Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 21, 2020) — Fort Leonard Wood drivers are cautioned to expect some traffic delays as heavy earthmoving equipment is set to begin frequent crossings of First Street across from the Logistics Readiness Center, Building 380, near the soccer fields.

According to JE Dunn Construction spokesperson Tommy Turner, the crossings are scheduled to start no sooner than Sept. 2 and should last about one month.

Traffic will be managed by flagmen.

The hospital construction project – awarded to Kansas City, Missouri based firm JE Dunn Construction with RLF Architects of Orlando, Florida – is expected to be completed in autumn 2024.

The new hospital will be located on 52 acres just northeast of the existing hospital. Facilities to be constructed include a 235,400-square-foot hospital, 193,300-square-foot clinic, central utility plant, emergency back-up generators, five-bay ambulance garage, helipad and supporting facilities.

The existing hospital will then be demolished, and renovation of the existing optical fabrication lab and parking improvements are slated to follow.

(Editor’s note: Information for this story was provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and JE Dunn Construction.)

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 21, 2020) — Hunters, anglers and other outdoor recreationists take note: Several changes have been made to Fort Leonard Wood’s hunting and fishing regulations this year, as well as to FLW 190-11, which governs, in part, the use and transportation of all weapons on the installation.

What’s new?

Under FLW-190-11, which was revised in April, all crossbows and compound bows transported for use onto Fort Leonard Wood should be declared upon entering the installation at any installation access-control point.

In addition, crossbows are now required to be registered in the same manner as other firearms. A registration receipt (in the form of Fort Leonard Wood Form 1835 or FLW Form 1835-A) must be kept with these weapons at all times.

As a reminder, Fort Leonard Wood is currently open only to Defense Department ID cardholders.

Register with iSportsman

If they haven’t already done so, all persons planning to utilize hunting, fishing and other recreation areas should register with the web-based Fort Leonard Wood iSportsman system at https://ftleonardwood.isportsman.net.

The iSportsman site is the vehicle by which all recreational activity is conducted, from purchasing the appropriate Fort Leonard Wood permits to determining whether hunting, fishing and recreation areas are open or closed and completing sign-in and out procedures. Familiarity with this system is imperative.

Persons must check in and check out of open areas using iSportsman on the same day access is desired.

All recreational users must display their six-digit iSportsman registration number in the front windshield of their vehicle each time they are checked in. The registration number must be placed in a manner that is easily viewable from the outside. Users should be sure to confirm check-in prior to going afield and also confirm check-out of the area prior to 10 p.m.

Permits

Upon registration with the FLW iSportsman system, there is a basic Recreational Users Permit that is issued free of charge. For additional recreational activity, the following permits are required:

— The Sportsman Permit, available for $15, is required for all hunting and fishing activity on the installation. For those persons 65 years of age and older or disabled, or under the age of 16, this fee is waived.

— Archery Deer and Turkey Permit: $5.

— Firearm Deer Permit: $5.

— Fall Firearm Turkey Permit: $5.

It is the hunter’s responsibility while afield to provide permits for inspection by the Conservation law enforcement officer.

In past seasons, hunters have often been unable to pull up their digital permits on the Missouri hunting app while afield, so it is recommended, but not required, that hunters bring paper copies of their permits with them while hunting.

Hunting seasons

Some of the more important hunting dates for the upcoming season include:

— Archery deer and turkey seasons: Sept. 15 through Nov. 13; Nov. 25 through Jan. 15.

— Early youth firearms deer season: Oct. 31 through Nov. 1.

— Firearms deer season: Nov. 14 through 24.

— Late youth firearms deer season: Nov. 27 through 29.

— Antlerless deer season: Dec. 4 through 6 (throughout Pulaski County, including Fort Leonard Wood).

— Alternative methods deer season: Dec. 26 through Jan. 5.

Deer, turkey limits

Hunters may take only two antlered deer during the archery and firearms deer hunting seasons combined.

Antlered deer on post, in compliance with the four-point restriction, consist of a deer with at least four points on one side.

Deer with spike antlers longer than 3 inches are protected and illegal to harvest.

Using an archer’s hunting permit, only one antlered deer may be taken prior to Nov. 14.

Fort Leonard Wood has five permanent ground blinds, located in Hunting Areas 3, 7, 14, 26A and 32. These are available for use by all patrons on a first-come basis. However, they are designed primarily for disabled hunters, so it is expected that able-bodied persons will defer use at all times.

Firearms turkey hunters and waterfowl hunters should remember that shotguns capable of holding more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined are prohibited.

The Missouri Wildlife Code requires all tree stands be labeled when left unattended with the full name, address and telephone number or Conservation ID number listed. In all cantonment hunting areas, only temporary stands may be used and must be removed upon the conclusion of the day’s hunting.

Prohibitions

Baiting for wildlife is prohibited on Fort Leonard Wood at all times. Food may not be placed, exposed or scattered so as to constitute a lure, attraction or enticement.

Mineral blocks, including salt, are not considered bait; however, mineral blocks that contain grain or other food additives are prohibited and are considered bait.

Feral-hog traps are, at all times, off limits to all persons, as are the hogs which may be in the traps. It is illegal to harvest a deer that enters incidentally into a hog trap or to hunt in close proximity to a baited feral-hog trap. Feral hogs may be taken on Fort Leonard Wood only incidentally while hunting for deer and following all legal seasons, restrictions and methods.

Other activities

Other recreational activities that may occur during the fall hunting seasons are governed by FLW 215-3, “Usage of Non-Hunting and Fishing Recreational Activities.”

Anyone recreating outdoors are required to register through the FLW iSportsman site and obtain the free Outdoor Recreation Permit, which allows users to check in and check out of areas of the installation for activities such as, but not limited to, picking berries, mushrooms, riding horses, hiking, cycling, searching for shed antlers and visiting Miller Cave, to name a few.

Stay ‘Bear Aware’

The potential to have an encounter with black bears has increased dramatically over the past several years, with numerous confirmed reports.

Black bears were released in Arkansas in the 1950s and slowly have returned to the Missouri Ozarks.

The majority of bear sightings are young, sub-adult males, averaging 60 to 90 pounds. These young bears are typically foraging and looking to establish new range. They move primarily at dawn and dusk, are very wary of human activity and tend to scare easily.

The confirmed reports of bears on Fort Leonard Wood represent 90 percent of the reports received for Pulaski County. This indicates that bear encounters, sightings and disturbances in housing areas are likely to become more commonplace.

Black bears in Missouri are protected and cannot be hunted, possessed or pursued. In any instance with a bear encounter, stand tall and make noise.

Everyone is encouraged to visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website at https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/general-species-information/be-bear-aware for more information concerning bears.

More information

Organizations on Fort Leonard Wood can request Conservation Law Enforcement to provide a 60-minute overview of Fort Leonard Wood Hunting and fishing Regulation 210-21. This briefing includes time for questions and answers.

To request a presentation, ask questions or for more information regarding hunting and fishing on the installation, email jason.a.ploss.civ@mail.mil or call 573.596.5002 or 573.433.6000.

(Editor’s note: Ploss is the Conservation Law Enforcement supervisor with the Fort Leonard Wood Directorate of Emergency Services.)

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Matt Decker

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 19, 2020) — Want to know what events and activities are happening on the installation, where to go for a bite to eat or find out what’s on sale at the Exchange?

The U.S. Army has a new mobile app just for that purpose called “Digital Garrison.” The new app was developed through a partnership between U.S. Army Installation Management Command and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service with the goal of giving Soldiers, family members and civilians access to real-time information and to keep military communities connected. The free app, which went live for all 62 Garrison installations across the country just last week, is now downloadable from the Apple and Google Play app stores.

“We’ve wanted to join the app world for years,” said Megan O’Donoghue, Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation acting director. “The app will allow our patrons to have MWR at their fingertips.”

O’Donoghue said that Digital Garrison is already pulling information from the Fort Leonard Wood FMWR website at https://leonardwood.armymwr.com and making it available in mobile form.

“Patrons will no longer have to go online to try to find MWR information; they simply have to download the DG app, set Fort Leonard Wood as their installation,” O’Donoghue said. “MWR events are highlighted right on the front page of the selected installation, plus the app has a big blue button at the bottom for ‘community,’ which allows patrons to browse … upcoming MWR events. Also, patrons have access to a list of recreation facilities, dining options and, of course, AAFES.”

Caitlyn Marler, FMWR marketing specialist, believes patrons will find the app convenient and helpful.

“This (will) be a very useful app to keep up with MWR events and facilities, as well as other things happening on Fort Leonard Wood,” she said.

Kassandra Perry with the Fort Leonard Wood Exchange said the new app will give visitors and those new to the installation easy access to information about products and services available on post.

“(It provides) information such as hours of operation, the physical addresses of stores they are interested in visiting, a brief summary of the type of products each store has (and) who is authorized to shop at each location,” she said.

Perry noted that the navigation option also includes a location pinning display, similar to mapping apps.

“(This) will be fantastic for (those) unfamiliar with what Fort Leonard Wood has to offer,” she said. “The app also includes weather forecasting, uniform building tools and Military Star Card (specials), as well as the movie-theater showings schedule, recreational events, Commissary events, deals and sweepstakes. You can also view gate information, the installation directory and a newcomer’s guide from the ‘Community’ tab.”

History of ‘Digital Garrison’

According to a release from U.S. Army Public Affairs, the Digital Garrison app actually started out as three apps as part of two separate projects undertaken in 2019.

After several U.S. Army Garrison commanders requested a mobile app to increase access to installation services, IMCOM began developing two apps to correspond with its two networks. Meanwhile, AAFES was developing its own app to relay information to its customers more quickly.

When senior leaders from both IMCOM and AAFES discovered they were working on similar projects, they decided to work together to develop a single app that could present a more complete picture of events, activities and services available on each installation in one place.

After only a few months of development, IMCOM conducted its first, limited beta test of Digital Garrison starting in January at 10 selected installations. After taking in feedback from garrison commanders and command sergeants major from those sites, the full version of the app was further developed and revised and then made available for download. In addition to IMCOM and AAFES information, future versions of the app will include other capabilities and partners, such as the Defense Commissary Agency.

“We’re very excited to partner with AAFES on the Digital Garrison app,” O’Donoghue said, adding that FMWR patrons, “have all the information they need right there at the touch of a button.”

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Sam Campbell

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 17, 2020) — Fort Leonard Wood’s housing partner, Balfour Beatty Communities, has updated its move-in options for all homes on the post to minimize contact residents have with representatives.

“The safety of our employees and residents is our utmost priority and limiting the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible is a factor in that,” said Jason Williams, BBC community manager. “As we evaluated ways to resume ‘normal’ operations as safely as possible in this pandemic environment, we realized that processes including move-in needed to be restructured.”

The changes include a new “contactless” feature as well as a “socially distanced” version of the typical move-in process.

“If a resident chooses contactless, our team will prepare the new home by providing a move-in packet on the kitchen counter, which contains everything new residents need to finalize their move, including a home inspection checklist,” he said. “On the day of move-in, a resident specialist will unlock the home and leave the house keys on the counter.”

However, residents should pick the latter option if they hope to speak with a representative on site.

“If a resident chooses a socially distant move-in, the difference is that our team will meet incoming residents at their home on their scheduled move-in day and perform a standard walk-through of the home with the resident to demonstrate how all systems and features work, as well as to go over the home inspection checklist,” he said.

In both cases, Williams said, representatives wear proper protective equipment at all times. His office reminded incoming residents to submit inspection checklists within 10 days of moving into their new dwelling.

In partnership with the Directorate of Public Works, Housing Division, Balfour Beatty Communities has moved 211 families into homes on the installation since adopting the new process, Williams said.

“Usually our team greets incoming families in-house and a portion of the move-in process is done in our leasing office,” he said. “With this procedure, there is no contact between our new families and our team.”

He added that all home inspections are done in tandem with DPW, which conducts separate follow-up resident satisfaction interviews at 30 and 60 days after families have moved in.

“We come in once (BBC) says the house is ready to be rented,” said Mike Estright, DPW, housing deputy chief. “We’ll walk through the entire house. We’re checking for anything regarding health and safety; we’re checking to make sure that if there’s cosmetic damage, we at least annotate that. Once that’s done, then the house is ready to be rented.”

DPW housing staff said that although the process can now be done contactless, service members must also prioritize a visit to the DPW Housing Office – Building 470, Suite 1217 – to fill out necessary move-in paperwork like housing assignment letters.

Luis Rosario-Febus, DPW, housing chief, urged families to use reliable contact information on forms to ensure maintenance can be done in a timely manner.

For more information or for virtual home tours, visit www.fortleonardwoodhomes.com. To reach the DPW Housing Office, call 573.596.0984.

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission

Sam Campbell

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 17, 2020) — The U.S. Army Prime Power School hosted its annual Prime Power Production Specialist (12P20) course capstone this week at Training Area 246.

The three-day event is a practical examination, testing student-Soldiers attending the course here from across the country on all they have learned from the previous eight months of instruction.

The capstone is normally completed at the schoolhouse’s facility, utilizing equipment on a much smaller scale, according to Staff Sgt. Russell Gaskin, USAPPS instructor.

“This is the inaugural event at this site,” he said. “This is the biggest it’s ever been — it’s actually kind of monumental.”

Unlike past years’ capstone events, students and instructors from USAPPS’ Advanced Leader Course — who have already completed this portion of training — joined the fray, receiving leadership experience.

“For the students to put everything that they’ve learned into practice is a huge step, and then being able to take our future leaders and have them oversee work in a live fashion is just incredible,” said Sgt. 1st Class Micah Stinson, ALC instructor. “It’s a massive training enhancer.”

During the course’s final exam, students must prepare, install, maintain and operate a mobile power plant, delivering energy to a mock forward operating base, as those in their military occupational specialty are often required to do in the field.

As part of the initial set up, they implement a grounding grid, ensuring any fault in the electrical system or inclement weather does not result in loss of functionality or operation.

Like a one-stop-shop electric company, Prime Power Soldiers are further tasked to test the efficacy of the grounding grid, make changes as needed, lay wire, conduct pre-operational safety checks, run power to mock destinations, oversee power distribution and adapt to severely problematic circumstances.

On the third and final day of the capstone, students arrive to find a wrench in their plans — the lines have been cut, and intentionally so, by none other than the instructors.

Gaskin said the training is meant to teach Soldiers to recover from major setbacks.

“We cut their high-voltage cable on Thursday morning,” he said. “They have to come out here and realize that. They (have to) go through all the protocols and processes to make the site safe and repair that cable.”

And not only is such a scenario in the field very possible, he said, but it requires action of the utmost urgency.

“This is similar to how it would look in real life,” he said. “It depends on who’s down the line — sometimes if it’s a critical power site, usually they have local back-up (power), but it’s all hands on deck.”

Sgt. Jakenya Hill, who came to the USAPPS course from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said the training at Fort Leonard Wood is invaluable as it cannot be done anywhere else.

“I think it’s great training, especially with the amount they’ve put into training us, and it’s a year long, so we’re getting a lot of opportunities that a lot of people are not granted,” he said. “We’re taking it humbly and we’re happy to be here.”

He said skills learned in this course — and put on display in the capstone — will benefit him for years, even after he decides to leave the Army.

“One of the key things about our MOS is that we learn, we become generally (educated) … in a wide spectrum of power operations,” Hill added while testing grounding equipment. “Whereas in the civilian world, this one job, doing one test, may be a single job itself.”

His classmate, Sgt. Samuel Ball, traveled for training from Fort Irwin, California, located deep in the Mojave Desert. He said handling the wires requires steady hands.

“You got to get a little surgical with it,” Ball said as he stripped a thick wire, carefully avoiding cutting into it. “If you nick any of that gray area right there and it’s not perfectly smooth, it’ll blow out.”

He said he feels proud to share a similar career with his father.

“We’re getting so much more in-depth training than most do,” he said. “It’s interesting to see now what I’m actually capable of doing. My dad’s an electrician, and I never got to work with him enough to learn a whole lot, so now I can understand what he’s talking about.”

Soldiers who successfully complete the capstone attend additional skill identifying training where they enter one of three specializations within their trade: mechanical, electrical or instrumentation maintenance.

“We use fossil prime movers, so large diesel engines,” Gaskin said. “The mechanical maintenance side is the maintenance of the engine … anything involved in mechanics, fluid dynamics, setting up your fuel farm.”

He explained how the specialties differ.

“Electricians, of course, they focus in and they go down the rabbit hole of transformation, actual operation of the alternator,” he added. “The instrumentation guys — it’s 2020, everything is digital, everything is run by a chip — so those guys really hone in on digital and solid-state control circuits, protected devices, monitoring, a lot of keyboard and laptop work.”

Gaskin said he felt proud of the capstone’s scale and success.

“This is why I chose this assignment – to improve the quality of future Prime Power operators,” he said. “Whatever mission they have from now on, I just want to do my part in always improving that.”

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission