Photo By Scott Sturkol | A scene from the 2026 Fort McCoy Garrison change-of-command ceremony is shown July 17,...... read more read more
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Nearly 500 people participated in documented tours, ceremonies, and public visitation at the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area during July 2026 — highlighting the historic site’s continued use as a place for military heritage, education, remembrance, and community engagement.
Throughout the month, the Commemorative Area welcomed military units, professional groups, civilian visitors and participants in major Fort McCoy ceremonies.
The month began with a visit July 2 by approximately 100 members of the Civil Air Patrol Wisconsin Wing, who toured the Commemorative Area as part of the organization’s Wisconsin Wing encampment. The group received a look at Fort McCoy’s history with support from Ward Zischke, 88th Readiness Division historian.
The site also hosted the 88th Readiness Division change-of-command ceremony July 11, attended by nearly 100 people. The ceremony marked a change in leadership for the Army Reserve division headquartered at Fort McCoy and brought Soldiers, family members, military leaders and guests to the historic area.
During a scheduled public open day July 10, 15 visitors toured the Commemorative Area and explored its collection of historic buildings, artifacts, military equipment and memorials.
The Commemorative Area again became the setting for a major installation event July 17 when U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy held its change-of-command ceremony at Veterans Memorial Plaza. More than 100 people attended the ceremony, which marked the transition of command from Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez to Col. Sarah E. Fraticelli.
On July 22, more than 30 Wisconsin employers participating in the Wisconsin Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Boss Lift visited Fort McCoy. The employers, whose employees serve in the Wisconsin National Guard, experienced military training and learned more about their employees’ military service. Their visit to the Commemorative Area provided an opportunity to learn about Fort McCoy’s history and the generations of Soldiers who have trained at the installation.
The following day, 20 nurses from 6th Army toured the Commemorative Area, adding another military professional group to the month’s visitors.
The area saw another strong turnout during its July 24 public open day, when 67 people visited. Among those visitors were 44 members of the 2nd, 411th Logistical Support Battalion, giving the Soldiers an opportunity to learn about the history of the installation where they train.
Taken together, the documented July activities represent nearly 500 people participating in tours, ceremonies and public visitation at the Commemorative Area. The number does not include visitors whose attendance was not specifically recorded for some activities.
The activity demonstrates how the Commemorative Area serves a variety of purposes, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office officials said.
Located in Fort McCoy’s historic 900 block, the approximately 10-acre Commemorative Area preserves and interprets significant portions of the installation’s history. The area includes the Fort McCoy History Center, historic World War II-era buildings, Veterans Memorial Plaza and the Fort McCoy Equipment Park, creating a unique setting where visitors can see, walk through and learn from tangible pieces of the installation’s past.
Several of the historic buildings provide visitors with a glimpse of Fort McCoy during the World War II era. The preserved structures include a wartime barracks, dining facility and administrative building, with displays recreating aspects of how Soldiers lived and worked at the installation during the 1940s.
The historic displays include bunk beds, footlockers, uniforms, mannequins, period artwork, stoves and other artifacts that help tell the story of the Soldiers who trained at Camp McCoy during World War II. Other exhibits focus on military training, equipment and Fort McCoy activities from different periods of the installation’s history.
The Fort McCoy History Center provides an even broader look at the installation, preserving artifacts, photographs, documents and memorabilia associated with Fort McCoy’s history from its establishment in 1909 through more than a century of military training and operations.
Exhibits help tell the stories of Fort McCoy’s role during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Cuban Refugee Resettlement, Operation Desert Storm, and other periods of military history. Outside the buildings, the Fort McCoy Equipment Park provides visitors with a close-up look at military equipment associated with the installation and the Soldiers who have trained here. The collection includes dozens of examples of military vehicles, artillery pieces, helicopters, trucks and other equipment representing different eras of Army history.
At the heart of the Commemorative Area is Veterans Memorial Plaza, which provides a place for ceremonies, reflection, and remembrance. The plaza includes monuments and displays honoring veterans and service members from multiple generations of military service, including those who served during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and more recent conflicts. The setting also makes the Commemorative Area particularly appropriate for military ceremonies.
In July, the area transitioned seamlessly between public visitation, historical tours, and large military ceremonies. The 88th Readiness Division change of command and U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy change of command both brought military leaders, Soldiers, families and guests to a location surrounded by reminders of the Army’s history.
For military units and organizations, the Commemorative Area provides an opportunity to connect today's Soldiers with the history of the installation where they train. For civilian groups and community visitors, it provides a tangible look at the people, equipment and missions that have shaped Fort McCoy for more than a century.
The area also provides an important connection between Fort McCoy and the surrounding community. Public open days allow residents and other visitors to explore the site, while scheduled group tours allow military organizations, schools, civic groups and other organizations to receive guided historical information. July’s activity illustrated that broad appeal. From Civil Air Patrol cadets and military nurses to Army Reserve Soldiers, civilian employers, military leaders, families and members of the public, more than 430 people participated in documented July activities at the Commemorative Area.
The variety of visitors reflects the site's continuing purpose: preserving Fort McCoy's history while making that history accessible to the people who train, work, serve and visit here today. More than a century after Camp McCoy was established in 1909, the Commemorative Area continues to provide a place where Fort McCoy’s past and present come together — through historic buildings and artifacts, military equipment, veterans memorials, ceremonies, tours and opportunities for visitors to learn about the installation and the generations of Americans who have served here.
Fort McCoy has supported America’s armed forces since 1909. Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The post’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.
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 Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on DVIDS by visiting https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/FMPAO.
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.”
(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.10.2026 02:59 |
| Story ID: | 571940 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
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