Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from March 2025 and back.

80 Years Ago — March 1945

FROM THE MARCH 3, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Prep buddies meet again at McCoy; vet’s bravery earned medal (By Newspaper Staff) — Coming to Camp McCoy for reconditioning proved a happy event for Pvt. Julie Gross, a wounded veteran of action in France, for it was here that he met a high school buddy, Cpl. Mickey Sharp, of the Special Services Office who is recognized as one of the Army’s top entertainers.

Gross, a member of the 3rd Armored Division, has been in service for a year and a half. He was overseas from July 1943 until last October (October 1944). His outfit landed in France on D-Day and he was hit July 10 near St. Lo while rescuing a wounded man.

Gross was awarded the Silver Star medal for his bravery in attempting what appeared to be an impossible rescue. A medical aid man with the 3rd Armored, Gross went to the rescue of an observer whose left arm was almost shot off and was screaming in pain about 100 yards from Gross’ position.

Gross came to within a few yards of the man when he himself was hit by fire from the hedge rows. The impact of the bullet flung him next to the wounded man and despite a bad leg, Gross managed to crawl along with the wounded man for nearly 25 yards. He stopped the wounded man’s bleeding and also his own.

An officer, driving out in an M-4 tank, rescued the men.

High school sports star

Before his entry into the armed forces, Gross was an athletic star at John Marshall High School in Chicago where he played basketball and football, captaining a championship quintet. He taught physical education at the Settlement House before donning khaki.

He hopes to do similar work when his fighting days are over. He came to McCoy from Gardiner General Hospital where he assisted in the Special Services Office. His fighting career included tours of duty at Camp Polk, La.; the Desert Training Center, Calif.; Camp Barkley, Texas; Indiantown Gap, Penn.; and Camp Picket, Va.

FROM THE MARCH 10, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Quality work makes McCoy laundry one of best in U.S.; starching sun tan uniforms inaugurated (By Newspaper Staff) — “Quality work” is the motto at the Camp McCoy laundry.

Orders issued at a conference of Army laundry officials from the Sixth Service Command last week in Chicago stressed high quality workmanship over quantity production, Capt. Louis Day, laundry officer, reported. Along with Lorenz Hackbarth, chief clerk, Capt. Day represented McCoy at the meeting.

As a result, Camp McCoy’s laundry hereafter will give all officers’ and enlisted men’s clothes service equal or better than the best commercial laundry work, Capt. Day explained. The post laundry will in the future, he said, add such quality services as starching all summer khaki uniforms and complete quality pressing of all items, except fatigues.

FROM THE MARCH 10, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Camp McCoy really getting old — trained mom, now daughter (By Newspaper Staff) — Camp McCoy is really getting old.

Though the (new) camp is only two-and-a-half years old, it already has the distinction of having in training today a woman whose mother trained here as a nurse.

Lt. Arlynn C. Knapp, an Army Nurse Corps recruit, receiving her basic training at station hospital nurses center, is the stepdaughter of Lt. Myra E. Knapp, who was stationed here with the 17th General Hospital and has been serving overseas with that unit for nearly two years.

FROM THE MARCH 17, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Battle honors for 978th Engineers — McCoy units fighting Nazis (By Newspaper Staff) — After 25 weeks of action against the Germans, the 978th Engineer Maintenance Company, activated at Camp McCoy, has received several commendations for action under “extremely difficult conditions” and has had two of its members recommended for the Bronze Star medal.

Officers and enlisted men of the company were unanimous in their choice of Camp McCoy as “the camp I would like to return for discharge.”

Members of the unit declared “excellent training facilities afforded by Camp McCoy have been an invaluable asset in the combat zone.”

Removal of a wrecker blocking the approach to a river crossing under direct artillery fire brought recommendations for the Bronze Star med for Pvts. August Thaler and Clarence Davidson. Both were wounded by a mine blast during the operation. Though injured, Thaler helped evacuate Davidson and then assisted the bridging units until ordered to the rear.

FROM THE MARCH 17, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Sergeant major’s son killed in Iwo Jima battle (By Newspaper Staff) — Word was received Wednesday by Master Sgt. Edward H. Shermacher, post sergeant major, that is son, Cpl. Edward C. Shermacher, 21, was killed in action on Iwo Jima.

Cpl. Shermacher, a Marine paratrooper, had seen combat duty on the New Georgia Islands battling Japanese forces at Vella LaVella and Choisel. Prior to invasion of Iwo, he participated in several raids on Japan-held islands.

Cpl. Shermacher, who visited his dad here last March, enlisted in November 1942. In addition to his father, Cpl. Shermacher is survived by his mother, three sisters, and three brothers.

FROM THE MARCH 17, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: McCoy Soldiers save Sparta man from icy death (By Newspaper Staff) — Two Camp McCoy Soldiers were credited with helping save a 70-year-old Sparta man this week.

The men, Pvts. Herbert L. Hayes and Marlon Sellers, who reside in Sparta, heard screams for help, called a taxi, and went to Perch Lake’s south shore nearby where they found Furman Shaw, 70, hanging on to the ledge of ice about 100 feet from shore.

They summoned police aid and with the help of a 50-foot rope managed to pull Shaw from the icy waters. Shaw was taken to St. Mary’s hospital suffering from shock but reported in good condition.

Shaw had been on his way to Milwaukee Road depot and had taken the shortcut across the frozen lake. He fell through the ice and then in confusion walked the wrong way. Hayes and Sellers are at the station hospital as members of the detachment of patients.

FROM THE MARCH 24, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Half a million seedling pines to be planted here (By Newspaper Staff) — A half million seedling pine trees will be planted at Camp McCoy this spring, Lt. Col. H.E. Fillinger, post engineer, announced this week.

The trees, including 410,000 Norway pines, 78,600 jack pines, and 12,700 white pines, are being provided without cost, except for transportation to the camp by the Wisconsin Conservation Department, he explained. Word that the trees are available was received from W. H. Brener, state forestry nursery manager, Griffith State Nursery, Wisconsin Rapids.

The white and jack pines will be trucked in Army vehicles from the Wisconsin Rapids nursery and the Norway pines from the state nursery at Trout Lake, Col. Fillinger said.

Planting will begin in early April under the direction of Ray Bufton, post agronomist. It is scheduled for completion about the middle of May.

Purpose of the tree-planting program is reforestation of cut-over and bare lands as a future source of timber, to control wind erosion of soil, to replace dead timber growths, to provide protection of roadways from drifting snow, and to provide windbreaks, Col. Fillinger said.

40 Years Ago — March 1985

FROM THE MARCH 7, 1985, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Demolition exercise benefits post wildlife (By Lou Ann Mittelstaedt) — It seems somewhat odd that demolition

training could benefit the installation’s natural resources since the very meaning of demolition is to destruct or ruin.

But recently, members of the 1st Training Support Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and the 36th Engineer Group, Fort Benning, Ga., participated in demolition exercises that will benefit the post as part of the units’ winter training here.

The demolition work left holes in the earth 30 to 50 feet wide and three to four feet deep which will fill in with water in the spring, creating what the units refer tqoas “duck ponds” and what the post biologist more accurately defines as “potholes.”

“Actually, the areas are too small to have nesting value for ducks because they need more space,” said Kim Mello, post biologist. “However, ducks do use these areas for resting. We may try to tie some of the potholes together to create an island effect and maybe then we’ll see some nesting.

“Through the blasting we’re trying to reclaim a natural area which was once good wildlife habitat but has lost its ability to hold surface water due to plant succession,” Mello said.

Plant succession occurs when more plant activity exists and when sedimentation from aging plants encroaches on a wetland area. It is this filling-in of the area that lessens its ability to hold water.

A wetland can’t rejuvenate itself and therefore other means must be used to reclaim these areas. Blasting is one effective method.

“Units benefit from valuable training with explosives and wildlife resources benefit from the opening up of areas for water,” Mello said. “We’ve really been excited about this type of project.”

The blasting began in 1979 when the 88th Explosive Ordnance Detachment blasted three potholes.

Two days after the first blasting Mello went back to the site to see how much water had filled into the area.

“It was really amazing because in that short time frogs had actually moved into the area and we found raccoon and deer tracks around the edges,” Mello said. “It doesn’t take long for wildlife to find these areas and make use of them, and most every pothole put in so far is holding water well.”

About 40 potholes had been blown or excavated since then. Between 20 and 40 additional potholes were scheduled to be blown, primarily on south post during the unit’s winter training exercise.

FROM THE MARCH 21, 1985, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Alaskan soldiers evaluate brigade’s training (By Lou Ann Mittelstaedt) — When 113 soldiers arrived at Fort McCoy their objective wasn’t to train. The members of the 172nd Light Infantry Brigade (Separate), an active Army unit from Forts Richardson and Wainright, Alaska, were here to watch.

“Our primary role was to evaluate the annual training for the 205th Infantry Brigade (Separate Light),” said Capt. Larry Lambert, assistant operations officer for the 172nd. “The secondary mission was providing them with active component support and an opposing force for their field training exercise,” he added.

The 172nd had these roles because the 205th is their Army Reserve counter-part.

“We evaluated everything the 205th did for the entire two weeks-from the time their convoys arrived until the time the convoys departed,” Lambert said. “The major things we looked for when evaluating the brigade were training, maintaining, caring and leading,” he said.

“The 205th accomplished all the objectives they had planned prior to their annual training, and some went well, some not so well,” Lambert said. “Anytime that you’re able to sit back and observe it’s not hard to pick up on things someone does.”

30 Years Ago — March 1995

FROM THE MARCH 17, 1995, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Ambitious summer schedule lies ahead (By Newspaper Staff) — Early projections indicate a busy summer training season at Fort McCoy, according to the Reserve Component Support Branch of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS).

Claude Gillam of the Reserve Component Support Branch said weekend (MUTA) training began picking up in March. Annual training (AT), or two-week training, figures will pick up in May with 3,055 Soldiers projected.

June and July appear to be the busiest of the months with expected monthly totals in the 7,000-to-9,000 range. Numbers for weekend training (listed first) and AT are as follows:

— March — 7,321; 288

— April — 11,903; 1,444

— May — 13,666; 3,055

— June — 1,599; 7,486

— July — 1,484; 8,973

— August – 3,276; 4,111

— September — 4,314; 327, and,

— October — 4,065; (no AT confirmed.)

The weekend figures are likely to fluctuate, and the final totals probably will be higher, Gillam said. Units often make reservations for this training on short notice.

20 Years Ago — March 2005

FROM THE MARCH 11, 2005, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Army Reserve Soldier awarded Silver Star for Iraq heroism (By Staff Sgt. Chris Farley) — FORT McCoy, Wis. — Spc. Jeremy Church’s platoon sergeant said he wasn’t surprised to see Church be awarded the

Silver Star.

Church, a member of the 724th Transportation Company from Bartonville, Ill., returned with his unit Wednesday, Feb. 25 from a 14-month deployment to Iraq.

Two days later, after the unit permanently arrived back on American soil, more than 440 family members and 130 Soldiers from the 724th gathered at Fort McCoy to witness Church become the

first Army Reserve Soldier to be awarded the third highest medal, the Silver Star for heroic actions during the Global War on Terrorism. Lt. Gen. James Helmly, chief of the Army Reserve, pinned the medal on Church during a homecoming ceremony at Fort McCoy, Wis.

“He deserves it. He did some amazing things out there on that day. He helped save a lot of lives that could have been lost without his initiative,” said Sgt. 1st Class David R. Groff, 2nd platoon leader of the 724th Transportation Company.

According to Groff, April 9, 2004 was the day that Church performed remarkably. It was a day that Church labeled “rough” for the unit.

Two 724th Soldiers, Sgt. Elmer Krause and Pfc. Gregory Goodrich, made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives in a battle with enemy insurgents whose numbers were estimated to exceed 150 personnel when the 724th convoy was attacked.

Spc. Keith “Matt” Maupin of the 724th was captured during the battle and remains missing today. Church was 1st Lt. Matt Brown’s, the convoy commander, driver in the lead vehicle

for an emergency fuel mission to Baghdad International Airport. During the mission, the convoy was attacked by Madr Militia enemy insurgents. According to the medal citation, as soon as then-Pfc. Church’s vehicle entered the kill zone, enemy insurgents attacked from built-up areas with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), improvised explosive devices (IEDs), machine guns and assault rifles.

Church drove aggressively to avoid detonating IEDs and hitting objects placed by the enemy to slow the convoy. Within minutes of entering the kill zone, Brown was shot twice in the head by and enemy sniper. Prior to the convoy, Church had said Brown was very adamant that he learn

the convoy commander’s job because there might be a day when he’d have to take over the position for some reason, and on April 9 that day came.

Church immediately grabbed Brown’s first-aid pouch and instructed him to apply the bandage while he continued to drive. An IED exploded and blew out his front tire. Church continued to engage the enemy with his M-16A2 while he navigated his vehicle on three functioning tires.

Church led the convoy for four miles into a secured perimeter established by a cavalry company from 2nd, 12th Cavalry.

He then carried Brown out of the vehicle for immediate medical attention and medical evacuation, according to the citation.

“I knew I had the entire convoy behind me and I knew they were following me. They needed me to get them out of there,” Church said.

Church then rallied Soldiers in the secured area and went back into the kill zone. Returning to the fire fight Church had just left, the Soldiers launched an immediate recovery mission to aid other

Soldiers and civilians pinned down by enemy fire.

Church identified the assistant commander’s vehicle among the wreckage of burning fuel trucks and found two wounded Soldiers and four civilian truck drivers. Church immediately set up a

hasty triage and administered first aid to a Soldier that had a sucking chest wound.

He applied a bandage and carried the Soldier over to one of the recovery vehicles while exposing him self to enemy fire, according to the citation.

According to the citation, once the wounded were loaded there wasn’t enough room for Church to get in.

Church instructed the cavalry troopers to take the wounded back to the casualty collection point and he would wait for their return. Ten minutes later the recovery team would return and take Church from the kill zone. Church credits his survival and success on that day to his military police background and unit leadership.

“My primary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is military police. So basically, I credit that.” Church also said, “The unit kept on us all the time so we were always ready to go and professional when we went outside the gates. We were always mission orientated.”

But the military police background almost stopped him from deploying with the 724th. “He needed a general officer wavier because he had a MOS that didn’t fit into the UMR (Unit Manning Report),” said Capt. Joseph Huber, S-3 operations officer of the 336th Transportation Group.

Huber said Church was a good fit for the unit and the 88M (Motor Transport Operator) MOS because he was licensed on all the vehicles and knew all the weapon systems. This gave Huber justification to sign and send forth a packet to have Brig. Gen. Michael W. Beasley, commanding general of the 88th Regional Readiness Command, sign off on and grant a waiver for Church’s deployment.

“I was actually very pleasantly surprised when Lt. Brown came back and thanked me that I signed that wavier for Specialist Church because of the fact he saved his life,” said Huber. For Sandy Hankins, Church’s mother, she was happier just for him to get back to the United States. Hankins watched the medal ceremony with Church’s sister, Ashley, and father, Curt.

“I’m extremely proud of him. I actually can’t articulate in words how I feel about the whole thing right now,” said Hankins after Church was awarded the Silver Star. Hankins also said, “It hit me more just listening to someone reading the citation other than me reading it myself.

It was just overwhelming.”

10 Years Ago — March 2015

FROM THE MARCH 11, 2015, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Marines hold exercise at Fort McCoy (By Scott T. Sturkol) — More than 20 members of Marine Air Con-trol Group (MACG) 48 of Great Lakes, Ill., participated in a four-day cold-weather training exercise on Fort McCoy’s North Post.

The late-February exercise was led by two instructors from the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) of Bridgeport, Calif. It focused on over-the-snow mobility tactics and techniques to train members for operations in mountainous, high-altitude, and cold-weather environments.

“We taught them a very basic introduction to cold-weather operations,” said Instructor Staff Sgt. Jaime Soto. “We taught them basic mobility on snowshoes and skis and how to best utilize the cold-weather equipment they were issued.”

Soto said there was “just enough” snowcover to practice the snowshoe and ski familiarization. The sub-zero temperatures also helped. “We could have used deeper snow, but as far as the temperature, it was right on the mark,” he said.

The Marines learned how to correctly carry a rucksack packed with skis, ski poles, and snow-shoes along with personal gear. They also participated in pre-environmental training classes about cold-weather and mountain safety, survival techniques, warfighting loads and equipment, and cold-weather injury prevention and treatment.

“Unlike the Army, the Marine Corps doesn’t have units that are specifically assigned to operate in cold-weather and mountain environments,” said Gunnery Sgt. Marshall Cleveland, an MWTC instructor. “So, this training helps prepare Marines for those harsh, cold-weather Marines hold exercise at Fort McCoy.

Members of Marine Air Control Group 48 of Great Lakes, Ill., line up in formation to begin over-the-snow mobility tactics and techniques Feb. 27 as part of cold-weather training at Fort McCoy. Marines practice using cross-country skis.

Maj. Andrew Carl, MACG 48 logistics officer, said the skills learned during training are valuable to a Marine’s ability to “go anywhere.”

“We came here to do this as a unit because we haven’t done it in a long time,” Carl said. “As Marines, we need to be prepared to fight in every climate. Also, Marines must always train and refine their warfighting skills, and this was another opportunity to accomplish that.”

Gunnery Sgt. Jorge Sanchez, the supply and fiscal chief for MACG 48, recalled his first time completing cold-weather training.

“I completed that training as an active-duty Marine, right here at Fort McCoy back in ’92,” Sanchez said. “We went from here to the MWTC, and then to Norway. In the training, you learn important things to remember, such as you still need to hydrate. Your body doesn’t know as well that it needs hydration during cold weather.

“You also learn that you need sunscreen because you can also get sunburn even though it’s cold outside,” Sanchez said. Many of the Marines said they appreciate the proximity of Fort McCoy.

“Fort McCoy is just a short drive for us, and the training areas here are very good,” Carl said. “Additionally, the Fort McCoy staff is very user-friendly and accommodating for everything we do.”

Cleveland added, “I would recommend to other instructors at the Mountain Warfare Training Center to come (to Fort McCoy) to do this same type of training in the future.”

5 Years Ago — March 2020

FROM THE MARCH 13, 2020, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Army Reserve Soldiers cite Cold-Weather Operations Course as valuable training (By Scott T. Sturkol) — Dozens of Army Reserve Soldiers have completed training in Fort McCoy’s Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) during the 2019-20 training season, and many have said it was among the best training they’ve ever had.

“I’ll be able to take the skills I learned here and bring them back to my unit and help my fellow (Reserve) Soldiers learn how to operate in cold weather effectively,” said CWOC Class 20-01 student Spc. Hunter Blazek with the 445th Transportation Company, an Army Reserve unit in Waterloo, Iowa. “The best part about this course was working with service members of other military branches and with Soldiers from other career fields. … And, some of the (best) skills I bring back to my unit are how to properly pack a rucksack and how to properly wear the layers of the cold-weather uniform.”

During 14 days of training, CWOC students receive classroom and hands-on field training to gain the skills needed to operate in a cold-weather environment, said CWOC instructor Hunter Heard, who coordinates training with fellow instructors Manny Ortiz and Joe Ernst. All are with contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which works with Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security (DPTMS) to complete the training.

“This training is beneficial to anyone — no matter the service,” Heard said. “For Reserve members, this kind of training is increasingly important because if you look at the possibilities of future conflicts on a global scale, there is a real possibility that we could have troops operating in cold-weather environments. Getting this training helps Reserve Soldiers be ready for just about anything.

“Additionally, getting into this course and getting this training can be very helpful for Reserve Soldiers to not only be ready themselves, but also in helping their units,” Heard said. “Students who graduate this course are then subject-matter experts who can go back to their unit and do great things in preparing their fellow Soldiers for cold-weather operations.”

Sgt. Adam Monson, also with the 445th Transportation Company who trained in CWOC Class 20-01, said the training helped him become a better leader.

“Through what I’ve learned, I’ll continue to improve in my role as a noncommissioned officer,” Monson said. “And I’ll apply what I learned to better inform my Soldiers about cold-weather operations.”

In each CWOC class, students complete nearly 40 kilometers of marching with snowshoes and practice skiing at McCoy’s Whitetail Ridge Ski Area. They also learn how to pack and use ahkio sleds to carry and move gear, and they practice building the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent and improvised shelters made with materials they have on hand and find in the forest.

“Nothing the students go through here is easy,” Ernst said. “When the students graduate from this course, they know they have achieved something few others have while serving in uniform.”

Course objectives also include focusing 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.

Fort McCoy DPTMS Director Brad Stewart said every Army Reserve student who attends the course has a unique experience.

“The return on investment for the Army Reserve to send their Soldiers through this course for two weeks of difficult, challenging, and dynamic training is tremendous,” Stewart said. “I say dynamic because of the varying cold and weather conditions the students can experience throughout the course. The weather can either be your enemy or your friend if you know how to operate in cold-weather conditions.

“In this course, Army Reserve Soldiers learn how to make the weather their friend and turn it into a combat force multiplier,” Stewart said. “Once they learn the basic skills, they can return to their unit and train their fellow Soldiers on the skills they acquired. … We want them to relay that this course is physically challenging, intellectually challenging, and at times very emotionally challenging. However, it is great training and very educational for them to learn how to operate in the cold-weather environment.”

CWOC Class 20-01 student Sgt. Edwin Bennett with the Army Reserve’s 733rd Support Maintenance Company at Canton, Ill., said Fort McCoy is an excellent training center for land navigation and the cold-weather training.

“The weather can change rapidly (at McCoy), which reinforces the idea of being prepared for all weather situations,” Bennett said.

Bennett said the training also helped him grow in skills and capability as a Soldier.

“The course really opened my eyes to how properly using equipment and packing efficiently in extreme conditions can be the difference between life and death,” Bennett said. “By far this is one of the best courses I’ve attended.”

Stewart said more Army Reserve Soldiers should get the training.

“I think this course is an exemplary opportunity for Army Reserve Soldiers to come in and gain some valuable skills during a two-week annual training opportunity,” Stewart said. “Also, as we train more Reserve Soldiers on these skills, it builds a greater pool of people who can train others. This benefits units greatly.”

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.”