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The year 2025 was another busy time at Fort McCoy with tens of thousands of troops training at the installation along with many new construction projects taking place, plus much more.
The first half of the year meant a focus on moving five World War II-era barracks for later repurposing plus it also saw many longtime installation employees reach the end of their Army careers. All at the same time, training ramped up as the year went on with Army Reserve, Army National Guard, and other active- and reserve-component forces coming to the installation.
Here's a look at January and February 2025 historical events and news.
JANUARY
— The Fort McCoy Voice Modernization Project, led by Kenneth O'Connell and other team members with the Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center, was ultimately completed after four years of work in early January 2025.
The project's primary objective was to provide the warfighter with a modern and sustainable voice communication system by replacing the existing, aging, non-supportable phone systems on Fort McCoy with a modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.
The project was a complex undertaking that involved several stages, including core installation, phone migration, and the decommissioning of the old analog/TDM system.
The team faced several challenges along the way including supply chain problems and contract renegotiation issues, along with the changing all Fort McCoy phone numbers, but their expertise and cooperation ensured that the project was successfully completed.
One of the key benefits of the new VoIP system is its ability to optimize circuits, reducing the need for expensive T1/PRIs (Primary Rate Interface) and resulting in significant cost savings for the Army.
The telecom, networking, server team, Information Management Communications Services III contractor personnel, and the cooperation and support provided by U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy and tenant organizations played a crucial role in the project’s completion.
These teams and organizations worked together to ensure the project was completed effectively in accordance with Army and Department of Defense standards.
— From mid-January to mid-February 2025, Garrison Information Management Officer Bob Pennebecker and Information Technology Specialist Shawn Quinn took on the task to receive old phones for disposition after Fort McCoy switched to a new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.
Both Pennebecker and Quinn are with the Fort McCoy Garrison Information Management Office. They signed out warehouse building 1675 in January and went to work accounting for all the old desk phones that were replaced with new VoIP phones.
“We collected more than 1,500 phones,” Pennebecker said.
Once collected, the old phones were placed into storage bins where they will then be recycled through government recycling, Pennebecker said.
The phone collection was the tail end of the Fort McCoy Voice Modernization Project that took years to complete. The project was led by the Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center (NEC).
During 2024, NEC personnel worked throughout the year and in all areas of Fort McCoy to set up the VoIP phones in offices, work areas, and buildings.
— As one of three major construction projects ongoing at Fort McCoy, the East Barracks Project has been continuing to see plenty of progress as the projects nears closer to 20 percent complete as January 2025 continues. As of Jan. 8, contractors with L.S. Black Constructors on the project could be seen continuing to build the frame of the building even as January’s bitter cold temperatures take hold.
Nathan Butts with the Resident Office of the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort McCoy said in his Dec. 20, 2024, update about the project that progress was at 16 percent complete, and likely it will be closer to 20 percent complete during the first January update.
“Structural steel and steel decking deliveries are ongoing,” Butts wrote Dec. 20. “Steel erection and decking continues in the center section of the building. Metal framing on the first and second floor of the south wing continues. Contractor has enclosed and is heating areas where concrete placement is occurring to maintain required temperatures,” he wrote.
— Fort McCoy held its first meeting of the Safety and Occupational Health Advisory Council for calendar year 2025 and the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 on Jan. 14 at the installation.
The SOHAC is an installation wide council that shares ideas and concerns about all things safety for not just garrison team members but also tenant organization members, Installation Safety Office (ISO) officials said. The council doesn’t just discuss basic safety subjects, they also discuss infrastructure, climate, and weather. They also discuss the potential risks and hazards the post could see in coming months or even years.
Leadership present at the meeting included Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez; Fort McCoy Deputy Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Mike Corkum; Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon; office and directorate leaders; and other installation personnel.
Installation Safety Manager Ed De Leon led the discussion during the meeting. De Leon talked about facility inspections the ISO is completing. He said the office has completed 140-plus facility inspections for fiscal year 2025.
De Leon also discussed accidents. During fiscal year 2025, he said of the five recordable accidents that have been documented during this time, four were vehicle accidents.
— Plans and Programs Specialist Travis Todd with the Fort McCoy Resource Management Office (RMO) was presented with the Army Materiel Command (AMC) Employee of the Quarter award Jan. 15 while he was attending the Army’s Civilian Education System Intermediate Course at Fort McCoy.
Todd was presented the award by Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez. The award was announced for Todd and 11 other Army Materiel Command employees for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez and Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon held a “lunch and learn” session Jan. 15 with students during the Army Civilian Education System (CES) Intermediate Course being held for the first time in session on post.
The hour-long information exchange featured Baez and Cantlon answering questions about their leadership experience as well as their opinions on leadership situations.
Baez discussed some of her experience of working with civilian employees during her Army career, and what she has learned.
“I have worked with civilian employees at all levels — very junior level to very high level. … I have been in the Army Reserve for many years, and I know that … your GS-7s, 9s, and 11s are the people who carry the water, who carry the bulk of the work that is done in the Army Reserve. And I know that when I was company commander, I had a (unit admin employee), she was a GS-7, and she … worked super hard every day.”
Cantlon opened his part of the discussion also talking about leadership.
“When your formation is getting things done without you telling them to do it, or without you there personally involved in it, that’s success as a leader,” Cantlon said. “Good organizations do the right things without the leadership presence, because they already know what the expectations are.”
Cantlon also said to be an effective leader, you should be “genuine.”
“That's a big part of leadership — be genuine,” Cantlon said. “If you’re genuine with your team, if you generally care about your team, they will understand. You don't have to ask them, ‘hey, do you know that I care?’ They already know. They also know if you don’t care. … Be genuine with your team.
— Leaders with Fort McCoy Garrison and installation agencies met Jan. 17 with community leaders and workforce professionals in Sparta, Wis., during the Fort McCoy Workforce Collaborative Meeting.
The meeting brought together people who are working to improve employment opportunities in the region, including at Fort McCoy. Attending from Fort McCoy included Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon, Lorie Retzlaff with the Fort McCoy Army Community Service team, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell, and others.
From the civilian side, representatives from the Sparta Chamber of Commerce, Tomah Chamber of Commerce, Black River Falls Chamber of Commerce, La Crosse Chamber Commerce, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Western Technical College, and more were present.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez made a special evening visit Jan. 20 to visit with the Tomah School District Board of Education in Tomah, Wis., during their monthly January meeting.
Members on the board include Michael Gnewikow, Spencer Stephens, Ricky Murray, Susan Bloom, Teresa Devine, Cathryn Rice, and James Newlun.
During the nearly three-hour meeting, Baez was given time to introduce herself and discuss education items regarding Fort McCoy.
“We have many programs that we are part of,” Baez said. “One of them is the Wisconsin Council of the Interstate Compact for Military Children. For those of you who might not be in the military, as military families transition from one state to the other, one of the things that they face every couple of years is changing their children from one school to another.
“So this only creates stress in the family, but also stress in the children,” Baez said. “So as we look at what things we can do to improve those transitions from state to state, the council here in Wisconsin has done an outstanding job creating policies that help those transitions from one state to the other.”
Baez also mentioned the benefits of having children from military families in local school districts.
“Another big benefit of having military and federal children at the district is that the district will get funding every year for every single student that is part of the district,” Baez said. “And one of the things that I wanted to mention here is to encourage all of the teachers and all of the staff members to inform the parents in person to fill out the (Federal Impact Aid Survey) questionnaire that comes every year. … We need to make sure that every student completes the questionnaire.”
— More than 20 students — all Army civilian supervisors in grades GS-10 to GS-12 — participated in the first on-post session of the Army Civilian Education System Intermediate Course at Fort McCoy from Jan. 6-24.
Workforce Development Officer Mike Modawell with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Human Resources (DHR) said the training is helping many Fort McCoy employees get the training they need, and it’s helping provide an additional avenue for training.
According to a course description available at https://armyuniversity.edu/amsc/courses/intermediate, the course “prepares current and aspiring Army civilian leaders (GS 10-12) to become more innovative, self-aware, and prepared to effectively lead and care for personnel and manage assigned resources at the organizational level.”
The description also states the course is required per Army Regulation 350-1 for Army civilian supervisors in those grades and provides effective leadership training.
“Training and developmental exercises focus on self-awareness and development, effective team leadership, and creating conditions to accomplish the mission and improve the organization,” the description states. “The Intermediate Course learning outcomes are develop personal character, presence and intellect; prepare to move from leading teams to leading organizations; create and support a Mission Command environment of leading, developing, and achieving; and develop a Civilian corps whose members exemplify the Army values.”
— Contractors successfully moved a barracks building Jan. 22 from its resting area of 80-plus years to a new location on Fort McCoy’s cantonment area.
It was the first of five barracks buildings on the installation cantonment area's 1600 block that are being moved during January and February 2025 while the ground is frozen, Army Corps of Engineers officials said.
Devooght Building Movers of Manitowoc, Wis., is the contractor doing the building moves.
These buildings will eventually be reset at another area of the post so new construction can begin in their current location on new officer quarters.
Master Planner Brian Harrie with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works said a plan was previously worked out with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the contractor to move the five old barracks buildings to the 500 block of Fort McCoy in this move.
Four other barracks buildings also were moved from the 1600 block to other areas in 2023. Those four buildings are now operational in their new locations in the 1700, 1800, and 2100 blocks on the post.
In 2023 during the first barracks move operations, that was the first time an effort like that took place at Fort McCoy, Fort McCoy officials said.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez led the first Fort McCoy Garrison town hall meeting of 2025 on Jan. 23 in building 905 at the installation to inform the post workforce about the latest news, directives, and recognize award winners.
Maj. Gen. Joseph Ricciardi, 88th Readiness Division commanding general and the Fort McCoy senior commander, also provides comments during the start of the meeting. Ricciardi provided an update about some important Army changes and thanked the workforce for what they do for Fort McCoy.
“I’ve been trying to make my way around to all the agencies on the installation,” Ricciardi said. “First thing I want to say is thank you everyone for what you do. I spent two years in the G9 and a year at (Installation Management Command). I am intimately familiar with what you do, the challenges that you have in doing what you do every day, the constraints, and all the stuff that you do behind the scenes very unselfishly and that you do not get recognition all the time, which is even more impressive. Especially here, when you’re pushing training units through … they come and go.
“There’s never a ‘thank you, hey, that was fun,’” Ricciardi said. “They’re just ready to get out of here. So, thank you for what you do and for the mission that you prepare to do. We have an incredibly important mission here at Fort McCoy.”
Baez took time first to discuss the Defense Organizational Climate Survey, or DEOCS, that Fort McCoy personnel took in fall 2024. According to the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of People Analytics, the survey is a Congressionally mandated unit-level climate survey that is available to all military commanders and Department of Defense civilian organization leaders. The survey collects information on unit climate, harassment and discrimination, and other aspects of organizational climate.
“Over 1 million people take the DEOCS annually, including military members serving on active duty or in the Reserve/National Guard, service academy students, and DOD civilians,” states the survey definition at https://www.opa.mil/research-analysis/opa-surveys/defense-organizational-climate-survey. “The DEOCS has been collected continuously since it began as the Military Equal Opportunity Climate Survey in 1990. The survey has undergone a number of updates to the content and scope to reflect the needs of the department and the services.”
Baez said more than 130 workforce members took the survey.
“Thirty-six percent of the workforce participated on the DEOCS,” Baez said. “When we look at the results of the DEOCS, participation has a big impact. Because the more participation that we get, the more that we can truly see what are some of the things that are happening in the garrison.
“Thank you for all the people who took the time to provide their comments and fill out the questionnaire and provide their concerns in the DEOCS,” Baez said. “We take very seriously the things that we find out here.”
— Retired Army Col. Chris Kolenda held a “lunch and learn” event at Fort McCoy on Jan. 21 at McCoy’s Community Center that focused on leadership.
The event focused on the topic of leadership at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels in a blended (military and civilian) organization. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy, helped organize the event.
During his presentation, Kolenda discussed completing a 1,700-mile bicycle trip. Kolenda started the trip in September 2022. He cycled from Spalding, Neb., to Arlington National Cemetery, Va. Along the way he stopped to visit six gravesites of troops who died and served under his command in Afghanistan.
“I set up … that bike ride and raised enough money to set up the Saber 6 Foundation,” said Kolenda, a Nebraska native who now resides in Milwaukee. “And what we do in Saber 6 is we help veterans turn (with) post-combat stress.
“Now, when you’re riding 1,700 miles … it took me 24 days of pedaling … I had a couple of break days so 27 days total, you have some time to think,” Kolenda said. “I think I averaged 74 miles a day, which is about somewhere between six to eight hours a day. And so, you just pedal. And since I do leadership a lot, I was like, I bet there’s some leadership lessons I could derive from this bike ride. And one of the first ones is that just like you have to fit the bike to the rider, you should fit the role to the person.”
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez and Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon were two of the garrison command team members from Fort McCoy who toured the Western Technical College campus Jan. 27 in Sparta, Wis.
Baez and Cantlon were among several Fort McCoy team members — others from the Fort McCoy Army Community Service Office and Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office — who visited the campus to learn more about the facility and meet with staff. The campus borders Fort McCoy’s South Post, and the staff there works regularly with Fort McCoy workforce members in numerous capacities.
The visit was organized between Fort McCoy and Western’s Kevin Ruetten, the college’s business services coordinator. Those meeting with the Fort McCoy members from Western were Ruetten; Western President Roger Stanford; Kevin Dean, Western’s dean of health and public safety; Josh Gamer, Western’s dean of integrated technology; Brian Barquest, veterans affairs coordinator with Western; Angie Martin, Western’s director of business and industry services; and John Zimprich, Western’s business and industry sales lead/training consultant.
— A small, wooden keepsake box adorned with carvings and the inscription, “Gefangenschaft Amerika 1944,” was donated in late January to the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office for inclusion in the Fort McCoy History Center.
Rosanna Laude, who operates the Upscale Rummage store in Libertyville, Ill., came across the artifact made by a German prisoner of war (POW) from World War II in donations to the shop. In lieu of selling it, because she knew what she had, she contacted the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office and offered to donate it to the post — which it was.
After further inspection and research with staff and archaeologists at Fort McCoy, it was determined the inscription reads, “Imprisonment America 1944.” The lingering question after that was did the German POW make the box at then-Camp McCoy or elsewhere?
Ryan J. Howell, staff archaeologist and cultural resource manager with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch, said German POWs were not only located at Camp McCoy during World War II, but they were also in areas all throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois, including near Libertyville.
“There were a series of small canning and farm camps scattered across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois,” Howell said. “That might be a more likely provenance for Libertyville as those camps ran out of Camp Sheridan and Camp Joliet in northern Chicago, not Camp McCoy. But there was a lot of transfers of prisoners back and forth between the two.”
So, was the box made at Camp McCoy during World War II? Maybe, according to Howell. But there’s no concrete evidence to prove otherwise.
But Howell said at the Fort McCoy POW camp areas, which were located on today’s South Post of Fort McCoy, included ways for the POWs to create such keepsakes.
“The German POWs had a wood shop, and the POWs were encouraged to do arts and craft projects in their spare time,” Howell said.
— Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez made her first visit to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Jan. 22 in La Crosse.
During the visit, Baez met specifically with the university’s newest president/chancellor, Chancellor James Beeby. Beeby became the new chancellor in 2024 — just as Baez became Fort McCoy Garrison’s commander in 2024.
In an hour-long meeting at the university, Baez and Beeby discussed Fort McCoy’s partnership with the university.
“Fort McCoy is a huge part of the community here (in this region),” Baez said during the meeting. “We are also good partners with school districts. … We also take part in community activities (with educational institutions). … And we like to expand our partnerships.”
Baez completed the visit with support from members of the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.
— A special ceremony was held Jan. 29 at Fire Station 1 to honor Fire Chief Timothy Jorgenson with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department as he retired from Army Civil Service with more than 32 years of service.
Jorgenson began his service as a civil servant at Fort McCoy in 1992, and has worked in various positions within the fire department. He ascended to fire chief and served in that position for many years.
Assistant Fire Chief Brady Brever opened the ceremony.
Today we honor Chief Tim Jorgensen on his retirement from the Fort McCoy Fire Department with over 32 years of distinguished federal service for Fort McCoy,” Brever said. “Thank you to everyone for being here to honor Chief Jorgenson.”
Also there to honor Jorgenson was the Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez. Also present was Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Calarco, Fort McCoy Garrison’s command sergeant major. And perhaps most appreciated by Jorgenson, dozens of firefighters and police personnel were in attendance to honor him as well.
“When we look at some of the things that he accomplished through his 32-year career, (there were many) major events that happened during those 32 years,” Baez said. “We had flood responses, we had COVID, we had Operation Allies Welcome, and more … So, when we look at the experience and everything that happened through those major events, we also have Chief Jergenson's leadership.
“We have Chief Jergenson not only guiding the fire department here, but also mentoring all those new members that are part of the fire department,” Baez said. “It takes patience and experience to do a good job. It takes patience and experience to be a good leader. … Thank you for being here with us.”
— Pam Severson has helped thousands of people in her 31 ½ years at Fort McCoy, which might be why dozens of people showed for her retirement from government civil service Jan. 31 at the building 50 dining facility at Fort McCoy.
During her ceremony, she had guest speakers touting her successful career, including Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez, Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center (LRC) Director Tanya Morene, Fort McCoy LRC Plans & Operations Division Chief David “D.J.” Eckland, and Wisconsin State Senator Patrick Testin.
Baez followed Severson’s introduction by Eckland with praise for Severson’s career as well.
“Every time that we recognize the caliber of the employees at Fort McCoy, I am …. Not surprised,” Baez said. “When we look at employees like Pamela here, that have dedicated over 30 years of her life to the Fort McCoy community, this is commendable. This is a great thing.
“When we look at jobs, a lot of times, many of our employees might feel like, how do I fit into the big picture,” Baez said. “What do I do for Fort McCoy? What do I do for the community? What do I do for the Army? There is no small job at Fort McCoy. And when you do the job with the passion that Pamela has done her job for the past 30 years, her accolades speak for themselves. She has been recognized multiple times because she did her job with passion and with love.
FEBRUARY
— The fiscal year 2022-funded Fort McCoy Transient Training Troop Barracks Project, also referred to as the South Barracks Project, has made continuous progress, and by the beginning of February 2025 has reached 70 percent completion.
The contractor BlindermanPower (Construction) got the building to 70 percent complete by Jan. 31, said Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy in his Jan. 31 update on the project.
In his update, Green said the contractor has completed many items on the list of work needing done and continues to move forward.
“Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continued,” Green wrote in the update. “Interior sheet rocking continued. Interior sound batting continued. Interior finishing continued, and painting continued. Latrine/senior leaders tile work continued. Exterior canopy work continued. Ceiling grid also continued.”
— Members of the Fort McCoy snow-removal team have been having a busier time during February 2025 as multiple snow and ice events have come through the installation.
It’s well known that winter in Wisconsin can provide all kinds of bad weather, including freezing rain, snow, or sleet at any time or even all in one day. When that happens, the Fort McCoy snow-removal team plows through whatever Mother Nature dishes out.
The team includes the Fort McCoy grounds/snow-removal contractor Kaiyuh Services as well as Directorate of Public Works, or DPW, personnel.
In an email to the installation community, Fort McCoy DPW Director Liane Haun emphasized safety around operators clearing snow as winter continues.
“Plow crews are moving as safely, and efficiently as possible to get to everyone’s areas before they come to work,” Haun said. “Please be considerate of plowing operations and allow ample room when passing plowing equipment on roadways, intersections, and parking lots. There are blind spots in every piece of equipment, and the operators may not see you as they are concentrating on what they are plowing.”
From late January to mid-February 2025, the post has had a series small snow events consistently that has required steady clearing operations. This includes the installation receiving several inches of snow from Feb. 14-15.
— Building movers chalked up a full second movement of a World War II-era barracks building Feb. 12-13 as they moved it from the installation’s 1600 block on the cantonment area to the 500 block for temporary placement.
The first of the five 83-year-old buildings was moved Jan. 22. A total of five barracks buildings on the installation cantonment area’s 1600 block are being moved during January and February 2025 while the ground is frozen, Army Corps of Engineers officials said.
Devooght Building Movers of Manitowoc, Wis., is the contractor doing the building moving with wheels and remote control powered by a generator. These buildings, originally constructed in 1942 ,will eventually be reset at another area of the post so new construction can begin in their current location on two new officer quarters buildings.
Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works master planners said a plan was previously worked out with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the contractor to move the five old barracks buildings to the 500 block of Fort McCoy in this move. The buildings will be temporarily set in that block until new locations are determined.
— February 2025 held some of the coldest days seen at Fort McCoy in years. Below-zero temperatures hovered for many days mid-month while also several snow events hitting the post as well and none it stopped construction efforts on the fourth four-story transient training troops barracks project at Fort McCoy.
The project, also referred to as the East Barracks Project, was list at 27 percent complete as March 2025 began, said Nathan Butts with the Resident Office of the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort McCoy.
As of Feb. 28, the date of Butts’ most current update on the project, contractors with L.S. Black Constructors were moving right along with framing and sheeting work and more.
“Metal framing in the middle section floors continues,” Butts wrote about the project Feb. 28. “Contractor has enclosed and is heating areas where concrete placement is occurring to maintain required temperatures.
“Exterior sheeting continues. Rebar placement continues. North section structural details (are) being completed. (And) mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continues,” Butts wrote.
— Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Public Works (DPW) and Xcel Energy continued to work together to finish the process of changing the electrical grid on post from a Delta Electrical System to a Wye Electrical System, Fort McCoy DPW officials said.
Work on this switchover has been ongoing since 2022, officials said, and during February 2025, workers continued to work on the project.
Wye is a three-phase electrical system that uses a wire for each electrical leg and a separate neutral wire.
Delta is also a three-phase but uses one of the legs as the neutral, so it only has three wires. Work will continue throughout the year.
— The Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office earned two unit-level awards in the 2024 Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) Communications and Public Awards competition that was completed in January. A member of the Fort McCoy Multimedia-Visual Information Office also earned one award.
Open house event recognized First, the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office earned the award for Best Community Engagement Event in Category B: Community Relations Special Event. The special event highlighted for the award was the 2024 Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House.
This category recognizes a specific event that supported a command community relations program. Entries were submitted as a five-page pdf packet and included communication objectives, description of the planning process, details of execution of the event, measures of effectiveness, and overall value to the Army.
Contributors recognized for the award include Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell; Senior Public Affairs Specialist Scott T. Sturkol; Public Affairs Specialist Claudia Neve (now in Germany); Public Affairs Specialist Christopher Jones (now in California); Lt. Col. James Ontiveros, public affairs contributor and civil affairs officer; and Robin Michalski, Fort McCoy Commemorative Area caretaker.
The Real McCoy newspaper wins The Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office was also won an award for IMCOM Best Printed Publication for Category D: Printed Publication. The award was given for the Aug. 23, 2024, edition of The Real McCoy newspaper.
This category is for printed Department of Defense publications — including newspapers, newsletters or magazines — that support the command’s information mission. Publications considered for this category include those that are printed by a commercial publisher under an exclusive contract with the command using appropriated funds, or those printed using the commercial-enterprise concept.
— Fifty-four teams of ROTC cadets competed Feb. 21-22 in the Northern Warfare Challenge event held at Fort McCoy and La Crosse, Wis.
ROTC teams with U.S. Army Cadet Command came from all around the United States as they battled through a wide variety of challenges and long ruck marching courses in cold and snow to fight for the top spot as challenge champion.
Lt. Col. Brian Knutson with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Military Science Department said at Fort McCoy cadets faced a variety of challenges during the competition. The cadets then did a 12-mile ruck in La Crosse, Wis., on the second day of their competition.
Final Results included West Point taking first, Wheaton College earning second, and the University Wisconsin-Madison taking third.
“The competition is designed for Army ROTC teams to compete against each other in cold-weather survival skills that also test their physical endurance,” said Knutson, whose ROTC team from La Crosse won the title two years ago. “The first day … at Fort McCoy, we were testing various skills related to cold weather. They were being tested on their knowledge of weather, knots, cold-weather injuries, and then how to evacuate a casualty in cold weather.
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, 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.”
| Date Taken: | 01.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.07.2026 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 555792 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 150 |
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