A bugler starts the day at Fort Brady, with the Jail House (aka East Hall) in the background.

Daily life at Fort Brady began at sunrise and ended at sunset. Each morning at sunrise a soldier would play his bugle into a large metal megaphone, projecting the strains of Reveille across the fort grounds. Buglers were stationed in front of the post guardhouse, known today as East Hall.

Meals were served in the cafeteria located between the infantry barracks. Throughout the day troopers could have hot meals served at the snack bar, an underground restaurant located in the basement of Brady Hall, which was then used as barracks for officers.

Snowshoe troopers in training.

After a hot breakfast soldiers broke down into companies to begin their training.

Colonel Nash and the snowshoe troopers trained every day for European warfare, often in weather conditions ranging from zero to sixteen degrees below zero. The snowshoe troopers traveled several miles each day through the dense temperate forest of the Upper Peninsula with weapons and military equipment strapped to their backs. The troopers were camouflaged in white long underwear shirts and dark brown pants, used to blend in with the snow. Instead of helmets troopers wore thick, wool ski masks which exposed only eyes and lips.

Ski troopers prepare to depart, with Brady Hall in the backgorund.

In 1930s Ski Troopers started traning at Fort Brady when intuitive Battalian commanders felt soldiers should be able to fight in winter conditions. Known as the "Northern Army", hand picked troops trained at Fort Brady, MI as well as other Northern U.S. border forts. The soldiers trained with flat-topped skis, leather toe straps and no heel harnesses. Lt. Col. Hayes A. Kroner of the 2nd Infantry was in charge of training.

Ski troopers travelled cross country on skis with their weapons strapped to their backs. The troopers wore white tops and green camouflaged pants. During extremely cold weather exercises ski troopers wore long wool coats with a weapons belt around their waists. These weapons belts contained amunition, first aid kits, and green bandages used for tending wounds. Skis were used by compat units and snowshoes used by supply units for pulling toboggans carrying supplies and guns.

The police batallions marched on the fort grounds and patrolled the area surrounding the Sault Locks. When the batallions were not marching they engaged in target practice. The left image below shows the batallions marching, with the gymnasium (Fletcher Center), fort library (small white building to left of horse stable) and the maintance buildings in the background. The right image shows the police batallion preparing to fire their weapons at a public display at the fort, circa winter 1941. The police batallion was assigned to the Fort in the Summer of 1941 and was dismissed in the Spring of 1942.