Courtesy Photo | Members of the bakery section of the 312th General Supply Company, Des Moines and...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from July 2020 and back.
75 Years Ago — July 1945
Camp McCoy is a cranberry center of Wisconsin. Within the post are two of the most productive cranberry marshes in the state.
So valuable are they that they were not purchased by the government when the reservation was expanded through the new camp area, and, surrounded by the camp, they remain the property of the five Hableman brothers.
A 35-acre cranberry marsh is located on Stillwell creek not far to the east of the McCoy railroad station along the northwestern line tracks. A 70-acre cranberry bog is on the northeast edge of the post, surrounded on three sides by government land.
60 Years Ago — July 1960
U. S. Army Reserve medical officers, nurses and technicians of Omaha, Neb., worked alongside active-duty Army counterparts at the Camp McCoy Hospital as part of their annual training.
The 82nd Field Hospital, commanded by Col. Henry F. Davidson of Omaha, trained to operate a field hospital under canvas in a combat zone. The hospital had a staff of 26 officers and 58 enlisted technicians.
After spending the first week of training in refresher training and a trip to the field to set up a tent hospital, the officers and men of the 82nd returned to indoor hospital work July 18, 1960, joining the regular hospital staff in wards, treatment rooms, and laboratories of the hospital at the eastern end of the cantonment area.
50 Years Ago — July 1970
The field bakery, operated by the 243rd Service and Supply Battalion from Parsons, Kan., supported Army Reserve and National Guard companies with plenty of bread.
The first increment of the 243rd began operating the bakery June 18, and the second increment was in charge in the beginning of July 1970 for its two weeks of annual training.
The team of eight men operating the bakery made approximately 250 loaves of bread each day for mess halls and men in the field.
The equipment used for making bread included an oven and mixer that were operated by generator, proofing cabinet, and water truck, all operated in the open.
40 Years Ago — July 13, 1980
An Illinois National Guardsman died from a heart attack July 13, 1980, at Fort McCoy.
Staff Sgt. Richard Benton, 3rd Military Police Battalion, from Chicago spent most of the morning swimming at Squaw Lake. He was found on the floor of the barracks by friends, after he returned from swimming.
It was determined by his friends, one of who had been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, that Benton had stopped breathing. Another Soldier from the unit telephoned for an ambulance.
Approximately five minutes later, the ambulance arrived, and the attendants continued resuscitation attempts en route to the post hospital. It was determined by the battalion surgeon that Benton suffered from an attack of arteriosclerosis.
(Editor's note: Squaw Lake was renamed to Suukjak Sep Lake in 2016.)
30 Years Ago — July 26, 1990
LaValle Thielker, an orders clerk at the Fort McCoy Directorate of Personnel and Community Activities, received the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service.
Col. Raymond G. Boland, garrison commander, presented the award, which consisted of a medal, lapel pin, and certificate to Thielker. The Achievement Medal for Civilian Service is an honorary medal given to outstanding employees. Since its origin in April 1988, five medals have been awarded at Fort McCoy.
Thielker received the award for going "above and beyond the call of duty" in helping others, said 2nd Lt. Michelle Black, Thielker's supervisor, who nominated her for the award. Thielker, who had been a federal employee for 23 years, also was the recipient of the 1989 Federal Women's Program Outstanding Achievement Award.
20 Years Ago — July 2000
Remnants of an almost forgotten settlement, believed to be owned by the family of the installation’s eponym at one time and located not far from Gate 5 at Fort McCoy, were unearthed by the hard work of an installation staff archaeologist and volunteers.
The Tarr Creek saw and grist mill opened in 1856 and closed in 1876. Flooding broke the dam and destroyed the mill in that year.
Available information indicates the mill never was rebuilt, and the land was owned by several people, including Bruce E. McCoy, the father of the installation’s namesake, Robert Bruce McCoy, said Andy Sewell, a staff archaeologist working at Fort McCoy under the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education program.
The McCoy family moved to Sparta after the mill was destroyed. The Department of Defense purchased the land of the former mill site in the 1940s as part of the North Post addition.
The approximate location of the site was determined using an 1858 map, which indicated the mill was in the village of Best Point. The site was located through a homestead survey.
The archaeology project ran from May to August 2000.
(Editor's note: Artifacts from the saw mill are on display at the Fort McCoy History Center.)
10 Years Ago — July 2010
The command sergeant major of the Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) visited Fort McCoy on July 7-9, 2010, to learn more about the installation and hold a town hall meeting.
Command Sgt. Maj. Neil L. Ciotola said he was impressed by what he was told and what he saw.
“It’s amazing what you’ve all got going on here,” Ciotola said. Ciotola said he and his commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, made on-site visits as often as possible to get a firsthand “feel of battle” for the installations assigned to their command. Ciotola said he had visited upward of 40 of IMCOM’s 163 installations.
“Do you know what facility possesses the most modern live-fire ranges in the nation — it’s you — Fort McCoy,” he said. “Do you know where you’ll find more World War II wood than on any other U.S. Army installation? It’s Fort McCoy.”
He said he realized that by being frugal managers of its resources, Fort McCoy has breathed new life into those facilities. He said the employees serve trainsient training troops well.
“When I asked Colonel Chesser what the secret of McCoy’s success was he said the civilian employees,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2020 17:20 |
| Story ID: | 373649 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 155 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, This month in Fort McCoy history: July 2020, by Theresa R Fitzgerald, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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