Overview
- About 200 Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery trained Jan. 21–31 at Fort McCoy on M777 and M119 howitzers in subzero conditions.
- A Jan. 28 event practiced sling-load lifts of M119 howitzers with UH-60 Black Hawks and a CH-47 Chinook from Minnesota’s 2-147th Aviation Regiment.
- Crews used heated arctic tents and applied Cold-Weather Operations Course techniques demonstrated in October to prepare for the field period.
- Command Sgt. Maj. Nicholas Kletzien said the realism—snow, below-zero temperatures, and rotor-wash wind chill—helped test equipment and skills.
- Just over half the battalion participated due to deployments and schooling, and leaders are already planning the next training iteration in 2027.