Photo By Scott Sturkol | Attendees to the 2026 Fort McCoy Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) on Sept. 11, 2026,...... read more read more
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Military service may eventually bring a service member’s active-duty or Reserve career to an end, but the connection to the military does not end with retirement.
That connection was highlighted Sept. 11, 2026, when Fort McCoy hosted its annual Retiree Appreciation Day, bringing military retirees, veterans, spouses and members of the military community together for information, fellowship and an opportunity to stay connected with the services and benefits available to them.
The annual event, organized by the Fort McCoy Soldier for Life Retirement Services Office within the Directorate of Human Resources, was held in building 905. Fort McCoy Retirement Services Officer Nicholas Gimson continues to lead the installation’s retirement-services effort and has been instrumental in organizing recent Retiree Appreciation Days.
The purpose of the event is straightforward: bring retirees together while providing them with current information about the benefits and services they have earned through military service. Fort McCoy’s Retirement Services Office describes Retiree Appreciation Day as an annual September event featuring a morning session with guest speakers from organizations that affect military retirees' lives, followed by a benefits fair with representatives from military retiree and veteran-related organizations.
For Gimson, that combination of information and personal connection is an important part of serving the Fort McCoy retiree community.
“The ultimate goal of a Retiree Appreciation Day is to bring together military retirees and give them an opportunity to receive some of the most up-to-date information on the benefits they are entitled to with a seminar setting,” Gimson said in discussing previous Fort McCoy RAD events.
The event is open not only to military retirees, but also to those transitioning into retirement and their spouses.
A continuing connection to service
Retiree Appreciation Day has become an annual Fort McCoy tradition, but its format has evolved over the years to better serve the retiree community.
The 2022 RAD was the first Fort McCoy Retiree Appreciation Day since 2019 and drew more than 300 attendees. The return of the event provided an opportunity for retirees and family members to reconnect with one another while receiving information about benefits and services. The 2023 event also drew more than 300 military retirees and family members.
That event featured a prayer breakfast, briefings on subjects including TRICARE and Social Security, a Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs presentation, county veterans service officers, a benefits expo and other activities. Attendees could also visit the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area and History Center.
The 2023 event demonstrated another important aspect of RAD: it is not simply a series of presentations. It provides an opportunity for retirees to reconnect with the installation and with the Army community.
In 2023, nearly 100 RAD attendees visited the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area, where they toured the History Center, Veterans Memorial Plaza and Equipment Park and learned more about the installation's history and heritage.
Information retirees can use
The benefits and services available to military retirees can change over time, making opportunities such as RAD important for keeping retirees informed.
Fort McCoy’s Retirement Services Office provides assistance to Soldiers and their families preparing for retirement as well as retired Soldiers, surviving spouses and families. The office provides counseling concerning retirement rights, benefits and entitlements, Survivor Benefit Plan information and Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan counseling. It also helps keep retirees informed about changes in laws and benefits.
The Fort McCoy RSO also offers pre-retirement and Survivor Benefit Plan briefings, either in group settings or individually.
RAD brings many of those resources together in one location.
Past events have included representatives from the Fort McCoy Retirement Services Office, TRICARE, transition assistance, Military OneSource, county veterans service offices and other organizations serving military retirees and veterans.
The format gives retirees an opportunity to ask questions directly and learn about resources they may not otherwise encounter in one place.
More than benefits
While information is an important part of Retiree Appreciation Day, the event also recognizes something larger — the continuing value of the military retiree community.
At the 2023 event, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger thanked retirees and their families for their service and emphasized the importance of the support systems surrounding military service.
“Everyone needs a support system,” Messenger said during the event. “And the military provides that through these forums, the Retirement Services Office, and all the benefits that come with it.” That support extends beyond the individual who served.
Military families are an important part of the retiree community, having supported Soldiers through deployments, permanent changes of station, training, long hours and the many demands associated with military life.
That is why Fort McCoy RAD events are open to retirees, those preparing to retire and spouses.
A tradition that continues
Recent Retiree Appreciation Days have also demonstrated how Fort McCoy organizations work together to support the retiree community.
In 2024, for example, the Fort McCoy Commissary held a special sidewalk sale during RAD, providing retirees and family members another opportunity to participate in installation activities while attending the event.
That year’s RAD served 155 retirees, veterans and spouses, according to Gimson.
“Retiree Appreciation Day was a tremendous success,” Gimson said following the 2024 event. “We had the pleasure of serving 155 retirees, veterans, and spouses. This year, we welcomed several new community partners, and the feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive.”
Gimson said many attendees expressed interest in having additional time and events available during future RADs.
The 2024 event also continued the tradition of opening the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area to RAD attendees. Nearly 60 retirees and family members visited the area to explore Fort McCoy and Army history.
The combination of information, fellowship and access to Fort McCoy resources has helped make RAD an important annual event for the installation's retiree community.
Serving those who served
Fort McCoy’;s commitment to retirees extends beyond one day each year. The installation’s Retirement Services Office is available throughout the year to help retirees and their families understand and navigate their military benefits.
The office is located in building 2187 and provides walk-in service, although appointments are recommended. The office can be reached at 502-898-3716.
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 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.”
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| Date Taken: | 09.16.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2026 17:31 |
| Story ID: | 574938 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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