The 10th Mountain Division Light Fighters School was constituted upon the division’s reactivation at Fort Drum, New York, in 1985. The mission of the Light Fighters School was to train Soldiers and leaders in the fundamentals of light infantry tactics, techniques, and procedures to ensure the highest degree of tactical excellence in the offensively oriented units of the 10th Mountain Division (LI).
On June 21, 2023, the 10th Mountain Division Light Fighters School was memorialized in honor of 1LT John A. McCown II. Before his military service, McCown was a prolific climber, mountaineer, falconer, and a member of the American Alpine Club. Upon enlisting, then Private McCown was assigned to the 87th Mountain Infantry at Fort Lewis, Washington. He eventually achieved the rank of corporal before attending Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia, and graduating in December 1942. Upon being promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, McCown rejoined his unit, which would become the nucleus of the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale, Colorado.
McCown eventually became one of the lead instructors in the division’s Mountain Training Group, responsible for training Soldiers in mountaineering tasks. He later became commanding officer of the Mountain Training Group assault climbing school at Seneca Rock, West Virginia. McCown was killed in action on Feb. 20, 1945, while leading a patrol near Riva Ridge in Italy’s Apennine Mountains. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart and is buried in the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial in Italy.
On Feb. 9, 2024, the 10th Mountain Division Light Fighters School returned to its alpine roots championed by Soldiers like McCown and was renamed the 10th Mountain Division Mountain Training Group.
Today, the 1LT John A. McCown Mountain Training Group staff is committed to training Soldiers and units to build the necessary skills and confidence to train and fight in any terrain or environmental conditions.