{"id":26942,"date":"2020-11-06T21:50:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T21:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/06\/is-fort-mccoy-the-navys-worst-covid-assignment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:13:14","slug":"is-fort-mccoy-the-navys-worst-covid-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/11\/06\/is-fort-mccoy-the-navys-worst-covid-assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Fort McCoy the Navy\u2019s worst COVID assignment?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite a COVID-19 pandemic that has uprooted life for Americans inside and outside the military in 2020, the Navy still managed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/10\/20\/largest-class-of-new-sailors-since-2004-graduates-from-navys-recruit-training-command\/\" target=_blank>graduate its largest class of recruits<\/a> in 15 years last month, while exceeding its enlisted accession goals for fiscal 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJust think about that: Amidst COVID, the largest graduating class from (Recruit Training Command) since 2004,\u201d Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/10\/20\/largest-class-of-new-sailors-since-2004-graduates-from-navys-recruit-training-command\/\" target=_blank>told reporters<\/a> in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But left out of Big Navy proclamations is the fact that much of this success was borne on the backs of an unspecified number of Navy sailors who have been largely confined to an isolated U.S. Army base in Wisconsin, three hours from the Navy\u2019s Great Lakes, Illinois, boot camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sailors there are tasked with looking after recruits for their 14-day quarantine period before they board buses and commence a three-hour bus ride south to formally commence their basic training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for some sailors now stationed at McCoy \u2014 a third of whom were not already assigned to Recruit Training Command and were pulled in from elsewhere in the fleet \u2014 the assignment has been marked by uncertainty and, at times, weeks with no days off.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/10\/20\/largest-class-of-new-sailors-since-2004-graduates-from-navys-recruit-training-command\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6231124.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Largest class of new sailors since 2004 graduates from Navy\u2019s Recruit Training Command<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">&quot;We\u2019ve graduated more than 20,000 recruits amidst COVID from our Recruit Training Command.&quot;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One petty officer who contacted Navy Times questioned the setup at McCoy last month, and why Big Navy feels the need to ship recruits at a level that appears heedless of the pandemic raging across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1193\" height=\"731\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-recruit_Fort-McCoy.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-recruit_Fort-McCoy.jpg.jpg 1193w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-recruit_Fort-McCoy.jpg.jpg?resize=300,184 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-recruit_Fort-McCoy.jpg.jpg?resize=768,471 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Navy-recruit_Fort-McCoy.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,627 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1193px) 100vw, 1193px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Navy recruits wash their hands Aug. 27 in preparation for chow on board Fort McCoy, an Army training center in western Wisconsin. RTC is working with the Army at Fort McCoy to establish a restriction of movement (ROM) site for Navy recruits prior to entering boot camp. Additional personnel support from Great Lakes, Ill., Millington, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., have been deployed to assist RTC in conducting the initial 14-day ROM to help reduce the risk of bringing the coronavirus to RTC should any individual be infected. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy\u2019s only boot camp. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nikita Custer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petty officer, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions for speaking out, worked as a barracks supervisor and was forced to live in the same bay where the recruits wait out their isolation period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of people are doing four weeks straight of being a barracks supe with no days off,\u201d the petty officer said. \u201cTo work for four weeks straight, for anyone, with no full day off is slightly ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ridiculous even for a Navy sailor with years of experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m a petty officer,\u201d the sailor said. \u201cI\u2019m used to being s&#8212; on my whole career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While such supervisors have their own room, they use the same head as the recruits and often don\u2019t get any days off during their rotation, said the sailor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those barracks supervisors are relieved by a \u201cfloater\u201d who provides breaks each day, but the petty officer said supervisors can only get four to six hours off at a time because that floater then needs to go spell another supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petty officer said that when one group ships, another often comes in right behind them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou get them [outgoing recruits] on the bus, 1 or 2 in the morning, your next batch of recruits comes in the next morning or two hours later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are between 1,800 to 2,000 recruits at McCoy on any given week, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the midst of a pandemic, the petty officer wondered why Big Navy is so focused on keeping up a relentless recruit processing pace that has roped in sailors not assigned to RTC and separated most McCoy sailors from their families in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs if COVID hasn\u2019t happened,\u201d the sailor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven if you cut back 20 to 30 percent of the recruits you ship for a week, you could ease up on some of this and people could get time off,\u201d the petty officer said. \u201cThis stresses people out for the simple fact of no time off and not being able to see your family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petty officer also said McCoy sailors are unsure of how long they will have to do the job, though non-RTC sailors brought in to help have received orders between six and 10 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petty officer said they were given about a week\u2019s notice to get to McCoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou just don\u2019t know how long this is going to go for,\u201d the sailor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>&#8216;Proud of their service\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navy officials acknowledged the challenges sailors assigned to McCoy are enduring, but said that keeping the recruit pipeline flowing is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy began using McCoy as a quarantine site for new recruits in late August, ending a plan where recruits had been housed in 11 hotels closer to Great Lakes for two weeks before being tested and shipping out, according to CNP spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using McCoy saves the government more than $2.5 million monthly, he said in an email to Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement after visiting McCoy last week, CNP Nowell acknowledged that working at McCoy \u201cis not an easy assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut everyone I met understands that the use of Fort McCoy is for the health and safety of the force, and I couldn\u2019t be more proud of their service and sacrifice,\u201d Nowell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6299\" height=\"4312\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg 6299w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg?resize=300,205 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg?resize=768,526 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,701 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1051 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cnp-visit.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1402 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6299px) 100vw, 6299px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell visits last week with sailors assigned to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, an isolated Army base being used to quarantine new Navy recruits before they head to boot camp. (Chief Mass Communication Specialist Dominique M. Lasco\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the pandemic, the shipping pace must continue \u201cin order to reduce gapped billets at sea,\u201d Nowell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose gaps are a sure-fire way to stop the Navy from accomplishing its mission, and we cannot let that happen,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nowell said he spoke with sailors \u201cwho had to leave their kids with family members\u201d while assigned to McCoy, &#8220;but they remain passionate about the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petty officer said Nowell\u2019s all-hands call at McCoy was the \u201csame as most every all hands calls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNot very much information put out and basically pointless,\u201d the petty officer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the Navy declined to say how many sailors are assigned to McCoy, Hecht said that about a third of the force is individual augmentees and intermediate stop sailors, pulled for duty in the midst of a PCS move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hecht noted in his email that the novel coronavirus \u201chas required extraordinary effort from our Sailors to meet the essential tasks of sending new Sailors to the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe deeply appreciate the hard work of everyone at Fort McCoy who keep the recruit training process flowing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe constantly work to provide them with rest and relaxation opportunities as manning levels and mission allow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any McCoy sailor concerned about their physical or mental health \u201cis encouraged to speak with their supervisor as soon as possible so that we can address their concerns,\u201d Hecht said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s a job that some sailors say 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is Fort McCoy the Navy\u2019s worst COVID assignment? - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It&#039;s a job that some sailors say involves weeks of work with no days off.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Fort McCoy the Navy\u2019s worst COVID assignment?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It&#039;s a job that some sailors say involves weeks of work with no days off.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/11\/06\/is-fort-mccoy-the-navys-worst-covid-assignment\/\" 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