Photo By Melissa Dubois | Members of the 326th Military History Detachment visit the Fort McCoy (Wis.)...... read more read more
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Field craft for a specialized unit like the 326th Military History Detachment cannot be mastered entirely in a classroom. To sharpen their technical skills, a five-Soldier team from the unit conducted a site visit to the 11-acre Fort McCoy Commemorative Area on Aug. 3.
Hosted by Public Affairs Specialist Melissa Dubois with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, the detachment members spent their time during the visit analyzing how a premier regional installation manages, archives, and sustains its historic assets.
Sustaining the past
According to the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, the detachment focused heavily on the operational blueprint required to keep the historic 900 block running.
Dubois explained how the garrison balances base-level infrastructure funding with local volunteer support.
For the visiting historians, understanding how the base maintains five 1942 World War II wooden cantonment buildings alongside active training operations provided a masterclass in long-term heritage sustainability.
Sourcing the exhibits
Records from the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office show the team investigated the diverse pipelines used to source the installation’s massive collection of historical artifacts. Displays transition to the site through official military supply channels for heavy hardware, local salvaging from historic installation properties, and private donations from veterans.
Learning how the garrison vets, preserves, and catalogs personal diaries, uniforms, and photographs gave the detachment fresh insights into handling historical provenance.
Partnering with CMH
A central point of discussion was Fort McCoy’s collaboration with the U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH). The CMH officially recognizes and promotes the Fort McCoy History Center across the wider military structure as a tier-one standard for localized historic display.
By studying how the base implements official federal curatorial standards, the detachment saw firsthand how Army historical protocols are successfully executed at the ground level.
Sharpening frontline skills
The ultimate value of the visit was also possibly professional development. Documented histories from both the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office and the CMH show how the installation's multifaceted past — including its roles as a World War II POW camp and a 1980 Cuban Refugee Resettlement center — serves as a learning tool.
By decoding the evolution of over 70 combat assets in the Equipment Park and studying these complex archival topics, the historians refined their own field craft.
The sourcing and interviewing techniques observed at Fort McCoy will directly enhance the 326th MHD’s mission to capture accurate oral histories and documentation during future tactical deployments.
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 athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on DVIDS by visitinghttps://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.”
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2026 17:44 |
| Story ID: | 572161 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Historians learn how others do history at Fort McCoy, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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