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This Month in Fort McCoy History — August 2024

Courtesy Photo | This is a news clipping from the Aug. 5, 1944, edition of The Real McCoy newspaper at...... read more read more

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

08.21.2024

Courtesy Story

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

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

80 Years Ago — August 1944
FROM THE AUG. 5, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: McCoy Soldiers do double duty; work in war plants — Several of Camp McCoy’s fighting men have been doing double duty recently has home front production Soldiers as well.

Members of the 978th Engineer Maintenance Company have worked in their spare time as machinists and welders in the Trane Company plant in La Crosse, Wis., helping to overcome a manpower shortage, it was revealed this week by Capt. Harry M. Ingraham, company commander, who gave them permission to take on the extra duties.

The men have spent their evenings off at the machines in the No. 2 Trane plant and some have even worked full time on their passes and furloughs in order to speed victory.

The parade to the La Crosse plant was begun by Technician 5th Grade Tom Serric, a former foreman for Shipbuilder Henry Kaiser. Serric inquired at the Trane plant whether it would be possible to work there during the off time from military duties. When his services were welcomed, he immediately sought his commander’s permission at began work in La Crosse.

So please were Trane Company officials with his work that they asked if there were any more like him back at McCoy. Soon nine more enlisted men of the 978th were working on their evening off. The others are T-3 Shearl Lemax; T-4s B.L. Stanford, Orville Clover, and Louis Topper, machinists; and T-4s Elmer Lickey and Dale Jergens; T-5s Serric and Richard Snell; Pfc. John Castle and Pvt. George Everson, welders.

FROM THE AUG. 5, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Army’s first ‘Weasel’ here; post major rebuilding depot (By Sgt. William Norton) — The first “weasel,” the Army’s snow jeep which runs on Caterpillar tracks ever manufactured is at Camp McCoy, Col. George MacMullin, post commander, revealed this week as the War Department lifted the veil of secrecy which for two years had concealed the facts on the amazing vehicle.

During this time, Camp McCoy has been one of the Army’s major overhauling stations for M28 and M29 cargo carriers, as the original and improved models of the vehicle are known, Maj. Robert K. Sawyer, chief of McCoy Combined Maintenance Shops announced. Hundreds of “weasels” have been processed in the post maintenance shops this spring and summer, he said.

Travels over 35 mph: About 250 of them, many from Camp Hale, the Army winter training center in Colorado, were rushed through the shops in six days for a rush shipment overseas, Maj. Sawyer revealed. It was accomplished through the whole-hearted cooperation of the 271st Ordnance Maintenance Company, WACs and Soldiers of the 1620 H & S Company, working night and day, Maj. Sawyer said.

The weasel will travel 35 miles per hour, and the 20-inch-wide tracks of the M29 will carry it over the deepest snow and through swampy muskeg. It is semi-amphibious with a water-tight body whose light construction permits it to travel through wet swamps where its tracks can barely grip the bottom. The weasel charges over underbrush and woods without any trouble.

FROM THE AUG. 12, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Ex-76th Soldier wins DSM; decorated by Montgomery — A former 76th Division Soldier, 1st Sgt. Leonard G. Lomell, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Lomell, Trenton Ave., Point Pleasant, won two awards for heroism on the Normandy beachhead on D-Day (June 6, 1944) when he was wounded.

Honored with the Distinguished Service Medal, Sgt. Lomell received the British Military Medal from the hands of Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery, famed English commander, in person.

Sgt. Lomell, a Ranger, is back with his unit after three weeks in an English hospital. In the Army two years, Sgt. Lomell has been overseas since last November. He we direct to the battlefront from the 76th Infantry Division.

Lomell served the majority of his time in the 76th with the 417th Infantry Regiment. He was in regimental headquarters company.

60 Years Ago — August 1964
FROM THE AUG. 14, 1964, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Camp McCoy Airfield busy place this summer — From May 12 until Sept. 1, the airstrip on the South Post is the scene of some of the busiest activity at Camp McCoy.

Between these two dates, an estimated 3,500 to 4,000 landings will take place on the airstrip’s two 4,200-foot runways. Under the command of Capt. Robert J. Jones of Fort Carson, Colo., the officers and enlisted men at the airport provide aircraft and instruction for Reserve aviation units or personnel, give tactical aviation support for various field and training maneuvers, and fly in VIPs from throughout the Midwest.

The enlisted men are all in the 5011th U.S. Army Garrison and live right at the airport in Quonset huts. Also at the airstrip are military firefighters who on duty at all times. They are under the supervision of the post fire marshal and keep up 24-hour surveillance.

There are many fixed wing aircraft and helicopters available, and the airstrip is equipped to handle planes as large as a C-47. The only restriction on the size of the aircraft is due to the softness of the surface on the runways.

The control tower has absolute control over all air space above Camp McCoy up to 20,000 feet. Civilian aircraft cannot fly over the post within this 20,000-foot limit. Also, military aircraft are kept away from areas where there is artillery and small arms firing. Information on this is gathered daily and plotted on the large range map in the airport office.

The original airstrip was located near what is now gate 14 when the reservation was known as Camp Robinson. This was in 1937. In 1941 the runways were extended and surfaced. Through the years have been made until today. There are facilities for all types of day and night operations except actual instrument approach.

50 Years Ago — August 1974
FROM THE AUG. 8, 1974, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: 444th Quartermaster Company keeps the fuel flowing — Over 400,000 gallons of fuel are pumped daily into National Guard and Reserve units in the field by the men of the 444th Quartermaster Petroleum Company.

The Lordstown, Ohio, unit has the capacity to pump 1,300,000 gallons of fuel daily when all of its pumps are in use. The fuel tanks, dumping 350 gallons per minute to an estimated 58 units, are operational around-the-clock and handle the heavy demands of the using units.

The 444th has a secondary mission of ensuring all of its personnel are proficient in driving jeeps; trucks, the 20-ton crane, and bulldozers. Back at their home station, the 444th has been active in several community action projects including building baseball fields for many of the local communities and participating in the Youngstown, Ohio, “Project Clean Up” about six months ago.

The unit has sponsored Boy Scout Explorer Post 133 for the past two years. There are five girls in the post joining the 12 boys ranging in age from 13-18. All of the scouts receive instruction from the unit in first aid and field sanitation. In addition to physical training, the scouts, with the unit' s assistance, have campouts and road rallies.

Capt. Elvin Fisher commands the nine officers and 245 enlisted men and women of the Buckeye State.

40 Years Ago — August 1984
FROM THE AUG. 23, 1984, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Marine artillery takes combat test (By Pat Jones) — Marine and Navy reservists stormed Fort McCoy Aug. 11 for two weeks annual training to prepare for and take a Marine Corps combat readiness test.

Almost 1,200 reservists from units of the 14th Marine Regiment, which is spread throughout the United States, are participating in the exercise. Maj. C.R. Rasor, active Marine advisor, said the
exercise is unique because the battalion’s don’t normally conduct their training together.

“This is the first time in about seven years that more than one battalion has been together for training,” he said.

Rasor said Fort McCoy was selected to host the training because Marine officials felt the post had the space, resources, and support personnel needed for their exercise.

Overall support for the Marines has been “very good,” said Rasor, and interservice cooperation has been “fantastic.” However, Fort McCoy’s lack of some pieces of tactical equipment has caused the Marines some problems.

Most of the needed equipment is particular to the Marines, he said. Other shortages are due primarily to the nearness of most units training at Fort McCoy. Because they are close they are able to bring their own equipment and there is little need for Fort McCoy to stock it.

Rasor downplayed the shortages, saying they were able to borrow much of the needed equipment
from neighboring Reserve and National Guard units. He said they are working around the other shortages.

The regiment is the only reserve artillery unit in the Marine Corps. Batteries and battalions practiced firing and manuevers the first week and were evaluated for individaul, crew, and unit skills of the combat support Marines during the second week.

The areas as being rated include communications, equipment, transportation, supply, fire support coordination, fire direction, medical, and intelligence handling. By holding training in their military occupational specialties, Rasor said the Reservists will improve their expertise in artillery operations and tactics in simulated combat.

Detachments 4 and 5 of Headquarters, 4th Marine Division are-evaluating the exercise. Participating units are from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Tico Rivera, Calif.: Spokane, Wash.: Denver, Colo:, Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Dallas, Texas.

30 Years Ago — August 1994
FROM THE AUG. 26, 1994, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: DOL gets deprocessing mission for 66 Palletized Loading Systems (By Scott Frye) — Speed and efficiency in combat and training are essential to the overall effectiveness of this natio's fighting force.

Three ways to improve in these areas are to enhance ammunition distribution, improve unit mobility; and speed up unit ammo resupply.

The Army's new Palletized Loading System (PLS) can perform all three of those missions. According to information from the Tank and Automotive Command, Warren, Mich., “the primary mission of the PLS is the movement of conventional and special ammunition by field artillery and their supportive transportation units throughout the battlefield.”

PLS consists of three essential components — a truck, a trailer, and a flattrack. There are two configurations for the PLS. The basic system consists of a PLS truck (Model M1075) with the accompanying towed PLS trailer and two flatracks.

The second truck system (Model M1074) incorporates a Material Handling Crane (MHC) along with a towed trailer and two flatracks. This allows the flatracks to be loaded and unloaded while fixed on the truck and trailer. M1074 features a remote control for operating the crane.

“The remote control allows one person to load and unload the PLS,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mark Perry, Regional Training Site-Maintenance. “This eliminates the need for
additional Soldiers and material-handling equipment.”

Each truck is a 10-by-10 full-time all-wheel drive vehicle powered by a 500-horsepower electronic diesel engine.

20 Years Ago — August 2004
FROM THE AUG. 27, 2004, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Maintenance units train on tactical, technical skills (By Rob Schuette) — Maintenance units participating in Operation Platinum Wrench (OPW) at Fort McCoy are getting a balance of technical and tactical training, said Capt. Joe Ricker.

Ricker, the Operations officer for the 521st Maintenance Battalion, an Army Reserve unit headquartered in Milwaukee, said the U.S. Army Reserve Command has directed that the units get a mixture of hands-on technical maintenance and tactical training to prepare for future missions. Fort McCoy provides an ideal location for the units to accomplish the training, he said.

“Fort McCoy has the Installation Materiel Maintenance Activity, Regional Training Site-Medical and the Equipment Concentration Site where we can do maintenance work,” Ricker said. “Having good facilities and a good installation work force has supported the OPW mission well.”

Members of the 521st used an annual training session to set up the equipment to help support the OPW mission as well as its aligned units’ missions. Ricker said this reduces time these units need to organize and set up training opportunities and allows them to concentrate on training. Another key factor in helping the units accomplish their training is that Fort McCoy provides facilities and has units that can support training personnel in low-density military occupational specialties, such as cook and air conditioning maintenance.

“We use all the assets Fort McCoy has to support our training,” Ricker said. “We’re
trying to do creative things to make their training time more valuable.”

Units participating in OPW, in turn, provide a great deal of support to the installation
in bringing in reimbursable funds from various sources to support maintenance missions, he said. OPW units also have helped support the installation’s mission to repair equipment used during mobilization.

Ricker said OPW personnel run a cannibalization point, which allows them to salvage usable parts from unusable equipment and saves the Army money. Lt. Col. Amy Whitney, 1st Brigade, 85th Division, assisted OPW by providing training support for a 96-hour tactical exercise,
which is mandated by the U.S. Army Reserve Command.

Soldiers meet the technical and tactical requirements by working four 10-hour days performing OPW work, then participating in the 96-hour tactical exercise, followed by another four 10-hour days supporting OPW.

10 Years Ago
FROM THE AUG. 8, 2014, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Mobile USO Program makes stop at Fort McCoy (By Scott T. Sturkol) — The Mobile USO Program made a visit to Fort McCoy for two days in mid-July, setting up operations at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Liberty on the installation’s North Post.

The visit included the use of the mobile canteen van, but did not include the traveling troupe that normally accompanies the program.

“A mobile unit like this brings a little R and R (rest and relaxation) to our troops who are working hard at training at a place like Fort McCoy,” said USO Center Manager Elizabeth Hazlett who coordinates all USO activities in Wisconsin.

The mobile canteen van has many features including a TV lounge for up to 12 people; a gaming area; an Internet café with Wi-Fi; a canteen that includes microwaves and a food-and-beverage area; and an exterior display area with two 46-inch TVs for movie watching along with two awnings to provide shade.

More than 800 Soldiers staying at FOB Liberty were able to make use of all of the van’s capabilities and have some food and refreshments during downtime in a busy training schedule.

“Having something like this is really great for all of our Soldiers here,” said 1st Sgt. Jamie Larson of the Iowa National Guard’s 186th Military Police Company of Camp Dodge.

“It’s a good break from our busy operations tempo to relax, watch some TV and have some refreshments,” Larson said.

Hazlett, a former Army spouse and mother of a Coast Guardsmen, said she loves supporting troops through the USO.

“I live for this — our troops do a lot for us,” Hazlett said. “They sacrifice for us, and so do their families. Coming here and providing this van is a little something we can do for our troops and their families.”

5 Years Ago — August 2019
FROM THE AUG. 23, 2019, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY: DHR human resources employee, Vietnam vet retires with 47 years of federal service — James W. “Jim” Bieze with the Directorate of Human Resources retires Aug. 31 with 47 years of federal service that includes 20 years as a Department of Army civilian employee and 27 years on active duty for the Army.

Bieze, 72 and a Bedford, Ind., native, is a human resources assistant (military) who, between himself and his family, has a long tradition of service.

Family service during WWI, WWII
Bieze’s grandfather on his mother’s side, John C. Edwards, served the Army during World War I in France. His other grandfather, Henry H. Bieze, also joined the military during World War I by enlisting in the Navy but “never left Great Lakes because the war was over by then.”

Bieze’s father, retired Maj. William T. Bieze, was a World War II veteran of the Army. His dad crossed the beaches of Normandy and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In 1950, his father also served out of then-Camp McCoy when Bieze was just 4 years old.

“He was brought back to active duty to come to McCoy to be a part of the mobilization of troops to go to the Korean War,” Bieze said. “I was just a little kid, and we lived in Sparta.”

Maj. Bieze retired from the Army in September 1969.

Bieze’s mother, Jane E. (Edwards) Bieze, was the high school sweetheart of his father. While his father went off to fight in World War II in Europe, his mother joined the Army, too.

“She was going to be a nurse, but she found something else to do that she wanted to do more,” Bieze said.

Jane Bieze served with the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft.

“She flew aircraft all over the country from Wichita, Kan.,” Bieze said. “She was an amazing woman.”

Starting his service, Vietnam
On Dec. 31, 1964, Bieze enlisted in the Army.

“It was during the Vietnam War when people were being drafted,” Bieze said. “I chose to enlist because that gave more a few more options.”

After enlisting and completing basic training, Bieze said he became a “Pathfinder.” A Pathfinder is a special operations Army Soldier.

According to the Army Pathfinder School at Fort Benning, Ga., a Pathfinder navigates dismounted (without a vehicle), establishes and operates day or night helicopter landing zones, conducts sling-load operations, provides air traffic control and navigational assistance to rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft, and more.

In July 1965, Bieze was assigned to 1st Air Cavalry (Pathfinder) and was mobilized with the unit to go to Vietnam.

“We shipped out for Vietnam in August ’65 from Charleston (S.C.) aboard the USNS Darby,” Bieze said. “We spent 30 days aboard that ship getting to Vietnam. We arrived there on Sept. 13, 1965.”

Bieze served with his unit as a Pathfinder through dangerous combat conditions until he left with his unit in July 1966. Much of what he experienced in that time is kept inside, but he said he remembers fondly those he served with in air cavalry.

After returning, Bieze was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. He served there until July 1968 when he went back to Vietnam for a second tour until July 1969. During that tour, he completed many combat missions, including many as a door gunner on a Huey helicopter.

“Those first years in the Army as a Pathfinder in Vietnam were tough and memorable,” Bieze said. “I was glad to get back and move on to do other things.”

Post-Vietnam military service
In late 1969, Bieze was reassigned as an Army recruiter to Kenosha, Wis. He served in that role until 1975.

“As a recruiter in the early 1970s, it was not always easy to get qualified recruits because of everything that was happening,” Bieze said.

Bieze also recalls a time in the 1970s when he was stuck inside his recruiting office because thousands of anti-Vietnam War protestors were outside his door in downtown Kenosha.

“There was this one guy who came into my office,” Bieze said. “He looked like a hippie, but in actuality he wasn’t. He told me to gather my things, and he helped me get out of downtown in a hurry. I had people yelling at me, calling me names, and hurling things. This man, who was an undercover officer, got me into a car and got me out of there.”

Bieze said he had to work from home for about three weeks after the protesting incident because of the damage done to his office and the vehicle he used for recruiting.

“Despite things like that, I was still able to get many new Soldiers into the Army,” he said.

See rest of the story at: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/336805/dhr-human-resources-employee-vietnam-vet-retires-with-47-years-federal-service.

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, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

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.”