Soldiers and aircraft from the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment (1-147th Aviation) conducted extensive training throughout May 2026 at Fort McCoy, taking advantage of the installation's airspace, training areas, and support infrastructure to maintain aviation readiness and prepare for future missions.
The training during several times in the month brought pilots, aircrew members, maintainers, and support personnel together to execute a variety of aviation operations designed to enhance combat readiness and strengthen the battalion’s ability to support state and federal missions. Training activities included helicopter flight operations, aircrew proficiency training, maintenance operations, tactical mission planning, and aviation-support tasks in a field environment, according to Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.
Headquartered in Madison, Wis., the 1-147th Aviation Regiment serves as the Wisconsin Army National Guard's primary aviation battalion and operates UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters, according to the Wisconsin National Guard. The battalion provides aviation capabilities that support military operations, emergency-response missions, disaster-relief efforts, medical evacuation support, and transportation requirements throughout Wisconsin and beyond.
Fort McCoy’s unique training environment allows aviation units to conduct realistic operations while integrating with ground forces operating across the installation, Fort McCoy DPTMS officials stated. The post’s expansive maneuver areas, aviation facilities, and available airspace provide opportunities for crews to practice the skills necessary to support combat, sustainment, reconnaissance, and emergency-response operations.
Also, according to information provided by Fort McCoy DPTMS, aviation operations conducted during May represented another example of the diverse military training that takes place at the installation during the Army’s peak annual training season times. Throughout the month, Fort McCoy hosted units from the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Active Army, and Air Force, supporting a wide variety of mission sets ranging from infantry and artillery training to engineering, logistics, medical, legal, and aviation operations.
For aviation units such as the 1-147th, Fort McCoy offers an opportunity to train in conditions that closely replicate operational environments, officials stated. Aircrews can conduct missions over large maneuver areas while coordinating with Soldiers on the ground, helping strengthen the combined-arms capabilities that are critical to modern military operations.
The battalion has a longstanding relationship with Fort McCoy and regularly utilizes the installation for training events. Previous exercises have included helicopter operations, sling-load missions, medical evacuation training, mobilization readiness activities, and large-scale field exercises involving multiple aircraft and support personnel. These opportunities help ensure crews remain proficient while maintaining the readiness required to respond to both federal missions and state emergencies.
As training continued throughout May, the presence of Wisconsin Army National Guard helicopters over Fort McCoy served as a visible reminder of the installation's role in building and sustaining military readiness. Through realistic aviation training and integration with other military organizations, Soldiers of the 1-147th Aviation Regiment strengthened the skills and capabilities needed to support missions wherever they may be called to serve.
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.”
The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
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.”