As 2025 progressed, the second half of the year included more training with thousands of troops coming to post and the big construction projects continued to grow in progress.
The second half also saw work begin on renovating the U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy Headquarters, a successful Retiree Appreciation Day, hundreds of visitors to Fort McCoy’s Commemorative Area, a government shutdown, and more.
Here's a look at September and October 2025 historical events and news.
SEPTEMBER
— Fort McCoy, Wis., held its 2025 Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 5 in building 905, giving military retirees a chance to catch up with one another and learn more about their benefits.
The first part of this year’s event was a prayer breakfast that begans at 7:30 a.m., said Fort McCoy Retirement Services Officer Nicholas Gimson with the Directorate of Human Resources. The breakfast is organized by the Fort McCoy Religious Support Office and the guest speaker will be Father Conrad Targonski, Viterbo University chaplain.
Following the breakfast, speakers also included a welcome from Fort McCoy Garrison leadership and briefings from related agencies. Participating community partners include the Fort McCoy Retirement Services Office, TriCare, Fort McCoy’s transition assistance advisor, Military One Source, County veteran service officers, and many others. Additionally, flu shots will be available for attendees through Walgreens.
“This event was open to all military retirees, those transitioning into retirement, and their spouses,” Gimson said.
The ultimate goal of a Retiree Appreciation Day was 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. Attendance to the 2025 Fort McCoy Retiree Appreciation Day was free.
— Fort McCoy held its 2025 Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) on Sept. 5 and as part of the day’s festivities the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area was opened to the RAD attendees who were in the main event in nearby building 905.
The area was open for approximately six hours and nearly 100 of the RAD attendees stopped by to see the historical displays and learn more about Fort McCoy’s and the Army’s history.
The 900 block of Fort McCoy and the 11-acre area surrounding it are the hub of the fort’s history-preservation efforts that make up the Commemorative Area, said Fort McCoy Public Affairs Specialist Melissa Dubois.
Many of the visitors would first take a walk around the Fort McCoy History Center and its many displays. Through every major operation, and everything else supported, that history is remembered in the Fort McCoy History Center. In 2015, the History Center was improved after several months of work to renovate the interior and exterior of the facility. Then those interior renovations provided for expanded exhibit floor space, improved lighting, and installation of energy efficient heating and air-conditioning systems, records show. Exterior improvements included new steps and a ramp to improve access for visitors.
— Led by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS), U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy held an Integrated Protection Exercise (IPE) on Sept. 11 at the installation.
According to the Army description for an IPE, an Army IPE is a scheduled event to test an installation's response to emergencies by simulating real-world threats like active shooter or hostage situations, or natural disasters. These exercises are conducted worldwide by U.S. Army garrisons to enhance community safety, strengthen partnerships with off-post agencies, and improve coordination during crises. IPEs also help refine emergency procedures, communication, and response capabilities for the safety of Soldiers, their families, and civilians.
Fort McCoy’s September IPE focused on a natural disaster event. The scenario started with an activation of the Installation Emergency Operations Center along with a call out to action officers to report to the center.
Once reported, action officers began their response to the scenario to include informing command staff and other leaders on the situation and getting course of action decisions from leadership.
The scenario continued throughout the day, and Fort McCoy personnel were able to support the exercise as well as a flurry of other activities taking place that same day in observance of Patriot Day.
By 4 p.m., the exercise was completed. DPTMS officials then followed the exercise with an after-action review (AAR) meeting later in September.
— Hundreds of military retirees and family members participated in a prayer breakfast Sept. 5, 2025, at the start of the 2025 Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) at Fort McCoy, Wis.
Attendees received a free breakfast and received a presentation from guest speaker Father Conrad Targonski, university chaplain at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
During his talk, Targonski talked about pilgrimage and personal experiences.
He talked of one pilgrimage to Camino de Santiago.
According to history, the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, is a network of ancient pilgrimage routes leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where the apostle St. James the Greater is said to be buried. It is one of the most important Christian pilgrimages in history, known for religious significance, rich culture, and varied landscapes. The most famous route is the Camino Francés (French Way), but other popular options include the Camino del Norte (Northern Way) and the Camino Portugués (Portuguese Way).
"It's since the 8th century that people would go on pilgrimage to kind of like get their minds set," Targonski said.. "So I went with another Marine who was actually assigned to go with me because I had a problem getting lost. I drove my sergeant major crazy in Iraq. ... But anyways, I wanted to go on this pilgrimage. It's the destination. You're away from everything.
“Pilgrimage is different,” he said. “You go to the pilgrimage and it’s all about the journey. It’s day by day.”
— The founder of Fort McCoy, formerly Camp McCoy — Maj. Gen. Robert B. McCoy — was honored during a special ceremony Sept. 5 on what would have been his 158th birthday.
The Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy Remembrance Ceremony was held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Sparta, Wis., with McCoy family members present as well as students from Sparta Montessori School. The ceremony was led and organized by the 88th Readiness Division and U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy personnel.
Included in the event were a team of four Fort McCoy Soldiers who made up a color guard. Also included were guest speakers who included Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez; Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas Dieckman, 88th Readiness Division command sergeant major; and Command Sgt. Maj. James Riddle, Fort McCoy Garrison command sergeant major.
The welcome to the event was given by Riddle.
“On behalf of the U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy, U.S. Army Reserve, and the 88th Readiness Division, we thank you for joining us today to remember Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy,” Riddle said.
Chaplain (Maj.) Walter McCall, Fort McCoy Garrison chaplain, then gave the invocation. He was followed by Dieckman who spoke about Maj. Gen. McCoy’s history.
“It is my distinct privilege to represent the United States Army Reserve and U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy Senior Commander Maj. Gen. Joseph Ricciardi in paying tribute to the life and legacy of Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy,” Dieckman said. “I would like to recognize and acknowledge members from General McCoy’s family who have joined us today. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you also to the many respected community leaders in attendance, and of course all the kids (who) are here today as well.”
Dieckman described McCoy’s career.
“Today we honor a man whose experiences while serving in the National Guard and the U.S. Army gave him insight into the future of military training and what would be necessary to prepare Soldiers for future conflict,” Dieckman said. “Our intent today is not to provide a lengthy history lesson but rather remember the man who greatly influenced the future of Monroe County.
— Dozens of Soldiers, veterans, civilian workforce members, family members, Wisconsin Challenge Academy cadets, and others lined up in the dark, foggy, early morning hours Sept. 11 to pay honor to the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the United States as they participated in the 2025 Fort McCoy 9/11 Memorial Run and Stair Climb.
The 2.975-mile run/1.34-mile walk started and ended in the parking lot of one of the new four-story barracks at Fort McCoy — the tallest buildings on post. The stair climb, which also was meant to resemble the firefighters climbing the stairs of the World Trade Center, also took place inside the barracks building. Nearly every participant also did the stair climb.
Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) led the coordination efforts once again. In the early morning darkness, DFMWR Director Scott Abell welcomed the many participants, especially the Fort McCoy Fire Department participants.
“Thank you for the Fort McCoy Fire Department’s presence here today,” Abell said. He also passed the microphone to a Fort McCoy Soldier who gave the invocation to begin the event.
“I invite you to join me with a prayer,” the Soldier said. “Lord, Heavenly Father, we thank you for today. This opportunity to come together in fellowship and have an opportunity just to remember the sacrifice that was made many years ago. We ask you to guide our hearts, guide our minds, and guide our conversations to allow our actions and our memories to reflect those (who) were lost, those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and the memories and the moments that will never be back. Spend time with the families today to give them strength, give them hope, give them encouragement. Lead our hearts to you. We ask all these things in your name, we pray.”
After the invocation, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez also gave opening comments about remembering what happened 24 years ago.
“Today is the 24th anniversary for an act that changed our nation forever,” Baez said. “And the main reason why we are here is because we are not forgetting the people who lost their lives. They’re not forgotten. We are honoring their life. We are honoring their family. And three points that I’d like to make this morning is, as a nation, we don’t have to wait for the worst moment to come united and be better to each other. That is part of who we are as Americans. That is part of the values that we have. And we don’t have to wait for another 9-11 to come together.
“Help each other,” Baez said. “Help your neighbors. Take care of your bodies.
— Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Brandon Perron with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department completed the 2025 Fort McCoy 9/11 Memorial Run and Stair Climb wearing his full firefighter suit along with carrying more than 100 pounds of gear.
This was the second year straight that Perron volunteered his Patriot Day morning to complete the event in a way that memorialized the firefighters and emergency responders from their response on Sept. 11, 2001.
The 2.975-mile run/1.34-mile walk started and ended in the parking lot of one of the new four-story barracks at Fort McCoy — the tallest buildings on post. The stair climb, which also was meant to resemble the firefighters climbing the stairs of the World Trade Center, also took place inside the barracks building.
In 2024, Perron described his reasons for putting himself through such a physically demanding effort.
“It’s to honor the 343 firefighters who perished on 9/11 and those who have perished since because of cancer related issues,” Perron said. “But it’s also just in the totality of the circumstances that everybody who has either fought in the wars following and lost their lives or the civilians who lost their lives. Police officers … everybody who was involved with 9/11 … just to honor and respect them for what they’ve gone through and what their families are going through currently.”
Perron did his effort with “full turnout gear” once again.
“Having a high-rise pack with me, and my New York hook was to kind of emulate what those guys were going through that day,” Perron said. “They had to carry everything that they needed for the fire up on the top of the floor or the top of the World Trade Center. So, they had to pack everything in — extra bottles for breathing air, the hose that they were gonna use to fight the fire, and any other tools that they thought they may need. So, they were packing them on their backs.”
Perron, a native of Sparta, Wis., was in fifth grade when 9/11 happened. And even though he was a young boy, he remembers it well. He said the events of that day were part of what inspired him to become a firefighter.
— On Sept. 24, Fort McCoy leaders and representatives with the housing contractor Cadence Communities took to the streets to hold the post’s first “walking town hall” where they met with South Post Housing community members to address concerns and ask questions.
Participating in the effort were Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez; Command Sgt. Maj. James Riddle, garrison command sergeant major; Maj. Zachary W. Daugherty, commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy Headquarters and Headquarters Company; Zach Hynes, Fort McCoy Housing Division chief with the Directorate of Public Works; and others. Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Betty, the 15th Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, also attended the town hall to learn more about Fort McCoy housing.
The town hall started off with a familiarization of a Fort McCoy housing unit to the attendees by Hynes and the Cadence Communities representative. Following that, the group began walking through a pre-determined route in the housing area to meet with residents.
The first main stop included meeting with family members at a housing area playground. That was followed with several stops at residences to talk with residents about any questions they might have for post leaders about the housing area, and more.
At each stop they received feedback and walked away with information to follow-up on for the residents. Hynes said the overall effort was very productive.
“I believe that the event when very well,” Hynes said. “This type of activity strengthens relationships within the community and provides an opportunity for leadership and the residents to have candid and personal conversations.”
Riddle also said the walking town hall accomplished productive results.
“This went very well, particularly for it being the first time a town hall was done like this,” Riddle said.
— Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Betty, the 15th Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, attended “walking town hall” Sept. 24 in South Post Housing at Fort McCoy.
Betty’s participation was to not lead the town hall, that was done by U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy command staff and personnel. His participation was to learn more about the installation housing area and to hear from Soldiers and families in housing.
At the beginning of the housing town hall, Betty and others received a familiarization of what the housing units look like.
Zach Hynes, Fort McCoy Housing Division chief with the Directorate of Public Works, took the lead to explain what’s in the units and to respond to any questions about the units.
Over the course of nearly an hour, Betty met with many of the housing area residents — both adult and younger — and learned first-hand why many Fort McCoy housing residents have rated this installation’s housing as one of the best in housing satisfaction surveys.
— The contractor for the $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project at Fort McCoy has been busy finishing framing and more on one building and is set to soon erect steel framing on a second building as September comes to an end.
Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy said the project is now 22 percent complete and rising daily. In his Sept. 19 update, Green gave the latest actions.
“Structural steel continued section B. Sleeve rough-in continued section B. Rebar was placed for elevated deck section B. Exterior wall framing continued section A,” Green wrote in the update.
“Elevated slab placements continued sections A & B,” Green stated. “Imbeds spray foam started section A. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in started. Exterior sheeting started in section A. And a truss package arrived on site.”
— Fort McCoy personnel once again provided updates about the installation’s natural resources-related efforts Aug. 11 during the September 2025 meeting of the Monroe County (Wis.) Natural Resource and Extension Committee.
As part of Monroe County, Fort McCoy has a part in supporting the committee. The post does so through the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB) as well as the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.
During the August meeting, NRB Endangered Species Biologist Jessup Weichelt served as one of the Fort McCoy representatives where he reviewed recent accomplishments completed by NRB and related Fort McCoy personnel.
Among those accomplishments in natural resources management Weichelt mentioned from August 2025 were:
— Fort McCoy fisheries personnel conducted base flow, runoff, and monthly phosphorus stream water quality sampling. They also conducted monthly lake oxygen and temperature profiles. Oxygen levels and temperatures are consistent with late summer surveys, with some lakes showing signs of oxygen deficiencies at deeper depths, although levels are not concerning.
* Fisheries personnel also conducted 12 creel surveys. Heavy training in August resulted in numerous lake closures.
* Fisheries employees supporting Fort McCoy natural resources efforts also removed 50 meters of invasive brush along Stillwell Creek and placed 26 meters of brush bundles to reduce erosion.
* The fisheries team also conducted 11 stream habitat and 18 shocking surveys, which completed the summer stream sampling. Overall, they stated they saw fewer brown trout, but the overall biomass and abundance is consistent with historical trends.
* Fort McCoy natural resources personnel completed the second draft of the Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan and sent copies to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for review.
* In forestry management, forestry personnel assisted Land Rehabilitation and Management (LRAM) members in identifying nine Oak Wilt treatment sites.
* Forestry personnel also identified and coordinated sites with LRAM for shredding.
* Fort McCoy forestry personnel also submitted Fort McCoy fiscal year 2026 timber sale invitation for bid to Seattle U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for review.
* A forestry technician marked 1.3 miles of timber sale boundary line for fiscal year 2027 timber sales.
* Fort McCoy invasive species management personnel stated the weather for August was good for treatments of invasive species on the installation. Unfortunately, there was also heavy training during a critical period for spotted knapweed management, which had a negative impact on how many acres could be completed this month. The two week period for a Combat Support Training Exercise in early August followed by another week of substantial training limited their ability to get to areas for spotted knapweed pulling, especially in openings/fields such as firing points. For example, they had limited access to firing points 415, 418, and 421. By the time these sites were vacated, the knapweed was either trampled or too far senesced to be productive pulling it. Beyond access issues from training, we were not able to get to some other areas for pulling do to time and priority constraints. One example would be along the roadsides heading to the campground and Range 2.
— Fort McCoy’s fourth transient training troops $27.3 million barracks project, also known as the East Barracks Project, is approaching nearly 70 percent completion, said Nathan Butts with the Resident Office of the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort McCoy.
In his Sept. 12 update, Butts said the contractor, L.S. Black Constructors, were steadily making progress on the project. As of Sept. 12, the project was at 68 percent complete and work was scheduled to be 60 percent finished at this time.
Butts wrote in the update, “Masons continue working on the north and northwest side of the building. Drywall installation continues. Bathroom tile on the first floor continued. Window installation continues.
“Ceiling grid continues to be installed throughout the building. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continues. Drywall finishing and painting continues throughout the building. Parking lot curb and gutter continued. Parking lot concrete paving placement continued,” Butts wrote.
Since its initial construction phase in May 2024, construction of this barracks have been nonstop by the contractor who was awarded the project in February 2024. The exact contract amount for the project when it was awarded was $27,287,735.
— Patrick J. Appelman, director of Installation Management Command (IMCOM)-Readiness made an official visit to Fort McCoy on Sept. 9-10 to interact with the Fort McCoy workforce, meet with Fort McCoy Garrison leaders in the Installation Planning Board (IPB), and more.
According to his biography, as the director of IMCOM-Readiness, he is responsible for installation management activities at 24 active- and reserve-component U.S. Army installations and joint bases located in 16 states, Puerto Rico, and Honduras.
“Appelman and the IMCOM-Readiness team provide support for approximately 1.4 million service members, family members, retirees, and civilians as well as oversight for an annual budget exceeding $2.9 billion for programs across several appropriations and non-appropriated funds,” his biography states. “He oversees 9.1 million acres of land and 347.4 million square feet of facilities with a replacement value of over $182 billion and annual contracts totaling more than $1.4 billion.”
This was Appelman’s second visit to Fort McCoy in 2025. As part of this visit, the IMCOM-Readiness director participated in the 2025 Installation Planning Board meeting on Sept. 9.
— Fort McCoy’s South Barracks Project has been completed with the final inspection for the facility having been completed at the end of September 2025.
Nathan Butts with the Resident Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Fort McCoy’s South Barracks Project has reached 99 percent complete in his Sept. 12 update about the project.
The contractor for the project, BlindermanPower (Construction), received the notice to proceed with construction on Sept. 26, 2023, and had 780 calendar days to complete the project. Butts said the project was completed on time.
As stated in previous news updates, the project requires building a four-story, 60,000-square-foot barracks that can house 400 people. Two other barracks of the same specifications have already been built in the same block at the installation since 2019.
Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works officials said overall this project is part of a big transformation taking place at the 1600 block that includes the building of four barracks — two of which are already done, three brigade headquarters buildings, and two planned transient training officer quarters, according to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works.
In the Sept. 12 update, Butts also wrote everything that was being finalized.
“Contractor continues final cleaning and working on punch-list items,” Butts wrote in the update. “Exterior site work continues around the USO building. USO temporary parking lot removed. Topsoil elevations were addressed and seeding followed. Parking lot concrete sealant and striping is complete.”
OCTOBER
— Work was completed in October 2025 by contractors to improve the guest experience at the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area with the construction of concrete pads for placement of benches, picnic tables, and garbage cans throughout the historic area at Fort McCoy.
The work was done despite the government shutdown in October because this project was a contracted effort.
Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Public Works (DPW) coordinated the completion of the work with support from the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy Garrison leadership, and the Fort McCoy Resource Management Office.
Overall, 14 concrete pads were completed in different sizes throughout the historical area, DPW officials said. Work on the project took approximately two weeks.
Fort McCoy Public Affairs officials said the project improved numerous areas of the Commemorative Area to allow for more seating and easier maintenance of the grounds.
The 900 block of the installation, the Commemorative Area, and the 11-acre area surrounding it are at the hub of the fort’s history-preservation efforts
The 900 block of Fort McCoy and the 11-acre area surrounding it are the hub of the fort’s history-preservation efforts that make up the Commemorative Area. The area includes the Fort McCoy History Center, historical buildings, Equipment Park, Veterans Memorial Plaza, picnic areas throughout, and more.
— For years on end, Fort McCoy has had a significant economic impact with the local economies around the installation, particularly in Monroe County, Wis.
One big contribution to that impact is new construction at the post. Construction dollars counted by the Fort McCoy Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office show to be a key factor and contributor to the installation’s annual economic impact each fiscal year.
Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for fiscal year (FY) 2024 was an estimated $1.6 billion, Fort McCoy Garrison officials stated in April 2025, which was up from FY 2023’s total impact of $1.38 billion. That impact is expected to be around the same or higher for FY 2025.
As a matter of fact, since fiscal year (FY) 2019, more than $310 million has been calculated in new construction of buildings and ranges alone, reports show. Over that same time, more than $1.47 billion has also been applied to operating costs that included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, other new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, and salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy.
Projects at Fort McCoy like the current $27.3 million East Barracks Project, the recently completed $28.08 million South Barracks Project, and the $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project, are among those projects adding to the economic impact going into FY 2026.
These projects are on top of recently completed projects like the $20.6 million and $18.8 million barracks projects as well as the $11.96 million brigade headquarters building that was fully completed in 2024.
A former Fort McCoy Senior Commander, former 88th Readiness Division Commanding General Maj. Gen. Darrell Guthrie reflected on how important these projects are for all involved during a ribbon-cutting for the first barracks completion several years ago.
“Projects like the transient training barracks complex are a direct result of the continued support for Fort McCoy,” Guthrie said. “And they enhance the ability of the Army, and especially the Army Reserve, to train here at Fort McCoy.”
Taking a closer look, following are the year-by-year breakdowns of economic impact numbers for new construction and operating costs at Fort McCoy.
* FY 2019 — $27.6 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $120.56 million.
* FY 2020: $50.3 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $194.4 million.
* FY 2021: $39.4 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $249.88 million.
* FY 2022: $42.5 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $391.46 million.
* FY 2023: $58 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $346 million.
* FY 2024: $92.6 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $170 million.
The FY 2025 contribution will be calculated by early 2026. But as FY 2026 continues, the construction projects continue around the installation, and the economic impact to local communities from those projects also continues.
— Training operations took place throughout October for service members at Fort McCoy. During October 2025, hundreds of troops trained at Fort McCoy for annual training, weekend training, institutional training, and for other military training.
Annually, Fort McCoy has trained around 100,000 troops nearly every year since 1984. National Guard, Army Reserve, active-duty Army, and other service members trained at Fort McCoy during October.
— Contractors continued working on a new $27.3 million transient training troops barracks project, known as the Fort McCoy East Barracks Project, throughout October 2025 at Fort McCoy.
Contractors began in May 2024 getting the site set up for the fourth transient training troops barracks project at Fort McCoy, which was awarded in February 2024 to L.S. Black Constructors, LLC, for approximately $27.3 million.
L.S. Black Constructors is a familiar name in the barracks construction history at Fort McCoy, having built the first two of the 60,000-square-foot transient training troops barracks on post. They also recently built the new brigade headquarters building located in the same block as the barracks buildings.
The exact contract amount for the project was $27,287,735. In the award announcement, it states it was “for the construction of the barracks, which will provide housing for enlisted service members undergoing training at the installation.”
— Contractors also completed work throughout October 2025 for the fiscal year 2024-funded $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project at Fort McCoy.
The project description states the plan is to build the two buildings based on the standard layout depicted in the Operational Readiness Training Complex.
The project calls for the construction of two new 48,000-square-foot, four-story Collective Training Officers Quarters buildings.
The contract duration is scheduled for completion in 1,260 calendar days, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
— As October arrived at Fort McCoy, the sight of leaves changing from green to the vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow were seen throughout the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area and Equipment Park.
The Equipment Park was established in the mid-1990s to complement the Commemorative Area’s historical representation, documentation shows. What began as an initial outdoor display of five pieces of equipment (“macro-artifacts”) increased over time to what is today a display of 70 different items of equipment and vehicles and is still growing.
Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office officials said the park is traditionally open throughout the year between May and September, but every October the park has drive-in access for people to check it out.
All of the items on display in the Equipment Park specifically were selected in keeping with the Commemorative Area mission statement — “to present pieces of military equipment that are representative of what was used here on Fort McCoy.”
The most-recent park acquisitions were added in 2014, but others are expected to be added in 2026. The site actually has expansion capacity that can accommodate up to an additional 50 display items, officials said.
The Equipment Park is an outdoor display of historic and present-day equipment representative of the types used on the installation. It has everything represented from a Sherman tank of World War II to a High-Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle that was used in more recent years. The area also includes helicopters, howitzers, trucks, trailers, and more.
— Other activity at Fort McCoy during October 2025 was limited due to the Fort McCoy Garrison civilian workforce being furloughed during the entire month because of a government shutdown.
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 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.”