This Month in Fort McCoy History — July 2024

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

80 Years Ago — July 1944

FROM THE JULY 8, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Guns fixed here help 2nd Division in France (By Sgt. William Norton) — German-killing bullets are shooting straighter and surer in France today as a result of work of the 271st Maintenance Company at Camp McCoy last fall.

The 271st is a last-minute rush modified the small arms of the famed 2nd Infantry Division now fighting on the French front, just as it wound up its battle training at McCoy before shipping overseas, Lt. Albert C. Cooke, automotive officer of the 271st, revealed this week. He is acting company commander in the absence of Capt. Thomas Fleming III.

One of the busiest units on the post, the 271st maintains ordnance supplies not only for itself but for all other units on the post, including the 76th Division, and does third echelon repair work for many of them, Lt. Cooke explained. Its skilled technicians repair everything from little one-horsepower generator engines, known as “Tiny Tims,” to 500-horsepower V8 medium tank engines.

Activated at Camp Breckenridge, Ky., in October 1942, the 271st came to Camp McCoy in February 1943. It has been here ever since, except from June to September last year when the unit participated in the Tennessee maneuvers.

The unit is proud of a commendation it received from the chief of ordnance for the 2nd Army for its outstanding performance on the maneuvers.

FROM THE JULY 15, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: McCoy WAC heroine gets Soldier’s Medal (B Public In— The first woman Soldier in the United States to awarded the Soldier’s Medal is a former Camp McCoy Women’s Army Corps (member), Pfc. Mary Jane Ford, Col. George MacMullin, post commander, revealed this week.

The War Department informed Col. MacMullin Monday that Pfc. Ford has been awarded the medal for her heroic efforts in trying to save the life of a Soldier at Airport Lake. Presentation of the award will be made in Washington, where she is now stationed.

The victim Pfc. Ford tried to save was Pfc. Falvious M. Hopkins, an X-ray technician at the station hospital here. Hopkins became exhausted while swimming across the lake and sank in deep water. Pfc. Ford plunged in from the bank and dived repeatedly before pulling Hopkins from the water. She towed him to shore and applied artificial respiration until firemen arrived with a respirator.

For her efforts, she won an immediate commendation from Col. MacMullin. Pfc. Ford is the daughter of Maj. Byington Ford, executive officer of the Dayton (Ohio) Army Air Base. Her home is in Los Angeles.

60 Years Ago — July 1964

FROM THE JULY 10, 1964, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Battle casualties (By Public Affairs Staff) — Mass evacuation and treatment of battle casualties is being undertaken this week by the 325th General Hospital and the 436th Medical Dental Detachment, Army Reserve units from Kansas City, Mo.

For the purpose of annual summer training, the battle conditions and injuries have been simulated. The skills of the men of the 325th and the 436th have not. Operating a hospital in time

of war or emergency is the job of the 325th General Hospital.

It is a highly skilled unit composed of 30 officers and 100 enlisted men from the Kansas City area, with specialties such as neurosurgery, oral pathology, internal medicine, psychiatry, nursing, dentistry, and biochemistry.

The men of the 325th are spending their two weeks in intensive training. They will support the XIV U.S. Army Corps Artillery with the objective of training its personnel in evacuation and treatment of simulated conventional and mass casualties.

The newest concepts and procedures in the care and treatment of casualties will be emphasized. The 436th Medical Dental Detachment is working closely with the 325th.

FROM THE JULY 17, 1964, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Post Exchange observes 69th birthday (By Public Affairs Staff) — The year, 1895; the place, Fort Monroe, Va. First Lt. Bill Duval of the 5th Artillery has just finished inspecting a new shipment of cannon balls and he is off to the Post Exchange for some pickled tongue, cheese, and currants.

The Camp McCoy Exchange will observe the 69th anniversary of the worldwide Army and Air Force Exchange Service by saluting its customers, according to George W. Perry, Civilian Exchange Officer.

“Even though it’s our birthday, the customers get the presents in the form of special savings on selected items of merchandise, foods, and services.” Perry said.

The special AAFES event begins on July 25, the Exchange Service birthday. On this date, in

1895, General Order 46 was issued establishing the post exchange to provide troops items of convenience and necessity and to earn funds for recreational and welfare activities.

There will be free coffee and doughnuts at the Country Store starting at 11:30 a.m. on July 25.

Although the history of exchanges can be traced to several dates, including the Sutlers who served George Washington’s Continental Armies, the modern-day Exchange Service was actually formed in 1941 when individually operated unit exchanges were centralized under the Morale Branch of the War Department.

50 Years Ago — July 1974

FROM THE JULY 25, 1974, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Iowa governor honors National Guard units (By Public Affairs Staff) — During Governor’s Day ceremonies here Friday morning, an Iowa military police company received the Eisenhower Trophy, a National Guardsman was named the States’ winner of the first “Chiefs’ 50 Award,” 38 Iowa National Guardsmen were awarded rings commemorating 25 years cumulative service in the Iowa Guard, and a unit received a trophy for winning the state rifle association tournament.

Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray and Maj. Gen. Joseph May, Adjutant General of Iowa, were on hand for the awards ceremonies and for a review of the 4,000 Iowa Guardsmen completing their first of two weeks of training.

The 185th Military Police Company received the Eisenhower Trophy, which goes each year to Iowa’s outstanding Army National Guard unit. The trophy goes to the Guard unit receiving

the top training ratings during the previous calendar year. In recent years, the top unit has

received, in addition to the trophy, use of a gold jeep for the upcoming year.

Staff Sgt. David M. Demro, a part-time recruiter for the Support Company of the 133rd Infantry was presented the “Chiefs’ 50 Award” for recruiting the greatest number of new members into the National Guard during the previous year. He remained in Iowa to devote two full weeks to

full time recruiting activities.

He and Mrs. Demro will be flown to Washington D. C. on Aug 26 where the staff sergeant will receive the actual award from Maj. Gen. LuVerne Weber, Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

40 Years Ago — July 1984

FROM THE JULY 12, 1984, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Emergency response time tested (By Pat Jones) — Firemen, ambulance, and medevac crews and military police scrambled to the Fort McCoy airfield Friday after receiving a report of a downed aircraft.

The crash was a simulated exercise to test the emergency crews’ response time, said CWO 3 Gary J. Eisenbraun, flight safety officer.

The simulated crash was actually the remains of two helicopters in a fire pit dowsed with flammable liquid and set on fire. It took the air field crash crew six minutes from the starting of the fire to extinguish it, and eight minutes for the medevac helicopter to arrive. The exercise was ended after the last of the emergency crews arrived 18 minutes after the test began.

“We would have been here sooner, but we were told no codes or red lights because it was a simulated crash,” said the ambulance driver.

Eisenbraun said all stations were told it was a simulated crash so in the event of a real emergency, the crews would know which one to respond to.

During the exercise the medevac pilot received a real mission and cancelled his crew’s part in the test. Asked how the medevac could respond so quickly, the pilot, CWO 2 Anthony Meador, explained that the helicopter to be used each day is thoroughly inspected as its crew comes on duty and does not have to be reinspected when they receive an emergency call.

“When I got the call, I sent my co-pilot to crank while I was getting the information. When I got there, all I had to do was strap in. Then we flew direct. We didn’t land because we had a real emergency,” he said.

In addition to testing alert crews’ reaction time, the drill also tests the airfield’s alert notification

system. The alert system consists of two basic communication networks and an information network, Eisenbraun explained.

“On the primary net all the phones ring simultaneously,” he said. The primary net includes the control tower, crash fire station, medevac, airfield operations, range control, ambulance station and helicopter station.

“The helicopter station is notified in case the crash is off station. In that situation a helicopter would pick up firemen and their extinguishers and take them to the crash site,” Eisenbraun explained.

The secondary net includes the airfield commander, main post fire department, medical officer,

and the provost marshal’s office. Under this system, the calls are made individually.

The information net provides calls to various offices on a need-to-know basis. Friday’s exercise was the second drill of what Eisenbraun plans to make weekly practice.

“The airfield is only open four months of the year, and the firemen aren’t the same ones each year. We must completely train two crews,” he said.

30 Years Ago — July 1994

FROM THE JULY 15, 1994, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Cadets reach new heights at McCoy (By Rob Schuette) — Many cadets in a Junior ROTC (JROTC) class at Fort McCoy from June 25-July 1 reached new heights at the rappelling and airborne facilities, as

well as in their self-confidence to accomplish new tasks.

Retired Army Maj. Ron Crosby, a member of the JROTC’s cadre, said the second year the camp was at Fort McCoy featured about 350 cadets, ages 14-19, from 40 different schools throughout the Midwest. A majority of the cadets, who all are enrolled in a high school ROTC program, were from Chicago.

“We had a lot more freshmen and sophomores this year than last year,” Crosby said. “We’re trying to get them into the program earlier, so we have more influence.”

Crosby said the camp cadre, which consisted of retired military personnel like himself, Army National Guard personnel and several active-duty personnel, gave the students a well-rounded

view of the military.

The cadets participated in a structured program. They had a class about first aid and trained at the airborne, rappelling, confidence and conditioning courses. In addition, they received instruction

in land navigation and map reading.

Denise Ecutia, 15, of Chicago, said the training built up her self-confidence.

“The 34-foot rappelling tower really got my adrenalin going,” Ecutia said. “Before I did it I was afraid of heights. I figure now if I can go through this, I can go through anything.”

Dewon Hightower, 16, of Chicago, said he gained a lot of confidence crawling on his back under the barbed wire on the confidence course.

“There was maybe one thing I couldn’t do out of the 25 stations the first time around,” Hightower said. “The training inspired me to come back and (try harder) to do the ones I

couldn’t do.”

The training will help him as he plans to go into the Air Force and attend college, Hightower said.

20 Years Ago — July 2004

FROM THE JULY 23, 2004, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Army, Navy units conduct joint medical training (By Rob Schuette) — Army and Navy medical personnel teamed up for an annual training exercise called Coastal Medic at Regional Training Site-Medical (RTS-Medical) at Fort McCoy in mid-July.

The training included work in the medical skills laboratory, setting up the Deployable Medical Systems (DEPMEDS) equipment and various force protection tasks, said Dennis Peters, Operations specialist, of RTS-Medical.

RTS-Medical hosts several large exercises a year, such as Golden Medic, that bring together medical personnel from the Army and other services to conduct joint training.

During Golden Medic 2004, for example, Army aviation personnel and medical personnel from the 32nd Separate Infantry Brigade (Light), who were not part of the exercise, participated in the scenarios of treating and moving patients, Peters said.

RTS-Medical personnel routinely encourage interservice training, wherever possible, he said.

In this case, the 344th Combat Support Hospital of Fort Totten, N.Y., is assigned to RTS-Medical’s training region and conducts training at Fort McCoy on a regular basis. The 344th scheduled this training in January.

Peters said the Naval Fleet Hospital personnel scheduled their training in March and originally were looking at different dates in the July time frame. When the unit was told it could train with the 344th, it changed its dates to participate in joint training.

Lt. Cmdr. Rhonda McClain of Fleet Hospital Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois said the two service components blended together well during the joint training. The training culminated with a 96-hour exercise that tested all components of the training.

Although the missions of the two services are different, many similarities exist between the equipment and techniques used, McClain said. The two units exchanged ideas and went through medical skills training under the direction of medical staff from both services. This exchange

helped sharpen their skills and increased the knowledge of the other service’s medical procedures, she said. Currently, the two services’ medical units may deploy, but wouldn’t be deployed together.

“We learned about force protection and convoy operations, which we haven’t done,” McClain said. “In the event we run into a situation that would require we do that, it’s good to have the training and know how to do it.” The unit also is happy to come to Fort McCoy, which provides a wonderful medical training site, McClain said.

10 Years Ago — July 2014

FROM THE JULY 11, 2014, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Marine unit returns to McCoy for 2nd year; platoon-level tactics focus (By Scott T. Sturkol) — Nearly 600 Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment (3rd, 23rd) of Saint Louis, Mo., completed annual training at Fort McCoy for a second consecutive year.

In 2013, the Marine Corps Reserve unit trained nearly 1,000 Marines on the installation in squad-level tactics. After a “great experience” last year, the unit returned to Fort Mc-

Coy this year to practice platoon-level tactics, said Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Shayne

McGinty.

“The training was outstanding,” McGinty said of the 2014 training. “Fort McCoy has afforded us all the opportunities to train as an infantry battalion. The post has the ranges we need and the support personnel have been great.”

The Marines set up operations at Forward Operating Base Freedom on Fort McCoy’s South Post. From there unit members set out to different areas of the installation to complete classroom instruction, marksmanship training, supported and unsupported squad- and platoon live-fire and maneuver training, and crew-served weapons training.

“Our culminating event was a platoon supported, live-fire maneuver at Range 29,” McGinty said. “Everyone did very well in the maneuver.”

McGinty said all of the training reflected a theme — “Professionalism, Proficiency and Progress: A Warrior’s Way of Life.”

“The goal is to become more professional at our skills while at the same time bolstering our

ethos and esprit de corps,” McGinty said.

The unit also has companies from Springfield, Mo., Smyrna, Tenn., and Montgomery, Ala. A fifth company from Little Rock, Ark., was training overseas this year and was unable to participate in the Fort McCoy training.

“We are fairly spread out,” McGinty said. “However, it’s good to have them all here with

us to complete this training where we can be one battalion-sized group.”

Cpl. Jake Hime, a headquarters and service company Marine who served as the lead for

the battalion armory section on its deployment to Fort McCoy, said he stayed busy helping

Marines have weapons ready and available for training.

“If we want to have successful training, we have to have operational weapons,” Hime said. “For all the diff erent training we had taking place here (at Fort McCoy), we stayed busy. Th at also meant being out at the ranges to ensure someone was there to fi x any broken weapons.”

Hime also said he was impressed with spaces available at Fort McCoy. “I enjoy it here —

the range facilities here are just incredible,” he said.

5 Years Ago — July 2019

FROM THE JULY 26, 2019, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Fort McCoy first Army installation testing DOD’s TMS prototype (By Scott T. Sturkol) — U.S. Transportation Command is continually working to improve the capabilities of global transportation systems on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD) and Fort McCoy is one of the first installations to be a part of that effort with the testing of the Transportation Management System (TMS) prototype.

The command, also called USTRANSCOM, is responsible for conducting globally integrated mobility operations, leading the broader Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, and providing enabling capabilities in order to project and sustain the joint force in support of national objectives.

USTRANSCOM selected Fort McCoy to try out the TMS prototype while selected cargo was deployed to the post for the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise 86-19-03.

According to USTRANSCOM, the TMS prototype is being tested in order to determine if a commercial-off-the-shelf transportation management system can support the system requirements needed to conduct global transportation for the DOD.

“We’re testing a software suite that may provide us integrated transportation capabilities,” said Kathryn Miller, organizational change management training lead for the TMS Prototype Core Team. “Right now, we coordinate a complex system of transportation nodes that includes aerial and seaports, distribution hubs, and staging bases. There is currently no single system that links these nodes. We often hear that our current portfolio is cumbersome. We’re seeking a more modern, integrated solution to link the platforms that project combat power. Ultimately, we want the end-user to be able to track cargo in an end-to-end system, so when cargo moves from ground to ship to air, we don’t lose visibility.

“We have been in this TMS prototype since March 2018 — it’s a two-year prototype,” Miller said. “And, fortunately, the Army volunteered to participate in our prototype at Fort McCoy.”

For the Fort McCoy system trial, the TMS Prototype Core Team partnered with the Army’s G-43, which integrates strategic Army logistics functions in support of DOD planning guidance and the national military strategy to sustain Army forces supporting global combatant commanders. The core team also coordinated with Fort McCoy’s Logistics Readiness Center (LRC) Transportation Division.

“We completed training with Fort McCoy personnel in June to prepare for the cargo movement using the system,” Miller said.

Three Army units were designated to have cargo deployed and redeployed using the TMS prototype as they prepared for CSTX. These units included the 256th Combat Support Hospital of Twinsburg, Ohio; 454th Transportation Company of Columbus, Ohio; and the 367th Engineer Company of St. Joseph, Minn. All the units had cargo successfully moved in early July.

Installation Transportation Officer D.J. Eckland and Freight Management Specialist Dean Muller, both with the LRC, have been key players in Fort McCoy’s involvement with the TMS prototype.

Overall, six people from Fort McCoy have received training on the system, and Eckland helped develop the blueprints for the system.

“So, before the training took place at Fort McCoy, I (previously) spent 12 weeks at Scott Air Force Base (Ill.) …with the USTRANSCOM TMS Prototype Core Team and the other service components doing the blueprinting process for the prototype,” said Eckland, who worked to have Fort McCoy and the Army be a part of the process from the start. “When you look at logistics systems that the DOD fields, a lot of times they don’t take into consideration the needs of the reserve component or how they do business. So by putting Fort McCoy out front and bringing the Army Reserve with us, that allowed us to put the Army Reserve at the forefront and get the processes that they use embedded into the system at the start. So, we can say we had our say in this, and it’s not just a system with a bunch of processes that somebody else came up with that we’re trying to make it work for ourselves.”

Throughout DOD, multiple transportation systems are used, and many don’t communicate effectively with each other. Muller said the TMS prototype creates a possible “one-stop shop” where everyone can communicate in one system and improve capabilities throughout.

“I’m very excited to be at the spearhead of this thing because we do have that opportunity to identify the reserve components,” Muller said. “There’s a lot of folks who don’t understand the differences between the active and reserve components. This is our opportunity to make those adjustments right at the beginning and have people consider them as we continue to the prototype, and if we go into production as well.”

One of the biggest advantages in the TMS is its capability for in-transit visibility.

“The in-transit visibility of cargo is going to be huge,” Muller said. “And not only huge for us to see within our domestic trucks … but also if a unit is deploying, it has the ability to see it on rail or on a ship. All the transportation methods should be highly visible within TMS as this progresses.”

Eckland, who has been fulfilling transportation needs for the Army and DOD for many years, said the prototype has the capability to change everything in the DOD transportation community.

“This is a great thing for the DOD,” Eckland said. “It’s one system for all. We won’t be swivel chairing between systems, and it will increase visibility and lower costs.”

The TMS Core Team is continually making adjustments and improvements with the prototype as work continues.

“The TMS initiative is energizing cultural and technological change within the Joint Deployment Distribution Enterprise,” Eckland 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,” 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.”