Completing a Cold-Weather Operations Course class is no easy task

Photo By Staff Sgt. Robert Larson | CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects, including snowshoe training and skiing as well as how to use ahkio sleds and other gear. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold-weather environment. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Larson, 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

04.12.2018

Courtesy Story

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

BY STAFF SGT. ROBERT LARSON
181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade Public Affairs

I attended the Cold Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 18-03 in February. I made it through most of the course, but my body and mind gave up on me toward the end, and I had to stop.

I’m an older Soldier — 51 years old, to be exact — and since I have returned to active-duty service, I have tried to challenge myself with events that push me outside my comfort zone.

Several years ago, while stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, I completed the Bataan Memorial Death March. The event is held annually on White Sands Missile Range, N.M. It’s 26.2 miles, and it tore my feet to shreds and battered the rest of my body. I suffered from exhaustion and dehydration for several days afterward. I have also run many 10k races and trail runs and ruck marched between 5 and 15 miles regularly.

But none of it prepared me for the extreme challenge that is the CWOC at Fort McCoy.

The course runs for two weeks during the winter. The instructors told us from the start that the classroom portion of the course was going to be a cake walk compared to the field part of the course. They warned us that some of us may even quit before it was finished.

I grew up in Eau Claire, Wis., just about an hour north of Fort McCoy. I thought they were just telling us about quitting to scare my class, which was composed almost entirely of Marines from Cherry Point, N.C. They told us not to let the stress of the training get into our heads.

I thought I was prepared. I was wrong.

After the week of classroom instruction was finished, we hiked out to our first field site. It was only 2 miles, but we did it in vapor barrier (VB) boots.

If you have never worn VB boots, they are hard to get used to. They are heavy, hot, and don’t always fit properly. I have wide feet and had to go a size bigger than usual, which had one boot fitting okay, but the other boot was tight and rubbed the outside of my foot. After that first hike, I knew I was in trouble.

We spent most of the next three days hiking through the woods of Fort McCoy, moving from one field site to the next, in VB boots, most of the time with the added weight and encumbrance of snowshoes and rucksacks weighing about 50 pounds, pulling sleds of cold-weather equipment.

So with my feet already hurting, the class proceeded to cover more than 26 kilometers over those three days. I even tried moleskin and tape to help heal the blisters and hot spots I was developing on my feet.

On the first full day of the field portion of the course, we had to hike up and down the hills, covering about 5 kilometers. I struggled with the last big hill. I was winded and sore, but I had the instructors and several classmates encouraging me even when I wanted to quit.

On the second day, I started limping. One of the instructors asked me if I could keep going and I, being a stubborn and committed Soldier, said yes. Eventually they had me ride in an all-terrain vehicle with the medic that was following us.

I hit the wall on the third day near the end of a 6 kilometer hike. My feet were blistered and bleeding, and my hips and back were aching from the weight of the pack and pulling the sled. I was done.

Even though I had to bow out because of my blistered feet and pain, the rest of the students battled on for a couple more days.

Overall, I liked the training and didn’t want to quit, but I had gotten in to my own head that I could not go on. Putting up and sleeping in the arctic shelters, building the thermal shelters, and starting my own fire was really cool and informative.

I was looking forward to the water immersion training scheduled for the last day in the field, but the miles of marching with the VB boots, snowshoes, packs, and sleds had just beaten me down physically and mentally.

In the end, I learned that I was not ready, physically or mentally, for something this challenging. I was not in shape for the course and the toll that it would take on my body. Anyone thinking about taking the course should consider training before attending.

Get yourself in peak physical shape. Ruck march as often as possible to toughen your feet. Be prepared for the mental assault that the training brings.

The class I attended taught me a lot about cold-weather operations and survival, and it taught me to keep on trying. I plan to attempt the training again next winter.

(Note: CWOC students are trained on a variety of cold-weather subjects. Training focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, cold-weather clothing, and more. The training is coordinated through the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Fort McCoy.)

• Date Taken: 04.12.2018
• Date Posted: 04.12.2018 15:45
• Story ID: 272855
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US