More than 800 visitors enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s during Fort McCoy’s 2026 Armed Forces Day Open House on May 16, continuing a long-standing tradition of strengthening relationships between the military installation and the surrounding communities while offering the public a firsthand look at Army readiness, history, and service.
Held in Fort McCoy’s historic Commemorative Area, the free public event featured military displays, historical exhibits, interactive activities, live music, and a special recognition ceremony honoring Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm-era veterans.
Organized by U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy with support from numerous installation partners, the event reflected a mission that extends beyond military training — building and maintaining strong community relationships that have been essential to Fort McCoy’s success for generations.
Military open houses and public engagement events have long served as important bridges between military installations and the communities that support them. For installations such as Fort McCoy, those connections are especially important.
As Wisconsin’s only U.S. Army installation, Fort McCoy has played a central role in training America’s armed forces for more than a century. Since its establishment in 1909, the installation has supported training and mobilization efforts through World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the Global War on Terrorism, and ongoing readiness missions.
For many decades, public open houses, Armed Forces Day observances, military appreciation events, and historical celebrations have given community members opportunities to see firsthand the people, equipment, and missions that support national defense.
Armed Forces Day itself traces its origins to 1950, when the newly unified Department of Defense established a single observance to recognize Americans currently serving in the armed forces. Since then, installations across the nation have used Armed Forces Day as an opportunity to welcome the public, strengthen trust, and foster understanding of military service.
At Fort McCoy, that tradition has evolved over generations. Community partnerships have long been vital to the installation’s success, whether supporting Soldiers departing for war, welcoming them home, or simply maintaining strong relationships between service members and neighboring communities.
That spirit of connection was evident throughout the 2026 event.
Families explored a wide range of activities and displays designed to educate and entertain visitors of all ages.
Hands-on activities in building 905 included sandbag filling, personalized military identification tags, camouflage face painting, marksmanship activities, and informational exhibits from numerous Army organizations and partner agencies.
Military vehicle displays allowed guests to get close to modern tactical equipment, including a Paladin artillery system and other Army vehicles, while Soldiers answered questions and interacted directly with visitors. For many younger attendees, the opportunity to climb inside military equipment became one of the day’s most memorable experiences.
The Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch again drew large crowds with its wildlife display featuring animals found on post, including turtles and snakes.
The bus tours and other interactive exhibits also remained popular attractions throughout the day, while music by the 204th Army Band helped create a festive, welcoming atmosphere at the beginning of the event.
The event also offered visitors an opportunity to explore Fort McCoy’s historic Commemorative Area — one of the installation’s most visible examples of preserving military history while engaging the public.
Originally dedicated in 1995 as the World War II Commemorative Area, the site has grown into an 11-acre historical complex featuring preserved World War II-era troop buildings, the Equipment Park, Fort McCoy History Center, and Veterans Memorial Plaza.
The Commemorative Area itself grew from efforts begun in the early 1990s to preserve a portion of Fort McCoy’s World War II heritage. As older wooden troop buildings across the installation faced demolition or modernization, Fort McCoy leaders recognized the historical significance of preserving a representative section of the cantonment area.
That effort ultimately created one of the Army’s more unique historical preservation sites, allowing today’s visitors to walk through spaces once occupied by generations of Soldiers.
Equipment Park, first established in the mid-1990s with only a handful of displayed artifacts, now includes more than 70 military equipment pieces representing equipment historically used at Fort McCoy. New additions in 2026 included an M7 “Priest” Self-Propelled Gun and an M114 155 mm Towed Howitzer.
Inside the Fort McCoy History Center and preserved troop buildings, visitors learned how the installation supported military operations spanning more than a century.
Public reaction shared on social media after the event reflected strong appreciation for both the event itself and Fort McCoy’s outreach efforts.
One participant highlighted several popular attractions, noting visitors especially enjoyed the bus tour, sandbag activity, personalized dog tags, shooting range, military equipment displays, and the wildlife exhibit featuring turtles and snakes. She also said children being able to explore military equipment was especially popular.
Another event-goer praised the return of the event, calling it “very nice” and encouraging additional bus tours in the future.
Tom Swift praised Fort McCoy personnel, saying, “Everyone that I talked with was courteous and professional.”
Barth Bushberger described the event as a “wonderful experience” and said he was glad the opportunity was made available to the general public.
Melinda Mae Jessie called the event a “great experience” and thanked organizers.
Anita Lind said she “really enjoyed the event” and expressed appreciation for military service members.
Retired Chief Warrant Officer Paul Piotrowski described the open house as an “awesome experience” for himself and his family.
Elmer McPherson said he and his family had “a great visit,” adding that everyone was friendly and noting it was his first time returning to Fort McCoy since National Guard training there in the 1980s.
James Coutts said he and his family enjoyed the exhibits and praised the personable nature of event staff and participants.
Jay Dennison summed up his family’s experience by saying they had “a wonderful time” with “so much to see and do.”
Representatives with Battleship Wisconsin Division, U.S. Naval Sea Cadets shared appreciation for the event, noting cadets attending during their drill weekend were grateful for the opportunity to visit.
Ronald DeSouza praised the event with humor, saying he wished similar activities had been available when he was stationed at Fort McCoy and joked that seeing his former barracks now preserved in the commemorative area made him “feel ancient.”
These reactions reflected exactly why events like Armed Forces Day remain important.
For many civilians, open houses provide a rare opportunity to interact directly with service members, ask questions about military missions, and better understand the role installations like Fort McCoy play in national defense.
For veterans, such events can reconnect them with places where they served and memories tied to military life. For military families and service members, the events help strengthen bonds with the communities that support them.
By day’s end, the 2026 Armed Forces Day Open House once again demonstrated that Fort McCoy’s connection with the public remains as important as ever — continuing a tradition of military-community engagement that has endured for decades.
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 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: |
05.20.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
05.20.2026 19:09 |
| Story ID: |
565827 |
| Location: |
FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
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21 |
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