Fort McCoy Commemorative Area draws nearly 150 visitors during September
The September visitors included military retirees and their families, Navy Reserve chief selectees, Wisconsin State FFA officers and their advisors, and members of the public who attended open days on Sept. 11 and 25.
The variety of visitors demonstrated the many ways the Commemorative Area can be used — from military heritage education and professional development to community engagement and simply learning more about Fort McCoy’s history.
The month began Sept. 11 with Fort McCoy’s 2026 Retiree Appreciation Day. Several dozen military retirees and family members attending the annual event visited the Commemorative Area, where they could explore the Fort McCoy History Center, historic buildings, Equipment Park, and Veterans Memorial Plaza.
The RAD event, organized by the Fort McCoy Soldier for Life Retirement Services Office within the Directorate of Human Resources, included open hours at the Commemorative Area as part of its full day of activities.
The Sept. 11 visit was particularly appropriate because Veterans Memorial Plaza provides a place to remember those who served. The plaza’s five Soldier statues represent major periods of military service associated with Fort McCoy: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Global War on Terrorism. The words “TO HONOR ALL WHO HAVE SERVED” are etched into the plaza and have also served as the backdrop for Fort McCoy observances, including a 2021 ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
On Sept. 16, about two dozen members of the Navy Reserve Center-Madison Chiefs’ Mess visited the Commemorative Area for a historical scavenger hunt. The activity encouraged the chief selectees to explore the area and learn about Fort McCoy’s history while working together as a group. Fort McCoy Public Affairs documented the visit and later reported on the group's experience.
On Sept. 23, Wisconsin State FFA officers and their advisors visited Fort McCoy as part of a career-focused tour of the installation. The college-aged students were interested in careers connected to areas including environmental and engineering fields, medical operations and other professional opportunities.
The FFA group also visited the Commemorative Area, giving the students an opportunity to learn about Fort McCoy’s history while visiting an installation that provides career opportunities extending well beyond traditional military occupations.
An important part of the FFA visit was the opportunity to hear from Fort McCoy employees who are FFA alumni. The former FFA members discussed how their original interests in agriculture and farming continued to influence their education and career choices.
“The FFA officers and their advisors welcomed the opportunity to hear Fort McCoy FFA alums share how that original interest in agriculture/farming continues to matter in their current career choices,” Melissa Dubois, a Fort McCoy Public Affairs specialist, wrote in a Sept. 23 follow-up message.
Dubois also noted that the visit provided an opportunity to explore developing a broader relationship between Fort McCoy and Wisconsin FFA.
“We are excited to see how we might develop/grow this into a partnership with the state and local chapters,” Dubois wrote.
The September activity concluded with a Commemorative Area open day Sept. 25, when nearly 20 members of the public visited the site. Visitors were able to explore the historical buildings and exhibits, Equipment Park and Veterans Memorial Plaza.
The Commemorative Area is located in Fort McCoy’s historic 800 and 900 blocks and the surrounding area. The site includes five World War II-era buildings that are representative of facilities found in the cantonment when it was constructed in 1942. Three of the buildings — an administrative facility, dining facility and barracks — are arranged to depict Soldier life during the 1940s. Displays include a World War II chapel, bunk beds, footlockers, mannequins and potbelly stoves. Other buildings contain displays highlighting World War II events, modern military training venues and training aids.
The Fort McCoy History Center expands the story beyond World War II. Its displays contain memorabilia reflecting the installation's role during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Cuban Refugee Resettlement Center operations, Operation Desert Storm, and other periods of Fort McCoy history.
The Equipment Park adds another dimension by allowing visitors to see military equipment rather than only reading about it. The park is designed to display more than 70 pieces of historical and present-day equipment, including helicopters, howitzers, trucks and trailers. Veterans Memorial Plaza provides the memorial component of the area and recognizes the service and sacrifice of men and women who served during the various eras of Fort McCoy's history.
The Commemorative Area’s purpose extends beyond displaying old buildings and equipment. According to Fort McCoy's installation guidance, the area is administered as an official Army Museum Activity under Army museum and historical artifact policies. Its purpose is to collect, identify, preserve, study and interpret artifacts relating to Fort McCoy’s establishment and history since 1909. The Equipment Park and Veterans Memorial Plaza are open year-round.
Fort McCoy’s Public Affairs Office manages the History Center and Commemorative Area as part of its community outreach and engagement responsibilities. The installation’s current visitor information states that the Commemorative Area is available by appointment to civilian groups and military units Monday through Friday throughout the year, while the Equipment Park and Veterans Memorial Plaza are available daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Self-guided visits encompassing the History Center, Commemorative Area buildings, Equipment Park and Veterans Memorial Plaza generally take about one to 1½ hours.
The site’s history as a public educational resource extends well beyond September 2026. Fort McCoy records show that from 2015 through 2019, the Commemorative Area hosted 236 tours involving 8,153 visitors, in addition to larger crowds attending annual Armed Forces Day Open House events.
September 2026 added another chapter to that history, with nearly 150 people using the area in a single month for different reasons but with a common purpose: to see, experience, and learn about the people, places, equipment, and events that shaped Fort McCoy.
For retirees, the area offered an opportunity to reconnect with Army history. For Navy Reserve chief selectees, it became an interactive learning experience. For Wisconsin FFA officers, it provided an educational connection between their interests, potential careers and the history of a major military installation. And for members of the public, the Sept. 25 open day provided an opportunity to step inside Fort McCoy's history.
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.” The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
