Photo By Scott Sturkol | ROTC cadets with an Army ROTC unit participate in the Northern Warfare Challenge on...... read more read more
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With 54 teams of cadets participating, the competition for the 2025 ROTC Northern Warfare Challenge at Fort McCoy on Feb. 21 had cadets all throughout many areas of the installation’s South Post answering the challenges presented to them.
The challenge was held Feb. 21 at Fort McCoy and Feb. 22 in La Crosse, Wis. At Fort McCoy, cadets marched in teams in a pre-determined route on the installation’s South Post.
The main operating location for the challenge at the installation was at Fort McCoy’s Logistical Staging Area Freedom (once named Forward Operating Base Liberty). The 4-mile challenge by the cadets started and ended at Freedom.
During the day of competition at Fort McCoy, even though the sun was out, the temperatures were cold, and snow was also present all throughout the course for the competition.
Lt. Col. Brian Knutson with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Military Science Department described what the challenge was about.
“The first day … at Fort McCoy, we were testing various skills related to cold weather,” Knutson said. “They were being tested on their knowledge of weather, knots, cold-weather injuries, and then how to evacuate a casualty in cold weather.”
Knutson also said the competition was good for building camaraderie between the cadets and the different teams.
“The cadets — they absolutely love it,” Knutson said. “Not only do they like coming to cheer on their own teams, but they love seeing all the other schools and getting to compete against them is kind of a highlight for this time of year when not much else is going on.”
The cadets did a 12-mile ruck in La Crosse, Wis., on the second day of their competition.
“Was another challenge going through the bluffs by La Crosse, which is always challenging,” Knutson said.
Final Results included West Point taking first, Wheaton College earning second, and the University Wisconsin-Madison taking third.
Fort McCoy regularly supports training efforts with U.S. Army Cadet Command and for ROTC cadets.
Events like the Northern Warfare Challenge have also been a regular occurrence at Fort McCoy for decades.
Learn more about Northern Warfare Challenge by visiting their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/northernwarfarechallenge.
Learn more about Army ROTC by visiting https://armyrotc.army.mil. Learn more about the ROTC battalion at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse by visiting their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/eaglebattalionarmyrotc.
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, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
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: | 03.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2025 16:04 |
| Story ID: | 491922 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 695 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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