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Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from November 2025 and back.
80 Years Ago — November 1945
FROM THE NOV. 2, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Meritorious Unit Award for 1610th; ‘Superior performance’ of difficult tasks wins McCoy unit citation (By Newspaper Staff — Headquarters and Service Company, 1610th Service Command Unit, became the first Camp McCoy unit to honored with a Meritorious Service Unit plaque as Brig. Gen. John K. Rice, commanding general, … at a formal retreat ceremony announced the award.
Capt. Harold S. Hayward, commanding officer of the honored unit from May 1944 to July 1945 who is now post inspector, commanded the company during the retreat parade before post headquarters.
Lt. Rubin Kachinsky, present commanding officer of the company and assistant commanding officer during Capt. Hayward’s regime, assisted the formation. Capt. Donald S. Beckwith, now overseas, preceded them as company commander.
One of 10 in command
The award, which authorizes company personnel to wear the Meritorious Service Unit insignia on the right sleeve, was won because the organization, according to the citation, “has performed many exceptionally difficult tasks in a superior manner and the company has consistently maintained a notable record of efficiency and competence.”
As one of the few units in the service command to be honored with the award, it was made only after a personal investigation by the service command board of awards, including Col. George A. Sanford and Lt. Cols. Jack G. Allen and Albert A. Meyers. A superior rating by the inspector general of the Sixth Service Command in March 1945 was cited as another reason for the award.
FROM THE NOV. 9, 1945, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: McCoy officers talk on housing (By Newspaper Staff) — During the past week three Camp McCoy officers appeared before various organizations in Sparta and Tomah in an appeal for continued and additional assistance in attaining housing facilities for the increasing number of personnel being employed in separation work.
Maj. Paul Newman, personnel division director, addressed a joint meeting of Sparta’s American Legion unit and Women’s Auxillary at the Masonic Service Center.
Lt. Wade Arrington, assistant adjutant of the personnel branch, spoke before both the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs at the Sidney hotel, Sparta.
Lt. Paul Alfonsi, public relations officer, addressed members of the Tomah Rotary Club at their weekly meeting in the Sherman Hotel.
70 Years Ago — Korean War training at Camp McCoy, 1950
FOLLOWING ARE DATES TAKEN FROM CAMP MCCOY HISTORICAL FILES ESTABLISHING A TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES at the post during the Korean War timeframe from 1950-53, specifically Aug. 9, 1950 — Dec. 31, 1950.
1950
— Aug. 10 — Col. Jacob J. Gerhardt, post commander, announced that the Army would reopen Camp McCoy as a full-time training center for both combat and service soldiers. The camp would be reactivated immediately for training of units smaller than a division. Camp McCoy, the largest of four posts across the country that were reactivated, can accommodate 27,000 troops.
— Aug. 11 — The 194th Field Artillery Battalion became the first Iowa National Guard unit to be called to active duty, except for domestic peacetime duty, since the close of World War II and the reorganization of the Guard.
— Aug. 17 — A branch employment office opened in building 2117, the Camp McCoy warehouse area, and accepted applications for “any and all kinds of jobs.” Civilian personnel were employed in the camp hospital, ordnance shops, coal yards and laundry. An estimated 600 additional civilian employees were hired.
— Sept. 8 — The 887th Field Artillery, a Reserve unit from the Green Bay area, was the first contingent of troops to arrive at newly reactivated Camp McCoy.
— Sept. 25 — Skeleton organizations for 25 Army units were set up. If filled to strength, 20,000 men would have permanent assignments. It was later reported that 15 additional units would be assigned.
— Sept. 29 — William Fredericks, a building contractor from Portage, applied to the Tomah City Council for sites upon which to build 20 units of housing for the use of families desiring to live there. The land upon which the housing units were erected was located on the north side of Arthur Street at the interchange of Mill Street. The buildings were one story high and 142 feet long. Four buildings were constructed, each providing five family sized units.
— Oct. 8 — A trailer city rapidly grew at the old Camp McCoy site, with about 20 trailers in place.
— Oct. 11 — Camp McCoy's first selective recruits, assigned to 465th Field Artillery of Minot, North Dakota, arrived.
— Oct. 17 — The Tomah Chamber of Commerce completed a new directional sign just east of the city on Highways 12/16 with a map and directions showing “the shortest route to Camp McCoy.” The map directs traffic through the city on Highway 12 and onto Highway 21 to the camp.
— Oct. 27 — The first firing of heavy weapons on the camp artillery range consummated the reactivation of the military establishment. A token 105-mm piece from each of the 187th Field Artillery's four battalions formed the artillery battery.
— Oct. 28 — Col. Peter C. Bullard, Camp McCoy Commander, told 27 La Crosse people visiting the camp that the cooperation received from La Crosse and other nearby communities was the finest he had seen in his 40-year Army career.
— Oct. 30 — The Soldiers at Camp McCoy could call anywhere in the U.S. and overseas from the new telephone center. The center had nine soundproof booths. An attendant took down the information about the call and then gave it to a switchboard operator who got Tomah, which had direct lines to Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis. In addition to the center, 27 unattended pay stations were scattered throughout the camp.
— Nov. 6 — Maintenance crews have been on the job continuously since the federal government in September stepped up activity. A new chimney went up in the motor repair shop, mess halls were painted, and steps repaired. Thousands of troops were training at the camp.
— Nov. 9 — The “Real McCoy,” went back into publication at Camp McCoy. The first edition of the rejuvenated camp newspaper/magazine “hit the streets” Friday, Nov. 10. The Real McCoy came into existence July 24, 1942, and continued to serve the camp for more than five years with only one break in publication. The last publication of the paper was May 25, 1947.
— Nov. 20 — The traffic problem along Highway 21 received attention by the Monroe County Board. Maj. Kenneth Thomas, McCoy provost marshal, called the situation very dangerous. He said, more automobiles were registered on post than there were people in the city of Sparta. Every day at 4:30 p.m., 2-3,000 vehicles left Camp McCoy for Tomah or Sparta. At 5:30 p.m. another 2,000 left in a procession that continued until 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. another 1,000 to 1,500 departed. This process reversed itself in the morning beginning at 7 a.m. when the vehicles returned.
— Nov. 21 — A fire of undetermined origin swept Service Club No. 2 at Camp McCoy early Sunday morning. The building was a complete loss, with the exception of its kitchen and boiler room.
— Nov. 26 — It was a great time for paraplegic veterans at Camp McCoy when McCoy officers and men joined with veteran groups of the area to be hosts to the disabled men for a deer hunt. The hunt, believed to be the first of its kind anywhere, was a success, with the men promising "repeats" in the future.
— Dec. 6 — Unification of the armed forces was never more apparent than when six young Navy doctors were assigned to the station hospital at Camp McCoy recently. Since the Army had a critical shortage of medical personnel and the Navy had 1,400 medical officers in its reserve, former Secretary of Defense Johnson directed the Navy to loan a number of these officers to the Army with the understanding that they would be returned when they could be replaced by Army personnel.
— Dec. 27 — The old Army refrain of an “aching back” is replaced by a lament of frozen feet as the 306th Logistical Command, of Tulsa, Okla., took to the field at Camp McCoy. Although most of the "Sooner" command personnel were granted Christmas leaves, they spent the day before departure on a snow-covered rifle range with the temperatures hovering below zero.
40 Years Ago — November 1985
FROM THE NOV. 14, 1985 EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: Tale of a deer hunter’s wife (By Lou Ann Mittelstaedt) — 'Tis almost the 'season', the countdown’s begun. Only eight more days ‘til they’re out with their guns.
Next Saturday marks the start of the nine-day Wisconsin gun-deer season — the day when the woodlands will come alive with hunters donned in blaze orange. As a non-hunter, living under the same roof with an avid outdoorsman is sometimes challenging at best — especially this time of year.
Buck fever starts to build early in our household. As soon as the calendar registers November, my husband’s thought process changes, and he becomes glassy-eyed at the thought of deer hunting.
Life’s most important objectives seem to revolve around “the season” — scheduling “vacation” time, sighting-in rifles, loading ammunition and digging out the blaze orange apparel from the depths of the closet.
And family outings inevitably conclude with a “ride” to look for deer. Already I find myself anticipating the course of events typical to past hunting seasons.
The night before opening day, Gary will carefully arrange his hunting gear and clothing so not a minute will be wasted in the morning, and then the alarms are set. It will be pitch-black when the alarm rings at 3 a.m. As I reach to shut it off, my thoughts will be “I hope the baby doesn’t wake-up” and “gee, it must be fun walking across a cold, murky swamp at this outrageous hour.” \
But Gary will be up and gone in no time, and Neil will still be sleeping peacefully in his crib. As I try to get back to sleep, forgetting selfishness, I will say a prayer that it will be a safe day for all hunters.
At day’s end, Gary will walk through the door and the race to dry soaked clothes and boots will begin — thank goodness for porches and dryers. After recapping the day’s events, he will start calling his friends to see who’s gotten what, when, and where. Everything will run at this fever pitch until the tag is filled. But even then, it won't be over.
Then comes the time to make “meaty” decisions — how much venison to use for hamburger, sausage, steak, or whatever. And after the butchering will come the packaging. Nightmares of freezer paper and masking tape will overcome me until I remember how nothing compares to the taste of small, tender, bacon-wrapped venison steaks which have been sizzled to perfection on the charcoal grill.
Somehow the thought will get me through the anguish of packaging. Then, in the midst of the deer hunting season, there’s Thanksgiving Day to deal with. To me that’s always seemed kind of ironic.
Life’s already hectic enough without wondering how to squeeze-in a holiday and a traditional feast. But we always have and always will manage to work things around hunting schedules. Standing back to take a look, the idiosyncrasies associated with these nine days are really kind of funny, but hassle for hassle, deer hunting is worth it.
It’s the one time of year that’s truly Gary’s — a time for him to do something he really enjoys, a time to think about things other than work and a time to spend with his dad, brother, and hunting buddies. Everybody needs time for themselves, and who am I to complain?
30 Years Ago — November 1995
FROM THE NOV. 24, 1995, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: New signs going up (By Rob Schuette) — New signs are being installed at Fort McCoy to mark post locations better.
Art Davey, a Directorate of Public Works planner/estimator, said DPW employees should be able to place about 50 signs before the winter freeze settles in. Approximately 400 more signs will be installed by the end of fiscal year 1996, Sept. 30.
The installation dates also depend on the production schedule of the Unicor Corporation and its subcontractor System 2/90, the companies providing the signs and the computer software package to manage the system.
“These signs will offer a color-coded location system,” Davey said. “People who are looking for a particular location, or, those who make a wrong turn, can easily identify the right locations.”
Employees or visitors entering through Gates 5 (Sparta), 15 (Tomah), or the Main Gate will be greeted by color visual graphics once the project is completed, Davey said.
Efforts are being made to funnel all visitors to the Main Gate to provide easy access and one-stop directions, Davey said. Eventually, DPW hopes to provide a computer assistance monitor at the Main Gate that will print out maps to individual locations.
Bill Freeman, a DPW sign installer, said the new signs will be a big help.
“When I was outside painting fire hydrants for a different project, I had many people stop and ask me for directions,” Freeman said. “It can be difficult for visitors to find their way around post using the current signs.”
Davey said the architect assisting DPW and Unicor have been very helpful designing and installing the signs.
“We still have some bugs to work out, but the architect and Unicor have been very receptive to our changes,” he said.
Since the signs are standardized, they also will be interchangeable, Davey said. The signs will be modular, and the program will be computerized. This will allow the post to update signs without changing the entire existing sign. In the future, the post also will have two electronic bulletin boards that will be used to promote Fort McCoy activities at Fort McCoy and enhance the esprit de corps of the units training here and post personnel. For example, the signs could be used to welcome units or to display safety tips.
20 Years Ago — November 2005
FROM THE NOV. 25, 2005, EDITION OF THE TRIAD NEWSPAPER: MILES equipment familiarization helps units succeed (By Rob Schuette) — Military personnel who need training on Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) equipment can get instruction at the Fort McCoy Training Support Section.
Kenny Shivler of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) at Fort McCoy said the familiarization training is presented in a four-hour block. Shivler and John Braman are the primary instructors.
The training includes three videos, a classroom presentation and a question-and-answer session. The course length can be altered to fit the needs and experience of the Soldiers, he said.
“If the personnel have never used it, we’ll get the equipment out and let them use a hands-on approach to get familiar with the it,” Shivler said. MILES is a force-on-force training system used by both dismounted infantry and mobile weapon crews to increase combat readiness and fighting effectiveness. The system uses laser light in the form of pulses to transmit weapon information to a target. Information contained in the pulses includes player identification and type of weapon used.
The target entity processes the information to produce a casualty. Basic MILES simulates the firing and effects of actual weapons systems. Among the simulated weapons available are anti-armor weapons, machine guns and rifles.
The system also can simulate the M1 Abrams tank, Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, M113 armored personnel carrier, wheeled vehicles, and other nonshooting targets.
“MILES is an excellent tool to use for simulated combat engagements,” Shivler said. “It’s as close as you can get to the real thing.”
Sgt. 1st Class Max Prosser of the Recruiting and Retention Command at Camp Grayling, Mich., took a recent course in MILES operation. His unit is in charge of a Regional Support Battalion, which trains new Soldiers.
Prosser said the Soldiers often are personnel who will take basic training and then have a time lapse before they attend advanced individual training.
“This system is better than what our Soldiers are using now, so it should be a good training aid,” he said.
10 Years Ago — November 2015
FROM THE NOV. 27, 2015, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for new Central Issue Facility (By Scott T. Sturkol) — The Logistics Readiness Center (LRC) at Fort McCoy recognized the completion of the new 62,548-square-foot Central Issue Facility (CIF) with a Nov. 5 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the $9.3 million contract to build the new CIF was awarded to KEPA TCI (Architects, Engineers, Contractor of La Crosse) Joint Venture LLC in June 2013.
CIF personnel signed for building 780 in August and officially began operations in September.
“A critical enabler to the training (support) mission at Fort McCoy has been, and will continue to be, our Central Issue Facility,” said LRC Director Layne Walker during his presentation at the ceremony. “The old facility served us well for many years, but this is (a big improvement).”
CIF Property Book Officer Thomas Lovgren said the idea for a new facility began in 2006. And now, he said, it’s great to see it come to fruition. “This has to be one of the best facilities in the Army, and it provides us with ample space to better serve our customers,” he said.
As part of his presentation highlighting the importance of good Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE), Walker shared a story about his father.
“At home, I have an old 7th Infantry tattered yearbook, and it’s all pictures from the Korean War,” Walker said. “One of the pictures I happened to notice in (the book) was of my dad. He’s lying in the snow, and he has one of those big parkas on with the white fur and the fur fringe, and he’s all tucked in behind this machine gun.”
From seeing the photo of his father, Walker said he thought he learned something new about his dad being a machine gunner. But, as his father explained to him, the scene in the photo was completely staged as a photo opportunity for a visiting dignitary.
“(My father) says … ‘They grab me, put this big parka on me, and told me to get down behind this machine gun. Then they took my picture. After the picture was over, they left, and they took the parka. It was cold — it would have been nice to have kept that parka,’” Walker said.
However, with today’s OCIE available at the CIF, Walker said his father would not have longed to keep his parka.
“For cold-weather training, we can issue the extended cold-weather (gear) system,” Walker said. “We have the stocks, and we can do that with one subtle difference — the Soldiers who receive that from us will get to use the parka for more than just a photo.”
Col. Sydney Smith, commander of the 404th Army Field Support Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., also gave a presentation. She said the improvements in the new CIF, including a humidity-controlled storage area for body armor as well as in-floor heating, are significant for the CIF’s customers.
“This building is a representation of what Fort McCoy does,” Smith said. “This building would not have been built without proper coordination. It could not have been built without multiple stakeholders all over the place. And it could have not been built without a passion for supporting Soldiers.
“That is what I clearly see Fort McCoy is all about,” Smith said. “Your mission isn’t just to support Soldiers who come here, but also Soldiers from all across this nation.”
5 Years Ago — November 2020
FROM THE NOV. 27, 2020, EDITION OF THE REAL MCCOY NEWSPAPER: Soldiers participate in 38A Civil Affairs training (By Scott T. Sturkol) — Operating out of multiple rooms in building 50, more than 25 Soldiers were part of a 38A Civil Affairs Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)-Transition Course from Oct. 19 to Nov. 15 at Fort McCoy.
The course is coordinated by the 6th Brigade (Civil Affair/Psychological Operations), 102nd Division, Brigade Commander Col. Lance Duellman said.
“We conduct this training at Fort McCoy on a regular basis,” Duellman said. “We hold four of these courses throughout the year at McCoy as well as five Noncommissioned Officer Education System courses, including advanced leadership and senior leadership courses. In the Military Occupational Specialty-Transition (MOS-T) Course like this, we teach Soldiers transitioning from their current MOS to the civil affairs MOS. These Soldiers are typically E-4s and E-5s.”
Duellman said the MOS-T has two phases of training.
“The first phase consists of classroom instruction going over the civil-affairs basic information where the students learn critical tasks,” Duellman said. “Then phase two includes building on the skills they learn.
Throughout the course, Duellman said students have to complete the following tasks:
* three classrooms exams.
* one information briefing.
* eight civil key leader engagements with a simulated host nation leader.
* four civil information management products.
* two sets of geospatial products.
* two sets of link-analysis products.
* one area/country study.
* an information analysis grid.
“All students will also participate in a field training exercise (FTX),” Duellman said. “This is a 10-day FTX where they will be evaluated on different scenarios and how they work as a team.”
Duellman said his brigade conducts all of the Army Reserve civil-affairs and psychological operations Noncommissioned Officer Education System training for the Army’s Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. He said their training efforts will continue to expand at Fort McCoy.
“By fiscal year 2022, we plan to transition our psychological operations courses currently held at Fort Hunter Ligget (Calif.) to Fort McCoy as well as our brigade headquarters to better integrate the training and support,” Duellman said. “The intent is to create the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Reserve Component Center of Excellence at McCoy. Classrooms and ranges at Fort McCoy are top notch, and planning through the 80th Training Command and higher is currently underway.”
Duellman also said all of the current training is following strict COVID-19 preventative and safety measures. Also, for this class, the students held the field training exercise at the Fort McCoy Combined Arms Collective Training Facility.
And although more than half of fiscal year 2020 was affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation of training for months at Fort McCoy, the installation rallied in the fourth quarter of the year to bring training back.
That rally helped the installation support the training of 60,054 troops for fiscal year 2020. Considering no training at all took place on post between April and June — usually among the busiest training months on the installation — reaching more than 60,000 troops trained for fiscal year 2020 was a remarkable achievement, officials said. Higher numbers should be achieved for fiscal year 2021, including with this civil-affairs training.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”
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 at https://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.”
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2025 13:37 |
| Story ID: | 552500 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
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