idea of what the exercise was about.
“Part of the WAREX is validating Soldier warfighting capabilities in both individual and collective common Warrior tasks,” the 87th’s post stated.
AUGUST
— More than 6,000 service members descended upon Fort McCoy at the beginning of August 2024 to train and build their Soldier skills in the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-24-02 from Aug. 3-17, 2024, at Fort McCoy.
The 86th Training Division, a tenant organization at Fort McCoy, conducts a CSTX annually at the installation.
In a video about CSTX 86-24-02 by Staff Sgt. Samuel Conrad with the 326th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment at https://www.dvidshub.net/video/934058/86th-training-division-conducts-cstx-24-02, Col. David Nash, deputy commander of the 86th Training Division, discusses how the exercise is unique.
“A Combat Support Training Exercise, or CSTX, is the Army Reserve’s last fully evaluated — externally evaluated — collective training exercise. It is to validate that units are ready to go into their available year into a (Forces Command) ready pool of units that could be picked to deploy worldwide. The CSTX is the Army Reserve’s equivalent of a combat training center (CTC).
“A lot of these units don’t get the opportunity to go to a CTC because the CTC is built for really that brigade combat team forward and … maybe a division construct. At echelon, in the size that these units are, they really need a different exercise design to get after all of their individual trading objectives at the same time, forcing them to work together across organizations to develop the relationships to get after how integrated sustainment, the casualty evacuation, and replacement process works.”
Units like the 652nd Multi-Role Bridge Company were a unique addition to the exercise. The unit completed a training event on the Mississippi River at Fountain City, Wis. They also trained on Big Sandy Lake on Fort McCoy’s South Post where the lake has special areas set up so units can do this exact kind of training.
— Maj. Michael A. Robinson became the new commandant for Regional Training Site (RTS)-Maintenance at Fort McCoy in August 2024 at Fort McCoy.
As commandant, Robinson is responsible for overseeing 12 separate ordnance-specific courses that support training of students of both active- and reserve-component forces annually.
According to his biography, Robinson joined the Army in 2010 and attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore, Ga., and was commissioned in November 2011.
— Aircrews piloted several UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for training during the third weekend of August 2024 as part of some specific weekend training at Fort McCoy, Wis.
According to Fort McCoy training officials with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, several Black Hawks and crews held training at Fort McCoy the third weekend of August at Young Air Assault Strip as well as the airport.
All of the crews and UH-60s were with the Wisconsin National Guard's 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment which regularly conducts training at the installation.
— Soldiers with the Army Reserve’s 612th Engineer Detachment (Utilities) of Duluth, Minn., worked on a sidewalk troop project in mid-August 2024 on the cantonment area at Fort McCoy, Wis.
The engineers replaced 220 feet of sidewalk on the project. The work was done while the Soldiers were at Fort McCoy for training in the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise 86-24-02.
Completing troops projects at the installation is very important, according to Fort McCoy's Directorate of Public Works. The projects help troops get the training they need, and the post benefits from the work they do, such as improving Fort McCoy training ranges and quality-of-life programs.
— During August 2024, some 6,000 service members were participating in the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) at Fort McCoy, but those same thousands of troops also cross-flowed in participating in the 2024 Global Medic exercise at the installation as well.
According to Army Reserve Medical Command (ARMEDCOM), Global Medic had two iterations in 2024. Once was held at Fort Hunter-Liggett, Calif., earlier in the year, and the second was held in August at Fort McCoy.
“Commanders bring their Soldiers and units to Global Medic as a capstone military medical training event to put previous individual and collective training in a theater context consistent with Big Army’s posture transition away from counterinsurgency to large-scale combat operations,” ARMEDCOM stated about the training.
Throughout the exercise at Fort McCoy, Global Medic operations operated from numerous areas of the installation. At Tactical Training Base-Justice on Fort McCoy’s North Post, a large encampment of troops were set up at the austere location with a large number of medical units.
— UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters operated by aircrews with the 5th Battalion, 159th General Support Aviation Battalion of Fort Eustis, Va., conducted operations on the cantonment area Aug. 7-8, 2024, at Fort McCoy, Wis., as part of training operations for the 87th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise 86-24-02 at the installation.
The UH-60 Black Hawk has been the Army’s front line utility helicopter for the past 40 years, and it shows no signs of letting up, said service officials at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
— More than 56 paralegal (27D) Soldiers from over five Army Reserve commands participated in the annual Paralegal Warrior Training Course (PWTC) hosted by the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) from July 21 to Aug. 3, 2024, at Fort McCoy.
Participants of the PWTC spent a week in the classroom learning about paralegal competencies, and about another week conducting field training exercises that ranged from establishing an Office of the Staff Judge Advocate to area security operations.
— Ninth-grade students from Milwaukee's Greenfield Bilingual and Wedgewood Park Middle Schools recently had a unique opportunity to explore potential careers and experience military life during a field trip to Fort McCoy.
The Aug. 6, 2024, visit, organized by Marilu Rodriguez-Kroll, Talent Search Education Specialist with the Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Programs, was designed to introduce students to various career paths within the U.S. Army. Rodriguez-Kroll chose Fort McCoy due to her familiarity with the area and its picturesque setting.
“When I was looking for a base to visit, I tried Fort McCoy first. Mainly because I was familiar with it, and it is in a beautiful part of Wisconsin,” she said. “Our family farm is in the area (outside of Ontario). I’ve driven by the base so many times. Once I made contact, Christopher Jones from the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office was so helpful that I didn’t need to look at another base.”
The students engaged in a range of activities during their visit. They toured the historical Commemorative Area, participated in a convoy driving simulation, and enjoyed a meal at McCoy’s restaurant. They also had the chance to meet with STEM-focused Army recruiters, receive MREs (Meal-Ready-to-Eat) to take home and get photos inside an actual Humvee. Rodriguez-Kroll reported that the students were particularly enthusiastic about the experience.
— Fort McCoy demonstrated its ability to support large numbers of personnel with Task Force McCoy (in 2021-22), which supported Operation Allies Welcome to temporarily house, feed, clothe, provide medical care, and process for immigration nearly 12,600 Afghans. Despite that achievement, its capability to mobilize units at a similar scale has not been tested in recent decades.
“It is not only the quantity of thousands of Soldiers that we need to process through Fort McCoy, but also the rate of throughput of hundreds per day that will stress the mobilization task force. This is an order of magnitude greater than we have experienced, so we are not currently familiar with our gaps and weaknesses,” said said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Stephen P. Case, deputy commanding general of 88th Readiness Division.
Previous exercises at Fort McCoy did not stress this capability or capacity in intensity, nor frequency. This led to the creation of the Mobilization Support Force – Exercise, which seeks to prove and test the capability of the enterprise to support and process large amounts of Soldiers at Fort McCoy. The exercise was conducted from July 28 to Aug. 3, 2024.
— Maj. Gen. Robert D. Harter, a lieutenant general selectee and the newly selected Chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command, visited Fort McCoy from Aug. 7-9, 2024, to visit the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-24-02 as well as the 2024 Global Medic Exercise.
On Aug. 7, the Chief of Army Reserve Facebook page showed the new Army Reserve leader making an early morning visit to Fort McCoy’s newly renovated Rumpel Fitness Center. Rumpel Fitness Center reopened May 1 after 18 months and millions of dollars worth of upgrades to the facility.
Besides experiencing Fort McCoy’s upgraded fitness facilities Aug. 7, Harter also went to the Global Medic training. The Chief of Army Reserve Facebook page shows he visited with numerous Soldiers completing training in the exercise in a video as well as photos. In the video he wrote about the stop.
— As blood drips onto the floor of the tan polyurethane medical tent. Airmen, who were strangers just five days earlier, work together, tying a tourniquet, packing a wound with medical gauze, inserting a laryngoscope. Doing everything they can to save the life of a patient with a missing leg.
Approximately 500 U.S. Air Force Reserve medical personnel assigned to 14 units participated in Exercise Patriot Medic 24 with Joint and Allied Forces, at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug. 2-17, 2024. PM24 is an annual exercise conducted to challenge and assess Citizen Airmen on their ability to manage administrative, medical and patient transport tasks according to their specific mission requirements while operating in a simulated deployment environment.
“The intent of this exercise is to get our medical personnel a feel for the field environment,” said Col. Scott Williams, 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron commander and the lead observer and trainer for PM24. “We want to switch them from a counterinsurgency environment that we’ve been in for the last 20 years and start looking at the potential future fight.”
— Aircrews and maintenance personnel with the 5th Battalion, 159th General Support Aviation (5th, 159th) Battalion of Fort Eustis, Va., brought four CH-47 Chinook helicopters to support training in the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-24-02, and for two weeks those helicopters were busy.
CSTX took place from Aug. 3-17, 2024, at Fort McCoy. For the 5th, 159th Soldiers who were supporting the training, they set up shop at the Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport to conduct their operations, said Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) officials.
Throughout the exercise, the four Chinook helicopters of the 5th, 159th could be seen soaring over the installation’s training spaces. The helicopters and their crews ferried troops all over Fort McCoy’s 60,000-acre space, and more. They even supported the 652nd Multi-Role Bridge Company with some of their training with building bridges at Big Sandy Lake on South Post.
— U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, G-2, visited U.S. Army Reserve military intelligence Soldiers training at Fort McCoy from Aug. 8-9, 2024.
As the Army’s top intelligence officer, Hale’s travels allowed him to engage with troops assigned to the Military Intelligence Readiness Command (MIRC) participating in this summer’s Combat Support Training Exercise, the largest annual U.S. Army Reserve-centered exercise.
The MIRC’s 321st Military Intelligence Battalion (General Support) worked hard to deliver vital intelligence capabilities while operating in an austere field environment. They established a secure area and set up communications equipment while dealing with the challenges presented by the exercise. Their training focus included providing intelligence to the exercise’s corps level staff engaged in large scale combat operations.
— Thousands of troops participated in the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-24-02 as well as the 2024 Global Medic exercise and among the top priorities for exercise planners was making sure those troops had the food supplies needed for meals, and more.
Enter the Fort McCoy food-service team. The installation’s food-service team ensures that need is always met, said Fort McCoy Food Program Manager Andy Pisney with the Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center (LRC).
That team includes the LRC Food Program Management Office (FPMO) and the LRC Subsistence Supply Management Office (SSMO; the full food-service contractor DCT Inc.; and food suppliers, such as Sysco Foods of Baraboo, Wis.
The 86th’s CSTX and Global Medic took place from Aug. 3-17 with 6,000-plus troops participating, said 86th Training Division Public Affairs Officer Maj. Jon Dahl. With that many troops, Pisney said the SSMO was busy providing constant support.
He also noted that members of the SSMO oversee the installation central fuel facility, so they pull dual duty at both 490 where they unload, store, and issue rations, and they also unload fuel and maintain the Central Fuel Point at building 3010.
By the numbers, for food-service support, the team provided a significant number of items throughout the training, Pisney said.
Pisney said for food service the SSMO supported CSTX/Global Medic with Class I in the following quantities: Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs), 100,992 meals; Unitized Group Rations (UGRs), 99,316 servings; UHT milk, 51,840 containers; bagged ice, 110,140 pounds; and additional enhancements such as cereal, fresh fruit, salad mix, and salad dressings.
— On a hot August day, Bataan Death March and World War II veteran Sgt. Jack Hohlfeld was laid to rest in La Crosse, Wis., approximately 82 years after his death.
A Mass of Christian burial service was conducted at St. Patrick Parish in Onalaska, Wis., on Aug. 26, and internment was then held at the Catholic Cemetery in La Crosse. Hundreds of people attended the event, including family members, veterans, Catholic clergy, active military members, and even complete strangers thankful he was home.
“This is a very special event,” said Kathy Gurnee at the service. Gurnee, of Fenton, Mich., is the grandniece of Hohlfeld. “This is very nice.”
Accounting for a hero
In July, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced it had identified Hohlfeld and would bring him home. The identification was made conclusive in May.
“U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Jack H. Hohlfeld, 29, of Trempealeau, Wis., who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for May 29, 2024,” the DPAA release stated. “Hohlfeld was a member of Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December 1941. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.”
— Numerous current and even some former Soldiers associated with Fort McCoy took time Aug. 26, 2024, to be part of a special Mass of Christian Burial for former World War II POW Sgt. Jack Hohlfeld who was returned home from having been found in the Philippines earlier in 2024.
Soldiers with Fort McCoy Garrison and the 86th Training Division were among the hundreds of people at the Hohlfeld service in St. Patrick Parish in Onalaska, Wis., and at the Catholic Cemetery in La Crosse, Wis., on Aug. 26.
From Fort McCoy Garrison, Deputy Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Mike Corkum and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Calarco, garrison command sergeant major, attended the event to represent the installation.
From the 86th, and in probably one of the most important jobs of the day for the event, seven Soldiers served as the pallbearer/flag folding team for Hohlfeld. Those Soldiers included Maj. Steven Kelly, Capt. Jiaru Bryar, Sgt. Maj. Abdul Parsons-Bey, 1st Sgt. Matt Hardin, Master Sgt. Kristy Roemer, Staff Sgt. Haley Dexter, and Sgt. Dalton Bruser.
The team met the arrival of Hohlfeld to the parish for the start of the service, carried him into the parish and stood by him throughout the ceremony. Then returned with him to the hearse. At the cemetery, they also carried him from the hearse and to his final resting place.
SEPTEMBER
— Work on the fiscal year 2022-funded Transient Training Troop Barracks Project, also referred to as the South Barracks Project, at Fort McCoy has jumped to 45 percent complete thanks to work completed by the contractor into September 2024.
The contractor BlindermanPower (Construction) got the contract to build the facility in June 2023 at just over $28 million.
In his Sept. 13 update, Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy, said the progress of the project is 45 complete and doing well.
“Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continued,” Green wrote in the update. “Interior steel stud framing continued. Interior spray foam continued. Interior sheet rocking continued. Interior blocking continued. Interior sound batting continued. Interior finishing continued. (And) masonry continued.”
— An aircrew with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment operated a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Sept. 18 at Fort McCoy in support of training at the installation.
Members of the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment regularly complete training operations at Fort McCoy, and the unit also supports numerous training events at the installation each year. In 2024, the unit has been supporting training on Fort McCoy nearly every month.
According to the Army fact sheet for the Black Hawk, its mission is to provide air assault, general support, aeromedical evacuation, command and control, and special operations support to combat, stability, and support operations.
The UH-60 also is the Army’s utility tactical transport helicopter, the fact sheet states. The versatile helicopter has enhanced the overall mobility of the Army due to dramatic improvements in troop capacity and cargo lift capability over the years as well.
— Contractors continued work on a new $27.3 million transient training troops barracks project Sept. 11, 2024, at Fort McCoy. Contractors began in May 2024 getting the site set up for the fourth transient training troops barracks project at Fort McCoy, which was awarded in February 2024 to L.S. Black Constructors, LLC, for approximately $27.3 million.
L.S. Black Constructors is a familiar name in the barracks construction history at Fort McCoy, having built the first two of the 60,000-square-foot transient training troops barracks on post. They also recently built the new brigade headquarters building located in the same block as the barracks buildings.
The exact contract amount for the project was $27,287,735. In the award announcement, it states it was “for the construction of the barracks, which will provide housing for enlisted service members undergoing training at the installation.”
— Dozens and dozens of military retirees and their family members made the trip to Fort McCoy on Sept. 6 to participate in a full day of activities for Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) 2024 at the installation.
The first part of RAD 2024 was a prayer breakfast that started at 7:30 a.m. in building 905. The breakfast was organized by the Fort McCoy Religious Support Office and featured retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Rufus M. Parker as the featured guest speaker.
Attendees also were served a free breakfast on tablecloth-covered tables while Parker gave his presentation. As one retiree mentioned later in the day, “Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Amy Noble and her team did a great job once again setting up the prayer breakfast once again, and we hope to continue this tradition.”
Following the breakfast, attendees were able to visit with agency representatives who were at the event to provide support and information. Some included people from the Social Security Administration, TriCare, Military OneSource, Fort McCoy Army Substance Abuse Program Office, American Legion, and more.
In addition to visiting with the representatives, Fort McCoy Retirement Services Officer Nick Gimson with the Soldier for Life Retirement Services Office of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Human Resources made sure those same representatives also gave briefings and answered questions about the varied programs and subjects that military retirees are concerned about.
Gimson said he was happy to see how the entire day and event was completed.
“Retiree Appreciation Day was a tremendous success,” Gimson said. “We had the pleasure of serving 155 retirees, veterans, and spouses. This year, we welcomed several new community partners, and the feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Many expressed a desire for more time and additional events.
— The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison ROTC “Badger” Battalion held its Alumni Tailgate and Hall of Fame induction Sept. 7 at the university campus not far from Camp Randall Stadium and among the inductees to the Badger Battalion Heritage Alumni Hall of Fame was Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy.
McCoy is the namesake for Fort McCoy, formerly named Camp McCoy. Maj. Gen. McCoy has ties to UW-Madison and so for the 2024 hall of fame induction it was decided to honor the Spanish-American War and World War I veteran.
Maj. Michael Centola, associate professor of military science with UW-Madison’s ROTC, led the effort to recognize McCoy. He explained how it came to fruition.
“We hold a hall of fame induction and alumni event roughly every two years — this was the third event since 2019,” Centola said. “Leading up to the event, we solicit nominations for individuals who have either had an impact on the ROTC program, are distinguished alumni from the ROTC program, or distinguished military individuals with University of Wisconsin-Madison ties.
— More than 30 Fort McCoy Garrison and local community guests participated in the 2024 Fort McCoy Community Connect Night held Sept. 5, 2024, at McCoy’s Community Center on post.
The annual Fort McCoy Garrison event, formerly called Community Appreciation Night, was coordinated by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.
The 2024 event was held in the banquet room at McCoy’s Community Center and included guests from agencies around the installation as well as guests from communities such as Tomah, Sparta, La Crosse, Onalaska, and other Wisconsin municipalities.
Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez welcomed everyone to the event.
“I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be with us tonight to celebrate kicking off our first Fort McCoy Community Connect Night, which is a smaller, more-personal version of the Community Appreciation Night,” Baez said.
— Fort McCoy Garrison leaders and staff with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (DFMWR) held a special ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 3, 20-24, to officially open the New Edge String Pinspotter Bowling System now available at McCoy’s Community Center.
Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez, Fort McCoy Garrison Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Mike Corkum, Fort McCoy Garrison Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon, DFMWR Business and Recreation Chief Karla Rynes, and other DFMWR employees were on hand to support the ceremony.
Rynes said new system for bowling is a major improvement for McCoy’s Community Center.
“It’s a new era of bowling,” Rynes said. “Your pinsetters don’t break down, and lanes stay open. The simple design of this system really makes it easy for any staff to be able to operate. Staff can be trained to operate the system in an hour — that’s how simple the system is to operate.”
— Fort McCoy joined many other Department of Defense and Army installations in testing its energy resiliency as it held a Black Start Exercise on Sept. 10, 2024, at the installation.
The no-notice exercise began at 8:06 a.m. when the power to the installation was shut down and went on for eight hours. During the exercise, the Fort McCoy Installation Emergency Operations Center was active and activity during the power outage was managed throughout the day.
Facilities that have working generators were able to continue full operations. Other areas allowed for maximized teleworking for employees.
Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services leaders said the installation security and emergency services coverage were not affected as the area remained fully secure and emergency personnel stood ready as needed.
Black Start is an energy resilience readiness exercise designed to test the installation’s emergency and standby energy generation systems, key infrastructure, and equipment, planning documents show. Garrison leaders learned from exercise outcomes about the infrastructure needs for crucial installation missions in the event of a power loss.
— Dozens of Soldiers, veterans, workforce members, family members, Wisconsin Challenge Academy cadets, and others lined up in the dark, early morning hours Sept. 11, 2024, to pay honor to the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the United States as they participated in the 2024 Fort McCoy 9/11 Memorial Run and Stair Climb.
The 2.975-mile run/1.34-mile walk started and ended in the parking lot of one of the new four-story barracks at Fort McCoy — the tallest buildings on post. The stair climb, which also was meant to resemble the firefighters climbing the stairs of the World Trade Center, also took place inside the barracks building. Nearly every participant also did the stair climb.
Chaplain (Maj.) Carlos Ruiz with the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade gave an opening prayer to start the event after having a moment of silence to remember the victims of the events from 2001.
Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez also gave opening comments about remembering what happened 23 years ago.
“Sept. 11, 2001 — some of you were not even born that day,” Baez said. “So, I’m not sure if your parents or your family members … have given you a recount of what happened. (However) I think this is a day that changed the course of our history, and it left a big mark in our hearts and in our minds.
— Pilots driving the A-10C Thunderbolt II completed several days of bombing practice at Fort McCoy in early September during bombing training runs with 1,000-pound munitions at the installation’s impact area.
The Thunderbolts were from the 303rd Fighter Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., according to Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security officials. Over the course of several days (Sept. 5-9), A-10s made passes to targets on the installation’s impact area on North Post — accurately hitting targets as efficiently as possible.
— Students and staff with the 89B Ammunition Supply Course conducted sling-load training with a CH-47 Chinook crew at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport on Sept. 26, 2024, at Fort McCoy.
The Ammunition Supply Course (ASC), taught by Regional Training Site-Maintenance staff with the 94th Training Division at Fort McCoy, is a four-week course that provides training for Soldiers who are reclassifying to the 89B military occupational specialty, said course manager Staff Sgt. Christopher Nieves. The sling-load training is one of the last major training events during the course.
According to the Army, a sling load is used to transport munitions to remote locations or to expedite shipments in hostile locations. By Army definition, ammunition supply specialists are “Soldiers responsible for the management of ordnance to include ammunition and explosives.”
The sling-load training is one of the last major training events during ASC, Nieves said.
“We teach all of our students here how to perform sling-load operations,” Nieves said. “We’ll go over the basics, including about some of the types of aircraft that the Army utilizes to perform this operation, the different types of operations where its needed, and the different equipment that we use to do sling loads.
“We also teach them hand signals to use during sling loads because obviously, if you can’t communicate … it’s not gonna happen,” Nieves said.
— Several Vietnam War-era veterans with the 85th Ordnance Company made a reunion visit to Fort McCoy on Sept. 26, 2024, and the vets had a full day of activities at the installation.
The former Soldiers in the company first started their post visit with a stop at Fort McCoy Garrison Headquarters where the veterans visited with Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez, Garrison Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Mike Corkum, and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Calarco, garrison command sergeant major.
Following their visit with the garrison command team, the 85th vets received an installation driving tour to show some of the current training areas and facilities of Fort McCoy, and more.
The driving tour was then followed by the tour of the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area with members of the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office. The group visited mainly the Fort McCoy History Center and the historical buildings at the area with additional looks at Equipment Park and Veterans Memorial Plaza.
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: | 01.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.07.2025 16:53 |
| Story ID: | 488784 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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