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This Month in Fort McCoy History — May 2024

Courtesy Photo | This is a news clipping from the May 6, 1944, edition of The Real McCoy newspaper at...... read more read more

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

05.21.2024

Courtesy Story

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from May 2024 and back.

80 Years Ago — May 1944
FROM THE MAY 6, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: High speed rockets train ack ack machine gunners; Each man to fire 500 rounds at targets — Machine gunners of the 562nd Anti-Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion are currently busying themselves with firing the .50 cal anti-aircraft machine guns at high-speed rockets, it was revealed by Lt. Col. Lee E. Israell, battalion commander.

Firing is being conducted on a range north of Camp McCoy. According to Maj. Henry P. Morse, battalion plans and training officer, each machine gunner who fires at the rockets will fire a minimum of 500 rounds.

The rocket launcher is capable of ejecting targets that reach the speeds of aircraft AA units expect to “slug it out” with in actual combat.

In firing at the high-speed rockets, ACK ACK gunners are employing the multiple machine gun mechanism that permits one man to fire several machine guns at once. It gives each machine gunner tremendous firepower.

To date the multiple mount has been fired with a great degree of accuracy. The machine gun firing will continue throughout the next week.

FROM THE MAY 27, 1944, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY: Army of 700 industrialists coming to McCoy: Infantry plans battle show D’Day preview in airlanes — Over 700 industrialists, 200 from the Milwaukee area alone, leaders in America’s home front war effort, will “invade” Camp McCoy June 15 to witness the closest thing to real warfare in the land when they help the 76th Infantry Division commanded by Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt celebrate Infantry Day and the division’s second anniversary.

The 200 Milwaukee war plant owners and operating heads will be led by Frank Greusel, War Production Board representative and Irvin Ott, Chamber of Commerce official.

The “business as usual” sign will be out among division Soldiers as they go through their regular training routines under the watchful eyes of those powers behind the war effort. Under directives of the War Department Bureau of Public Relations and Army Ground Forces Headquarters, division training grounds heretofore “off limits” to the public will be opened to these distinguished visitors. These distinguished visitors will be taken into the training areas, will visit with the Soldiers, learn how the men are trained to “kill or be killed,” and will share some of the trials and tribulations of combat training with the fighting men of the division.

60 Years Ago — May 1964
FROM THE MAY 29, 1964, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Active sports program set at Camp McCoy — Fifth U.S. Army men who form the supporting garrison for Camp McCoy’s summer encampment of U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard troops will have an active sports program this year, according to the athletic schedule released by the Post Special Service Officer.

A five-team softball league will open its summer schedule Tuesday, June 2, and company T-level competition in volleyball is also scheduled for later in the season. A bowling league has been organized and will start June 3.

There will be golf and tennis tournaments during the summer, and for fishermen the Special Service Officer has tackle to loan on a 72-hour basis. Golf and tennis equipment is also available.

FROM THE MAY 29, 1964, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Camp McCoy set for Memorial Day event — Officers and men of Camp McCoy will join neighboring Wisconsin communities and the rest of the nation Saturday in the 96th observance of Memorial Day, the holiday during which America pays tribute to its honored wartime dead and enjoys the freedom for which they gave their lives.

The holiday falls on the day before the first U.S. Army Reservists are scheduled to arrive at the summer training site, and most officers and men will work as usual Saturday morning, preparing for the first of 42,000 citizen-Soldiers who will train here this summer.

Active Army personnel at the camp will participate in Memorial Day observances at Tomah, La Crosse, and Kendall. Memorial Day church services will be held Sunday in two chapels on the post for active Army men, many of whom are veterans of World War II and the Korean conflict with vivid memories of fallen comrades.

50 Years Ago — May 1974
FROM THE MAY 16, 1974, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: 961st Engineers dig in (By Spec. 4 Greg Bartlett) — The 961st Engineer Reserve Battalion of Milwaukee is “digging” Camp McCoy. The 961st Engineers, commonly called the “River
Rats,” arrived on May 4 for two weeks of summer activities.

Presently under the command of Lt. Col. John M. Lusa, the 961st has trained at Camp McCoy seven times since 1963. The mission of the 961st Engineer Battalion is to demolish, rebuild, construct, and repair various sites. Present projects include building a road alongside the ammunition point, constructing a timber trestle bridge, repairing sidewalks, renovating a
water storage tank, and operating a rock quarry.

A unique association exists between the 961st Battalion and the General Contractors Association of Milwaukee. The unit has begun providing construction training for personnel hired by private contractors; this in turn has helped to recruit many new Reservists.

40 Years Ago — May 1984
FROM THE MAY 24, 1984, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Field house pool gets overhaul (By Pat Jones) — Relief from the summer sun will be available early next month when the indoor swimming pool at the Rumpel Field House re-opens.

The pool closed in April for a “complete overhaul,” said Field House Supervisor Karen K. Giraud. Price tag for the refurbishing is $13,000 and is broken into two parts, said a post engineer official.

A contractor was hired to sandblast the pool for $7,000. The post engineers are doing the rest of the renovation. Post officials made the decision to have the work done when it was discovered
the pool was leaking. Other work done to the pool was for general upkeep, said Giraud.

The overhaul includes completely stripping the pool and deck, removing and replacing the sealant and repainting. Other improvements at the field house include new mirrors in the weight
room and scales in the locker rooms.

Giraud said the new mirrors are to aid weightlifters in proper bodybuilding and for safety.

“If a weightlifter can see he is lifting improperly, then he can stop before he does any damage,” she said.

Giraud said signs are also being made for 1-, 3- and 5-mile courses for joggers. She has also requested new weight equipment and carpeting or pads for the weight room.

“The weightlifters I’ve talked to have mixed feelings about carpeting or padding. About half of them want carpeting and the other half want padding,” she said.

Sandy Sandlin, morale support officer, added that the field house now has new sports attire for use and has started a run-for-your-life program.

30 Years Ago — May 1994
FROM THE MAY 20, 1994, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Military academy moving here (By Robert Schuette) — Completion of the new Wisconsin Military Academy in mid-1995 will bring an estimated 2,000 additional reserve-component Soldiers a year to Fort McCoy for training.

Kraemer Brothers General Contractor of Plain, Wis., is the general contractor for the $13.1 million project, which is under construction and occupies 23 acres across from the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy on South 10th Avenue. Included in the project is a 135,826 square-foot building, which will have 22 classrooms, a 455-bed dormitory, a library and a dining facility.
A projected completion date of June 24, 1995, has been estimated by the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., which is overseeing the project’s construction.

Col. David Schumacher, the Military Academy's commandant, said the facility initially will train officers and noncommissioned officers from both the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.

“We are looking forward to the move, which was eight to 10 years in the planning stages,” Schumacher said. “The current site we have at Camp Williams (Wis.) has become too small for our purposes.”

Moving the operations to McCoy will have a number of advantages, he said.

In addition to providing more training space and consolidating operations from 20 buildings to one, the Military Academy personnel will have Fort McCoy personnel and/or equipment nearby for potential support needs.

Schumacher said a staffing plan now is being developed for the Military Academy. Like Fort McCoy’s plan, the plan probably will include soldiers on 179-day orders to augment the staff
during the summer training season.

20 Years Ago — May 2004
FROM THE MAY 28, 2004, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Sparta High School students perform community service at Pine View (By Fort McCoy Public Affairs Staff) — About 70 Sparta High School students came to Pine View Recreation Area at Fort McCoy on May 19 to help control invasive plant species and perform general beautification efforts.

The students were participating in a Community Service Day, called Operation Community Service, said science teachers Donna Kemp and Mark Hanson. Kemp has brought several classes of students to Fort McCoy to help with installation efforts to control invasive plant species.

All students in the Sparta High School are required to participate in a day of community service,
Kemp said. Other students went to a variety of locations throughout the area to perform their service.

“The community supports the students, and this activity helps the students become more involved in the community,” Kemp said. “They learn about invasive plant species and can take the knowledge with them to their families.”

Hanson said the day at Fort McCoy helped give the students a sound education about invasive species and taught them how to eradicate them.

Kim Mello, installation wildlife biologist, told the students that invasive plant species are species that are not native to a particular area and that can outcompete the native vegetation. The invasive species near Pine View include glossy buckthorn, garlic mustard and honeysuckle.

“There is a risk that in the future these invasive plants will be the only plants that are found in this area,” Mello said.

The students helped the program by providing intensive hands-on labor that the installation workforce could not provide, he said. Biological and Cultural Resources Section personnel provided guidance and support, such as applying herbicide on plants to help control their spread.

Martin Trainor, Fort McCoy Outdoor Recreation director, said the students also helped with beautification of the campgrounds, such as litter pickup, to help make the camping experience more enjoyable for visitors.

The removal of invasive species also will help keep the areas around Pine View open to customers for their present and future enjoyment. Pine View is open to the public.

“It helped us all the way around in maintaining good operations at Pine View,” Trainor said.
Casey Johnson, a senior at Sparta High School, said she learned that invasive species are “horrible.”

“It’s a good thing to control them,” Johnson said. “This allows the native plants to grow. We’re actually helping to accomplish something here.”

Johnson said her family also will benefit from the work because they come to Pine View to camp.

Derik McGovern, a sophomore at Sparta High School, said the work was a good thing because if
the students didn’t do it the native plants might not survive.

“We’re learning more about nature and our surroundings by doing this,” McGovern said. “The
more we learn, the more respected we will be in life.”

10 Years Ago — May 2014
FROM THE MAY 9, 2014, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: NCOA dining facility contract awarded (By Scott T. Sturkol) — A $5.9 million contract has been awarded for construction of a new dining facility for the Staff Sgt. Todd R. Cornell Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA).

Roy Brewer, Fort McCoy resident engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers, said the contract
was awarded to Wilson Brigadier Joint Venture of St. Louis, Mo.

“We recently held our preconstruction conference with the contract being awarded,” Brewer said.
“Notice to proceed for the project was given April 22, and the contract completion date is Aug. 25, 2015.”

The Fort McCoy NCOA is one of 33 Armywide — four Reserve, 15 active duty and 14 National Guard. It falls under the command of the 83rd Army Reserve Readiness Training Center at Fort Knox, Ky.

Students from the NCOA’s Warrior Leader Course, Battle Staff NCO Course, Small Group Instructor Course and Army Basic Instructor Course all will be using the dining facility while attending classes.

According to the contract specifications, the dining facility will be built to accommodate up to 390 people and is designed for a “minimum life” of 50 years. Additionally, it will have the latest heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems built in, and is designed
with the latest antiterrorism and force-protection measures considered.

When completed, the dining facility will complement the classroom training, billeting and administrative functions by providing all of the doctrinal requirements of the academy within one contiguous footprint, according to Brewer.

“We are expecting (contractor) mobilization by the end of May and site excavation to
start by mid-June,” Brewer said.

The facility’s location will also be central to NCOA operations. “The new dining facility will be located between our headquarters, building 1361, and the functional branch, building 1363,” said
NCOA Director of Instruction Sgt. Maj. Paul Sharp.

Once all the construction projects are completed, the NCOA at McCoy will be one of the only academies Armywide that is set up as a self-sufficient, campus-style organization, Sharp said.

The NCOA was activated at Fort McCoy in 1988. It was dedicated and named after Staff Sgt. Todd R. Cornell, an Army Reserve Soldier from Menomonee Falls, Wis., who was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004.

5 Years Ago — May 2019
FROM THE MAY 24, 2019, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Vice President Mike Pence visits Fort McCoy, thanks troops (By Scott T. Sturkol) — Vice President of the United States Mike Pence visited Fort McCoy on May 16 as part of an overall Wisconsin visit.

During his stop at Fort McCoy, Pence learned about military equipment; met with hundreds of Fort McCoy workforce, military, and family members; and gave a speech at an Equipment Concentration Site-67 building.

“It is an honor to be here at Fort McCoy — the ‘Total Force Training Center,’” Pence said in his speech.

The vice president was greeted on his arrival by Fort McCoy Senior Commander and 88th Readiness Division Commanding General Maj. Gen. Jody J. Daniels and Command Sgt. Maj. Ronnie Farmer, 88th command sergeant major, and received a briefing about an RG33 Medium Mine-Protected Vehicle from Lt. Col. Charles Wells, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 340th Brigade Engineer Battalion (3rd/340th), and Command Sgt. Maj. Rathe Thompson, 3rd/340th command sergeant major, at Fort McCoy.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Wells said of his opportunity to brief the vice president. “I’m glad I got the opportunity.”

Pence said he welcomed the opportunity to visit the installation.

“The president (Donald J. Trump) wanted me to be here today to make sure you all knew how much we appreciate the work you do here at Fort McCoy, and the way that you make sure that our military (is) ready,” Pence said. “The efforts that you provide here each and every day — through the generations you’ve provided — here at Fort McCoy have made America safer. And we’re grateful, and we’re proud.

“I stand before you today, on behalf of your commander-in-chief and a grateful nation, to pay a debt of honor and a debt of respect to each and every one of you,” the vice president said. “You stood up, you stepped forward to protect our families, our freedom, and our way of life.”

Further into his speech, Pence discussed the post’s capabilities and more.

“You know, it’s an honor for me to be with all of you today,” he said. “It’s amazing to think that, for more than a century, Fort McCoy has been at the very center of America’s national security.
This base trained artillery units in World War I; it hosted the historic Second Army maneuvers during World War II preparing tens of thousands of Soldiers for deployment overseas; and for 35 years, Fort McCoy has trained more than 100,000 military personnel every single year from every branch of the service, faithfully executing your mission to “Underpin Total Force Readiness.’

“In fact, some of the (nearly) 150,000 members of the United States military came to Fort McCoy in the last year alone, preparing themselves for deployment at a moment’s notice to go anywhere in the world in defense of freedom,” Pence said. “So to all the men and women who train here, who work here at Fort McCoy, to all the civilian support, let me assure you that your commander-in-chief and I, and the American people, know that the work you do here is vitally important — vitally important to our national security.”

The vice president also addressed the administration’s gratefulness to the military community overall, recognized several awards earned by Fort McCoy units, discussed current events, and stressed the importance of a strong military.

“I leave here today with renewed confidence that as long as we have men and women with the courage to serve, the selflessness to step forward; as long as we have heroes willing to put their lives on the line for our freedom; and as long as we have patriots like all of you, we will protect this nation,” Pence said. “We will defend our freedom. And we will forge a future of security, and prosperity and peace for ourselves and generations to come.”

In addition to visiting Fort McCoy, the vice president also went to Eau Claire, Wis., and Volk Field prior to coming to Fort McCoy. At Volk Field, he met with Wisconsin Air National Guard Airmen and other personnel.

“The American people love the men and women of our armed forces, and they are grateful for your service,” Pence said in his speech. “You also carry with you the confidence of your commander-in-chief and all of those in our chain of command and the leadership who see the extraordinary professionalism here at Fort McCoy.”

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)