Brian Hill

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 29, 2020) — More than 200 trainees assigned to Company D, 787th Military Police Battalion, lined up bright and early on the morning of Oct. 21 at Davidson Fitness Center — not to exercise, but to be the first service members here this year to begin the process of purchasing tickets and getting travel itineraries organized with family and friends for the annual Christmas through New Year’s Day break from Fort Leonard Wood called Holiday Block Leave.

To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, this year’s ticketing process is a lot different than in years past, said Aaron O’Donoghue, Leisure Travel Services manager.

Instead of long lines of trainees at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Mini Mall — where LTS is located — the fitness center was chosen to allow for better social distancing.

“There’s definitely more space at Davidson for them to spread out,” O’Donoghue said. “We can also group them by general destination there as well which helps streamline the process of getting everyone processed as quickly and easily as possible.”

According to Delta Company Commander Capt. Joshua Penny, the process of ensuring his trainees get home for the holidays was “smooth and efficient.”

“Us being the first ones, we thought there might be a couple of hiccups this morning, but everyone did a great job planning out the space here ahead of time,” he said. “How they have the flow of everything going — it was pretty smooth, all things considered.”

O’Donoghue said trainees are somewhat limited this year on where they can visit due to COVID-19. International travel isn’t authorized, which means trainees wanting to travel to U.S. states and territories outside the 48 contiguous states need to take extra care when booking flights.

Regardless of where they are travelling for the holidays, LTS travel agents are working to help each trainee get the best bang for their buck.

“Every trainee is given the option to fly or take a bus, so they can get pricing for both options,” O’Donoghue said. “Also, when they book through LTS, they receive a military discount on flights and our agents are well versed on the conditions for HBL travel. They will make sure to book for the correct dates and times. We can’t fix mistakes made when tickets are purchased outside of LTS.”

One trainee who’d rather fly than take a bus is Pfc. Shannon Milinazzo. She is planning to travel about 3,700 miles up to Anchorage, Alaska, to visit her significant other stationed at Fort Richardson.

“It’s beautiful there,” she said. “The views, the animals — it’s not too much city. It’s a lot of wildlife and it’s different; you actually get to see the stars.”

While Milinazzo may want to consider packing a jacket for her vacation, Pfc. Ricardo Lopez certainly won’t need one — he’s making plans to visit his family in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

“Joining the Army and coming to Fort Leonard Wood was the first time I’ve been away from home,” he said. “I like it here, but I miss my family. I’m looking forward to seeing my mom, and Christmas is very different in Puerto Rico. So, I’m very grateful they’re giving us the opportunity to travel.”

Lopez said he’s still getting used to autumn in Missouri.

“I’ve never been this cold in my whole life,” he said. “I’d never seen deer or armadillos before either — we don’t have those in Puerto Rico.”

Sitting next to Lopez was a private who is planning a surprise visit to his family in the seaside municipality of Añasco, Puerto Rico.

“I only told my friends,” he said. “They’re going to pick me up at the airport in San Juan. I think my mom’s gonna cry when she sees me.”

The private said he looks forward to “the beach, catching some waves” over the holidays.

“It’s summer all year where I’m from,” he said.

By the time the HBL ticketing process is complete, O’Donoghue said his team of agents will have helped thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines get home for the holidays.

“It’s a team effort and we all love to see the smiling faces on the days and nights of departure,” he said. “I’m happy we can help get these service members connected with their friends and families.”

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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

Brian Hill

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 26, 2020) — The runway at Fort Leonard Wood’s Forney Airfield — which also serves as Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport — was closed for five days earlier this month while contractors repaired 12 cracks in the pavement that began appearing last year.

According to Aviation Safety Officer Allen Moll, the cracks were transverse — meaning they ran across the width of the runway — and appeared where aircraft typically touch down.

“They started at about 2 inches wide,” he said. “They were 5 inches wide by early spring (this year).”

Moll said an uptick in usage over the past year is a likely culprit in the cause of the problem for the 6,037-foot runway.

“We have had an increase in traffic supporting the military sterile COVID-19 flights,” he said. “These aircraft are heavier and create more wear and tear on the runway.”

To solve the problem, the Fort Leonard Wood Directorate of Public Works brought in contractors to make all necessary repairs.

“The runway was milled down to the bottom of the pavement at an average of 10 feet wide,” said J.D. Bales, DPW Engineering Design Branch chief.

Bales said this was the first year the runway developed cracks that wide, but the repairs ensure the safety of everyone using the airfield.

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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

GUIDON Staff

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 23, 2020) — With winter weather always a concern in Missouri from November through March, travelers and commuters need to know the latest conditions before hitting the roads.

The installation’s snow and ice removal program — referred to as SNAIR — has various methods in place to keep people informed of treacherous travel and weather-related information.

During winter weather conditions, the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood Installation Operations Center coordinates SNAIR to ensure the safety of personnel and to minimize the impact to training and other missions, said Troy Carney, Installation Emergency manager.

“The purpose of SNAIR is to keep everyone aware of current road conditions, manage removal of snow and ice and get the installation back to normal as soon as safely possible,” he said.

SNAIR is a cooperative effort between the installation’s garrison directorates and mission and brigade assets. It is facilitated by the IOC. Compiled weather information is provided via several venues, and drivers can check road conditions before operating their vehicles.

The installation’s official Facebook page — www.facebook.com/fortleonardwoodmissouri — is typically updated the fastest regarding road conditions, facility closures or official announcements, according to Carney.

“Road conditions on post are broken down by color-coded definitions to quickly tell drivers what to expect as the weather changes,” Carney said.

In addition to Facebook, the Fort Leonard Wood Weather Alerts page — https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/Garrison/weather — is updated at 5 a.m. every day year-round and as weather conditions change.

“On that web page, drivers can access facility closures, current road conditions, status of primary parking lots and more,” Carney added.

The Wood Line is also updated daily at 5 a.m. and as weather conditions change, and the recorded message can be heard by calling 573.563.4141. However, this line can get easily inundated with incoming calls and will not allow Watch Office personnel to update the message.

“I’d advise people not to call this line during the last 15 minutes of the hour so that we can provide you the most up-to-date conditions,” Carney said.

Commuters can get updated weather information pushed to them by way of their smartphone, as well.

“The ALERT! system is our preferred method of publishing any severe weather-related information,” Carney said.

This feature is available to all Common Access Cardholders as well as family members, long-term contractors, private organizations or tenants on the installation.

In addition, several local radio and television stations in Lebanon, Rolla, St. Robert and Waynesville usually carry information on road conditions and post operations. Another avenue of information is the Missouri Department of Transportation web page, traveler.modot.org/map/. Visitors to this site can click on the traveler info map and the icon for traffic cameras on the left of the page, and can then select an area of I-44 to view live.

“They have cameras nearly all over the state, so you can actually get a visual right outside Rolla, Lebanon, Waynesville and St. Robert,” Carney said.

While getting weather information to the public is the IOC’s main priority, they are also responsible for coordinating clearing operations here.

The attached chart explains the installation’s color-coded road conditions.

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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

Kenton Lohraff

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Oct. 23, 2020) — Bat Week is Oct. 24 through 31 and exists to bring awareness to the role these flying mammals play in nature.

Bats face increasing threats, from habitat loss to diseases to pesticide poisoning. They are often underappreciated in their ecological importance and role as pest control.

There are just under 50 bat species in the United States and 12 of the 14 species found in Missouri have been documented on Fort Leonard Wood. There are subtle differences in color and size — the wingspan of the hoary bat, for instance, can be more than a foot long, while the tricolored bat has a wingspan of less than eight inches.

All bat species here are aerial insectivores and use echolocation to forage nocturnally in the air for insect prey. Bats eat copious amounts of insects, including mosquitoes, and are excellent bioindicators; their continued presence is a sign of overall health of the environment.

Fort Leonard Wood’s geology features springs, sink-holes and numerous caves. These, along with the forests here, provide perfect habitat for bats. Three species found here have special protections under the federal Endangered Species Act: the gray bat, Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat.

Outdoor enthusiasts most commonly encounter bats on the installation during the twilight hours of morning and evening. They are regularly seen along streams or forest edges but are also frequently observed in the cantonment area at this time of year.

A few species — commonly big brown bats — are sometimes encountered day roosting on buildings, porches or other structures. Please leave them alone if possible and they will usually fly away the next evening. Miller Cave visitors may encounter one of several species of bats. Please do not touch or disturb them by shining light in their direction for too long.

Bat species have differing habitat needs and uses, and not all bats commonly use caves. Some roost in trees, and for that reason Fort Leonard Wood has seasonal tree protection measures in place. Caves where bats are known to hibernate are off limits during certain times of the year, and posted signs provide information for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch monitors the installation’s bat populations with help from state, federal and university conservation partners. This includes acoustic surveillance to record and interpret their ultrasonic echolocation calls as well as counts at cave roost sites, swarming surveys and capture — bats are sometimes fitted with temporary radio telemetry equipment to track their movement.

Due to the off-limits areas and timing restrictions on tree removal and obscurant smoke use, most military training on the post does not directly impact bat populations.

For more information on any of Fort Leonard Wood’s fish and wildlife populations, call the DPW Natural Resources Branch at 573.596.2814 or email kenton.m.lohraff.civ@mail.mil.

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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. (Oct. 21, 2020) — With the snip of a blue ribbon, the Marine Corps Police Academy opened Oct. 15 in Bldg. 1706 on Fort Leonard Wood, the culmination of an intense, 18-month project to relocate the school here from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.

“This is a testament that the military is able to do rapid planning, rapid execution, rapid acquisition — that we can do this. It just takes us, working together, to make it happen,” said keynote speaker Marine Col. Bernard Hess, Head of Law Enforcement, Investigations and Corrections Branch, Security Division, Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters Marine Corps.

According to Gregg Thompson, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence deputy to the commanding general, the decision to move the facility here serves a two-fold purpose: saving the Department of Defense about $4.5 million per year and giving students of the academy, which instructs civilian police serving on Marine Corps installations, access to state-of-the-art training facilities at the home of the U.S. Army Military Police School. He described the relocation as, “a fantastic next step in an ever-growing partnership” between Fort Leonard Wood and the Marine Corps.

“The academy will serve as another venue through which we can share both our land and our resources with our interagency and our interservice partners,” Thompson said. “This move improves our ability to share our ideas and best practices … and results in better leaders and trained professionals who will make positive contributions to the safety and security of Marines and their families. … We’re proud to serve with our Marine Corps teammates and are excited to begin this latest chapter in our rich history together.”

Maceo Franks, program manager for the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program and head of the Supporting Establishment Law Enforcement Program, said the academy will train up to 300 students per year here.

“Our police officers, as required by law, must receive at least 400 hours of law-enforcement training,” Franks said. “The primary mission for our academy is that we provide entry-level training for our police officers, and also advanced law-enforcement training for our officers, too. This includes everything from special reaction-team training to leadership training in the way of watch-commander, desk-sergeant and field-officer training, and we also offer training to enhance their overall job performance by being assigned to an installation.”

He said academy students will literally “do everything” available to police in training on Fort Leonard Wood as part of their studies.

“Everything from standing the gate at entry control to operations to conducting patrol (operations) to responding to domestics to responding to an active threat,” Franks said. “They get all that, and they get various certifications that make them fully qualified to be law-enforcement officers when they graduate from here.”

For the 20 instructors who will teach academy students, the ribbon-cutting was an eagerly anticipated milestone that coincided with the arrival of the first class of students later that day, according to Richard Holman, the school’s director of training.

“These guys are chompin’ at the bit to start teaching,” he said.

Holman, who previously taught at the academy at Miramar and its original headquarters at Camp Lejune, North Carolina, said the Fort Leonard Wood facility is second to none.

“This is the nicest facility I’ve ever taught in, and I’ve taught at all the other academies,” he said. “It’s tremendous. So, this means the world to me.”

Holman said the facilities and the training opportunities available on Fort Leonard Wood will allow his students to be more well-rounded police officers when they graduate.

“The technology we have today — this will be the first time the Marine Corps students have had a chance to use the newer technology. It should produce a better basic-trained police officer,” he said.

Col. William Hannan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District commander, told audience members that getting the academy ready in time presented his team with several challenges, which they met with help and cooperation from multiple agencies.

“This project was first brought to us at the end of the 2019 fiscal year, and I must admit when I told my team I wanted to get this done, a couple of them looked at me and said, ‘Sir, we can’t do that. It’s impossible.’” Hannan said. “And I said, ‘Well, we’ve got to make it — this is important to Fort Leonard Wood.’ So, the team really pulled together, figured it out and got this project done in record time.

It’s just a testament to all those other partnerships — working with the Marine Corps to work through issues, working with the team with (the Directorate of Public Works), working with our contractor — everything went extremely well. Really, everyone worked together and overcame all challenges.”

Hess praised the Corps of Engineers’ work, and thanked a long list of leaders, units, organizations and individuals who contributed to the project.

“Let me address everyone who has had a hand in making this relocation possible: Please, everyone who was part of this endeavor, please accept a very simple but sincere and humble ‘thank you’ for your efforts to make this a reality here today,” Hess said.

“This was similar to a PCS move for us, as we picked up our academy and moved it here. I am so excited to see how the next chapter of this Marine Corps and U.S. Army partnership is going to play out,” he added.

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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