Army Reserve Soldiers cite Cold-Weather Operations Course as valuable training

Photo By Scott Sturkol | A Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC) Class 20-03 student, an Army Reserve Soldier, participates in cold-water immersion training Feb. 7, 2020, at Big Sandy Lake on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. 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 Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

03.11.2020

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                        

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

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.”

Unit training managers can learn more about the course and future course schedules by contacting the Fort McCoy DPTMS Training Division via official channels, Stewart said.

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 each 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.”

• Date Taken: 03.11.2020
• Date Posted: 03.11.2020 15:05
• Story ID: 364995
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US