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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Hundreds of ROTC cadets from 54 teams competed in the 2025 Northern Warfare Challenge Feb. 21-22 at Fort McCoy and in La Crosse, Wis. After competition was done, many of the universities that participated posted the reactions of their team’s participation.
In a Facebook post by Southern Illinois University (SIU) on Feb. 25 at https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02WuZPxbuBz6ZcnQaYwNhxn8ugqY8Gikq27STsVUpiPfN6pZwcdMAaYgzRjyP7pHK5l&id=100000562900792, which is located in Carbondale, Ill., they highlighted how proud they were of their team.
“Five of SIU cadets took part in the Northern Warfare Challenge at Fort McCoy and in La Crosse, Wis., this past weekend,” the post states. “They completed a grueling … ruck march, each carrying an average weight of 50 pounds. They were tested on navigating cold weather, terrain and hazards, using the (Extended Cold Weather Clothing System) gear system, tying knots, and demonstrating essential medical skills. They placed 21 out of 54 teams!”
In the comments below the photos in the post, fan Sharie Sopcak Phelan wrote, “What is really amazing is that, through all that, they are all smiling.”
In another Facebook post on Feb. 26 at https://www.facebook.com/ndsuarmyrotc/posts/pfbid0LQ4PRyGG2XV6Hctr9ko4twtVRV7B4235Gr2yNLm3o5zHtEXoLw4EfiNzEpJnZVLbl, North Dakota State University (NDSU) cadets who competed in the challenge were highlighted.
“Last weekend we sent a team down to La Crosse, Wis., to compete in the Northern Warfare Challenge,” the post states. “Hosted by the University of La-Crosse Wisconsin, Northern Warfare Challenge features two days of cold-weather skills lanes and a culminating 12-mile ruck through Grandad’s Bluff (in La Crosse). We are honored to have competed in what is dubbed ‘The hardest race in ROTC.’ We’d like to give a big shout out to our competing cadets for working hard to represent NDSU. Go Bison!”
A Facebook post by David Cordeiro on Feb. 23 highlighted some team members of the winning team from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The post is available at: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02nV47uGpgPPAgwYKN1jZ8rL8ANPMBZCrv54pk5SnDWyRCtUZBu5ziZmTQwLQyKR27l&id=1664862749.
“English brothers are members of winning team at 2025 Northern Warfare Challenge,” Cordeiro wrote in the post. “First year Cadet Clayton English and third year Cadet Sebastian English of Holyoke, Mass., were part of a five-man, West Point squad that competed in the 2025 Northern Warfare Challenge hosted by the ROTC department of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The team won the competition for the second year in a row. Forty-five units from across the country competed against the West Point team. The competition took place in the hill country of Fort McCoy with inches of snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures.
“The first day consisted of written and oral tests and demonstration tests of orienteering, mountaineering, winter tactics and survival skills,” the post states. “Saturday dawned with anticipation, as teams embarked on a formidable 12-mile “ruck” (full-pack and rifle hike) through the bluffs, with each squad dragging a ‘body’ on a litter-sled for two of the … miles.
The ruck culminated at the flagpole atop Grandad Bluff where a bell was rung by each squad upon arrival.
“The Northern Warfare Challenge serves as a crucible for cadets, forging bonds of friendship and imparting invaluable lessons in leadership and resilience,” the post states. “It stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to duty and their pursuit of becoming future army officers.”
In a Facebook post by the University of Illinois at Champaign, the “Fighting Illini ROTC Battalion” was also highlighted at https://www.facebook.com/FightingIlliniArmyRotc/posts/pfbid02ntCy4EpuCmDmvi8NyxJD1jCw4mtJDawB2ntJciGU3ix3tcjn8d5S9NwPpLywEQkMl.
“Congratulations to all the hard work and accomplishment of our Fighting Illini Northern Warfare Challenge teams,” the post states. “Our … cadets traveled north this past weekend to La Crosse, Wis., to compete with over 50 other national ROTC programs. We sent our first ever female NWC team this year, and our men’s team placed 22nd! Great work! On to the next.”
Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Army ROTC program cadets were also featured in a Facebook post at https://www.facebook.com/EKUArmyROTC/posts/pfbid0KNKb37RYDASNd3ybS2UyHmZgKkHJmVpPhXSXufGZUp78hEWY9n7AxgCTnpzfEf1ml.
“EKU conducted the qualifying event for the Northern Warfare Challenge this morning at Fort McCoy,” states the post from Feb. 21. “The event consisted of a 4-mile course with multiple event stations that consisted of cloud identification, cold weather gear identification, the cold-weather casualty (sled) pull, cold-weather injury identification, and knot identification. The team completed the event in 1 hour and 1 minute, demonstrating effective collaboration and finishing with strength and determination.”
Lt. Col. Brian Knutson with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Military Science Department said he was glad to see all the cadets competing and enjoying the challenge his “Eagle Battalion” organized.
“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 next Northern Warfare Challenge is tentatively planned for February 2026.
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: | 03.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2025 15:25 |
| Story ID: | 492013 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 179 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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