Navy ends Fort McCoy stop before boot camp, cuts ROM for fully vaccinated recruits.

As with all breaking news, there are always multiple versions of the truth. The following update on the Recruit Training Command modifications of their 14-day quarantine is adopted from the U.S. Navy press release 4/20/21 and the Navy Times. We advise families and recruits to check with their recruiter for the most up-to-date information and guidelines on COVID vaccinations and requirements to start recruit training.

Lt. Cmdr. Phil Chitty, a spokesman for Naval Service Training Command, told Navy Times in an email.“If a recruit arrives at RTC fully immunized (greater than 14 days since their final dose) with a copy of their immunization record in hand, they will not be required to ROM,” (reported by Navy Times’ reporter Diana Stancy Correll)

According to a NAVADMIN released this month, ROM is not required before accession level courses if “students are immunized or arrive via bubble-to-bubble/protected travel.” Boot camp falls under accession level courses, Chitty said.

 U.S. Navy Press release 4/20/2021: “We are grateful to the Fort McCoy Army leadership for their outstanding support that enabled us to achieve our mission,” said Capt. Erik Thors, commanding officer, RTC. “We could not have achieved the same level of success we did without Fort McCoy and multiple Navy commands who provided personnel support.”

After an 8-month joint-service endeavor between Recruit Training Command (RTC) and Fort McCoy, a U.S. Army training center in western Wisconsin, RTC began moving the command’s recruit restriction of movement (ROM) site from Ft. McCoy to RTC’s facilities April 19.

“The transition of ROM operations from Fort McCoy to RTC is an important first step to normalizing training operations during the pandemic,” said Rear. Adm. Jamie Sands III, commander, Naval Service Training Command. “We could not have successfully trained new recruits during these past eight months without the help and support of Fort McCoy, the Army, the Wisconsin National Guard, and the hard work and flexibility of RTC’s staff.”

Categories: Navy, Recruit Training