Navigation
Join our brand new verified AMN Telegram channel and get important news uncensored!
  •  

This month in Fort McCoy history: January 2020

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers participate in winter training during 1952 at then-Camp McCoy.
January 08, 2020

Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from January 2020 and back.

75 Years Ago — January 1945

Camp McCoy’s first Jewish chaplain, Lt. W. Gunther Plaut, conducted the first Army Jewish service on German soil since the invasion of the Reich by the United States. Plaut stood in what was once Gestapo headquarters in the German town of Brand and unrolled the sacred Hebrew Scroll of the Law to commence services. A native of Germany, Plaut came to the United States in 1935 and studied for the ministry.

35 Years Ago — January 1985

Soldiers of Fort McCoy’s Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison, received a new unit crest. The crest, which replaced the U.S. Army Forces Command crest, is the shape of the post’s familiar triad symbol with green pine trees on a white background, trimmed in gold.

Fort McCoy Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Kieltsch said the crest is unique because it mirrors the actual shape of the installation’s cantonment area. The triad also represents the three integral Army components supported by Fort McCoy — active, Reserve, and National Guard.

30 Years Ago — January 1990

Marines and Sailors of the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, headquartered at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek in Norfolk, Va., deployed to Fort McCoy and Volk Field Air National Guard Base for the Alpine Warrior-90 exercise. The Alpine Warrior exercise was designed to conduct intensive individual and unit cold weather training in preparation for cold weather contingency operations.

Approximately 4,200 regular and Reserve Marines and Sailors trained in Alpine Warrior-90. Each participant received extensive Arctic skills and confidence training under the guidance of instructors from the II Marine Expeditionary Force’s Special Operations Training Group, headquartered at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

20 Years Ago — January 2000

The Triad, Fort McCoy’s authorized newspaper’s name before it became The Real McCoy in 2008, became available to be viewed online. People wishing to access the newspaper were instructed to visit Fort McCoy’s public website to access the online edition.

10 Years Ago — January 2010

Eight low-speed electric vehicles (LSEV), powered by electric motors, were incorporated into the Fort McCoy Transportation Motor Pool (TMP) motor fleet. Chris Brown, TMP supervisor, said LSEV vehicles were provided as part of government’s plans to save money and energy by replacing some gas-powered passenger cars and small trucks with electric vehicles at all Army installations and selected other federal government organizations.

The Fort McCoy fleet included four passenger-type sedan vehicles and four cargo-type truck vehicles that run exclusively on electric power. The vehicles have a top speed of about 25-30 mph and made by the Columbia ParCar Corporation of Reedsburg, Wis. The vehicles are smaller than their gasoline counterparts and were used exclusively for transportation needs in the cantonment area.

5 Years Ago — January 2015

Fort McCoy entry procedures were changed as part of increased installation access control and security measures within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Army.

Day passes are the most common type of pass provided at Fort McCoy. Previously, people were issued day passes to the installation had a federally recognized form of ID scanned through a basic query to the FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The basic query checked driver records, vehicle registration information, and information about warrants and protection orders. The new procedure required the background check ran through the NCIC Interstate Identification Index (III). This check provided basic information as well as criminal history record information.

According to Installation Management Command, visitors with issues such as an outstanding arrest warrant, recent felony conviction, those who are registered sex offenders, cannot be verified, or are listed in the Terrorist Screening Database were denied access and, if appropriate, were turned over to legal authorities.

While the basic NCIC query provided an almost instantaneous response, the NCIC III query takes longer to process if it reveals any criminal history.

(Article prepared by the Public Affairs Office from The Real McCoy and Triad archives.)