Wisconsin Army National Guard aviation crews continue readiness training at Fort McCoy during October 2026
According to Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) scheduling officials, the training was among the first major military training activities at Fort McCoy during the opening days of fiscal year 2027, which began Oct. 1.
The officials also noted that the 1-147th maintains a presence at Fort McCoy nearly every month of the year.
The Oct. 9 training included extensive aircrew proficiency activities, familiarization with designated flight routes and other aviation training requirements. These activities provide aircrews opportunities to become familiar with the installation's airspace, operating environment and available training resources while maintaining the skills necessary to support military missions.
Headquartered in Madison, Wis., the 1-147th Aviation Regiment is part of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's aviation force, Wisconsin Guard officials note. Its aviation capabilities include UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters, which provide support for military operations, transportation, command and control, medical evacuation and emergency-response missions.
The battalion’s medical evacuation aviation capabilities include personnel and aircraft operating from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility in West Bend, Wis. The aircraft and crews regularly travel to Fort McCoy to conduct specialized training and support other military activities.
The unit’s relationship with Fort McCoy extends well beyond its October training effort. As reported in an April 2025 Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office article, Soldiers with the 1-147th brought more than a dozen helicopters, aircrews and support personnel to Fort McCoy for a major drill training exercise. The aircraft included UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters and UH-72A Lakota helicopters from West Bend, along with additional personnel and equipment from the battalion’s Madison location.
During that training, the unit conducted multiple scenarios and training lanes, including hot- and cold-load training involving the movement of simulated patients during medical evacuation operations.
Capt. Cole Hamilton, operations officer with the 1-147th, discussed the importance of the April 2025 field training exercise, explaining that it was designed to help prepare the unit for an upcoming mobilization.
The training also demonstrated how Fort McCoy’s aviation resources and training locations can accommodate multiple aircraft and support personnel. James L. Hubbard, airport manager with the Fort McCoy DPTMS Airfield Division, described how the unit operated aircraft and personnel from Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport, Young Air Assault Strip, and other training locations on the installation's South Post.
The 1-147th has also used Fort McCoy for specialized medical evacuation training that directly supports its lifesaving mission.
In a June 21, 2022, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office article, it was reported that Soldiers with the battalion conducted live-hoist training June 7, 2022, at Big Sandy Lake at Fort McCoy. The exercise involved aircrews using hoist equipment to lower rescue personnel and retrieve simulated victims from the water using a rescue basket.
Maj. Donald Graham, then serving as the 1-147th’s administrative and executive officer, explained during the training that live-hoist operations are a critical skill for medical evacuation aircraft.
Graham said terrain, slopes and other obstacles can prevent an aircraft from safely landing at a rescue location. Hoist capabilities allow aircrews to lower a medic into restrictive areas to provide immediate medical care before safely extracting injured individuals for transport.
Graham also discussed real-world live-hoist rescue missions conducted by Wisconsin Army National Guard aircrews involving injured or stranded individuals in Wisconsin.
The battalion continued demonstrating those capabilities during Patriot ‘26 in August 2026. According to an Aug. 28, 2026, article published by the 165th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office, Soldiers assigned to the 1-147th conducted medical evacuation hoist training at Fort McCoy's Combined Arms Collective Training Facility. The exercise involved role players portraying simulated casualties, allowing aircrews to practice locating, hoisting and evacuating patients from areas where terrain or other conditions could prevent an aircraft from landing.
The training was part of a larger domestic-response readiness exercise involving approximately 1,000 Airmen and Soldiers from National Guard units across 35 states, along with federal, state and local agencies.
The battalion also conducted extensive aviation readiness training at Fort McCoy throughout May 2026. In a June 5, 2026, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office article, it reported on the unit’s aviation training activities, which included flight operations, aircrew proficiency, aircraft maintenance, tactical mission planning and aviation support in a field environment.
In July 2026, the unit’s UH-60 Black Hawks and aircrews supported numerous military training events across Fort McCoy's more than 60,000 acres of maneuver land. Another Fort McCoy article published Aug. 4, 2026, highlighted the unit’s support of troop transportation, command-and-control activities, and other aviation requirements. The unit also supported a Wisconsin Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Boss Lift at Fort McCoy on July 22.
The UH-60 Black Hawk provides the Army with a versatile utility helicopter capable of performing missions that include air assault, troop transportation, aeromedical evacuation, command and control, and general aviation support, according to its fact sheet.
For the 1-147th, recurring training at Fort McCoy provides opportunities to maintain those capabilities while working in an environment that supports both aviation and ground-force operations.
Fort McCoy’s extensive maneuver areas, aviation facilities, landing zones, available airspace and support infrastructure provide military units with opportunities to conduct realistic training while coordinating with other organizations operating throughout the installation.
The battalion’s continued presence also possibly illustrates the variety of military training that takes place at Fort McCoy throughout the year. From routine aircrew proficiency and aircraft operations to specialized medical evacuation exercises, the installation provides resources that help National Guard aviation personnel maintain readiness for both state and federal missions.
Through its recurring training activities, the 1-147th Aviation Regiment continues to demonstrate the importance of Fort McCoy as a year-round training partner for Wisconsin’s military forces.
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 athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on DVIDS by visiting https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/FMPAO on DVIDS. 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.”
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