Muscatatuck chosen to host first live public affairs exercise

Courtesy Photo | MUSCATATUCK, Ind. – Once used as a mental hospital, the structure built in 1938 is now in use by civilian and military personnel coming in to conduct urban training. (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Capt. Megan McFarling, 205th Press Camp Headquarters)  

MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, IN, UNITED STATES

08.24.2016

Courtesy Story

205th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

MUSCATATUCK, Ind. --Tucked away in the farmlands of southern Indiana is the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. The Indiana National Guard facility hosts a full array of training scenarios for civilian and military personnel. Before becoming the premier training location for first responders, the Muscatatuck State Development Center was home to 8,000 mental patients.

Built in 1919, Muscatatuck contained 19 buildings on 1,000 acres. The military bought the installation in 2005 and added more than 100 structures to the original site. A flooded village, dilapidated shantytown, train derailment, collapsed parking garage, and assorted upturned vehicles provide real-world scenarios for Soldiers and first responders from around the world.

Within the urban destruction sits a small radio station that recently housed the first large scale Army Reserve public affairs training called Exercise News Day. From May thru August 2016, U.S. Army Reserve public affairs Soldiers covered Army Reserve training throughout the country including Ft. McCoy, Wis., Ft. Jackson, S.C., and Ft. Knox, Ky. MUTC was the base of operations as media teams consisting of Army broadcasters, journalists, photographers and technicians traveled to training exercises to tell the Soldiers’ stories.

Stories released to the media included finance warriors training on new systems, state police practicing defensive skills, MEDEVACs prepping patients on the battlefield, engineers building bridges, and transporters assisting with humanitarian missions.

“END mimicked what we do during deployment,” said Lt. Col. Patty Brewer, 205th Press Camp Headquarters commander. “We set up operations, send out teams, the teams produce on deadline and keep the public informed.”

Muscatatuck was chosen to as the operational center for END because of its central location.

“We considered six different installations and determined that Muscatatuck offered the best location,” said Lt. Col. Monica Womack, the exercise commander assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve Command located at Fort Bragg, N.C. “The facility, the radio station, proximity to airports, and local training opportunities made Muscatatuck the clear winner.”

For almost 100 years, Muscatatuck has been in service. In 2005, the former mental hospital transformed into the foremost training facility well-known throughout the military. MUTC’s mission expanded this year to include ground-breaking public affairs training. MUTC offers the perfect location for the U.S. Army Reserve to tell the Soldiers’ stories.

• Date Taken: 08.24.2016
• Date Posted: 08.24.2016 14:40
• Story ID: 208029
• Location: MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, IN, US