Photo By Scott Sturkol | A scene from the Desert Storm History Day event is shown Feb. 26, 2026, at the Fort...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy honored the 35th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm on Feb. 26 with the Desert Storm History Day and Lunch and Learn at the Fort McCoy History Center in the historic Commemorative Area.
The event featured displays and discussion from the 88th Readiness Division Historian Ward Zischke. The 88th is an Army Reserve tenant organization at Fort McCoy.
For this event, the Fort McCoy History Center was open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and had a special 30-minute lunch and learn discussion by Zischke that was broadcast over Microsoft Teams to the installation. A copy of that discussion can be seen online at https://www.dvidshub.net/video/997579/army-historian-gives-presentation-operation-desert-storm-35th-anniversary-lunch-and-learn-event.
During the talk, Zischke talked about Fort McCoy’s role in supporting Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The date of this event was picked to line up with the exact 35th anniversary of the ground war for Operation Desert Storm.
“Today, the ground offensive of February 1991 was going on,” Zischke said. … The liberation of Kuwait — that was the reason for the offensive.”
According to history, Operation Desert Storm (Jan. 17 – Feb. 28, 1991,) was a U.S.-led coalition military campaign to liberate Kuwait after Iraq’s August 1990 invasion. Following months of buildup (Desert Shield), a five-week air campaign crippled Iraqi defenses, followed by a decisive 100-hour ground assault that expelled Iraqi forces.
And for Fort McCoy, when Operation Desert Shield began on Aug. 8, 1990, it meant the first mobilization happening at the post in 40 years (Korean War).
Fort McCoy history shows there were 74 units from nine states processed through Fort McCoy in 1990–1991. More than 18,000 service members and more than 3,000 pieces of equipment were mobilized or shipped from Fort McCoy.
History also shows Fort McCoy’s mission included processing, weapons qualification, equipment prep (including desert paint), land navigation, medical readiness, and deployment staging.
“When Operation Desert Shield began, that was to shield Saudi Arabia from a possible Iraqi invasion,” Zischke said. “What happened then of course there was … the largest Reserve call up of Reservists since the Korean War. The … Army Reserve units in the United States were divided up into a series of what they called Army Reserve commands or ARCOMs. There were 20 of them. You had the 88th that had units in the state of Minnesota and Iowa. You had the 86th ARCOM which had units in Wisconsin and Illinois. And then you had the 83rd ARCOM which covered Ohio.
“And ARCOMs were a little different than the Army Reserve units today,” Zischke said. “One of the things is the ARCOMs had such things as psychological and civil affairs units. … Also they had combat arms units.”
As part of his presentation, Zischke had many 1990s-era military equipment he set up throughout the center. It was his way to provide “hands-on” history where people could hold and use the items as he discussed them.
Items included old tactical phones, an overhead projector, a microfiche reader, old books, old uniforms, camouflage covers, and more. Even Zischke dressed in the iconic chocolate chip desert uniform many wore during Operation Desert Storm.
During the lunch and learn portion of the day, Zischke had approximately 25 people participate in person and online. But because the discussion was limited to 30 minutes, Zischke took a limited number of questions.
That all changed afterwards as Zischke and the center would see another 60-plus visitors in the afternoon — mostly from the Wisconsin Challenge Academy class 56.
The Challenge Academy brought along two different squads of students (about 25 people each) as well as instructors. And for each of the squads, Zischke provided a 45-60 minute presentation about Operation Desert Storm history as well as overall 1990s military history.
Challenge Academy cadets were seen enjoying learning about the equipment. When the first group of cadets had arrived, Public Affairs Specialist Melissa Dubois mentioned to the teen cadets, “Come over and see and learn from Ward about what military life was like back in the late-1900s.”
Dubois added, “Introducing the Challenge Academy cadets to Desert Storm-era technologies and seeing their wonder and joy using the overhead projector or talking to each other on the field phone was a highlight of the event.”
After the event, Zischke said he was happy to have supported it.
“I was pleased that Soldiers from the 83rd United States Army Reserve Readiness Training Center, and 86th Training Division were present so I could teach them some of their history and show them sources of history about when their units were Army Reserve Commands,” Zischke said. “In addition, I was able to develop a rapport with a former Soldier who had deployed to Desert Shield/Storm as a member of the 107th Maintenance Company of the Wisconsin National Guard. I may be invited to the next 107th reunion, which can lead to additional community outreach.
“The idea to contact the Challenge Academy to send the youths to the Commemorative Area turned a two-hour stretch … into a very lively, fun, and educational time,” he said. “Also the idea to put the lunch and learn on Teams was a good idea which doubled the numbers of the audience.”
It’s also important to never forget what took place at McCoy, Zishke added. The level of support at the post during those operations is always work remembering.
Between September 1990 and January 1991, Fort McCoy did what it was called to do — mobilize personnel and equipment.
Here’s a look at the timeline of events from January to March 1991 at Fort McCoy:
—Jan. 7–16, 1991— Early deployments and processing — As Desert Storm buildup continued, units processed through Fort McCoy and prepared for deployment rotations.
—Jan. 15, 1991— Congressional authorization for combat, UN deadline passes; hostilities imminent — Desert Storm’s air campaign is set to begin.
—Jan. 17, 1991— Air campaign begins — U.S. and coalition aircraft begin strikes against Iraqi targets in Desert Storm.
—Early February 1991 — Units depart from Fort McCoy — Multiple units deployed directly from Fort McCoy in early February (five units and counting), and additional Soldiers continued training and processing.
—Feb. 8–15, 1991— Military police and transportation units advance — The 822nd Military Police Company (Army Reserve) deployed; detachments from Wisconsin and Illinois activated and processed at Fort McCoy, including transport and rail-ops squads.
—Feb. 26, 1991— Ceasefire announced — Ground operations conclude after rapid coalition offensive; Fort McCoy begins preparing for redeployment and return of units.
—March 1991— Units begin redeployment through Fort McCoy.
Now looking forward, other similar events may take place at the Fort McCoy History Center. In 2026 alone, ideas to remember the 75th anniversary of the Korean War, 25th anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom, and the U.S. 250th birthday are being considered.
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 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.”
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2026 17:34 |
| Story ID: | 559596 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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