When Col. Sarah E. Fraticelli accepted command of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy during a July 17 ceremony, she assumed leadership of far more than an Army garrison. She became responsible for one of the nation’s premier military training centers, an organization with a multibillion-dollar impact on the regional economy, and a military community that has helped shape America’s armed forces for more than a century.
The change of command marked the transition from Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez to Fraticelli while reinforcing the continuity of Fort McCoy’s mission — providing the people, infrastructure, and services that enable military readiness for the Total Force. The ceremony was officiated by Patrick J. Appelman, director of U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Western Hemisphere.
For Fraticelli, the ceremony represented the beginning of stewardship over an installation whose influence extends well beyond its 60,000 acres in west-central Wisconsin.
Each year, Fort McCoy supports tens of thousands of Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Department of Defense civilians, and partner organizations. In fiscal year 2025 alone, the installation supported 109,962 military personnel through training and mobilization activities, reinforcing its reputation as one of the busiest Total Force training centers. That readiness mission also fuels a significant economic engine.
Fort McCoy generated an estimated $1.6 billion economic impact throughout Wisconsin during fiscal year 2024 while directly supporting communities through military construction, payroll, contracts, tourism, and local business partnerships.
The installation also recorded more than $398 million in workforce payroll, operating costs, and other expenditures during the same period, demonstrating how military readiness and community prosperity remain closely connected.
“Our mission begins with training Soldiers, but its impact reaches communities across Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest,” installation leaders have noted in recent strategic planning discussions.
A new strategic direction
Fraticelli assumes command as Fort McCoy enters a new chapter guided by its 2026-2030 Strategic Business Plan.
Earlier in 2026, installation leaders introduced an updated motto along with new mission and vision statements designed to reflect Fort McCoy's historic legacy while emphasizing future readiness.
The installation's new motto is: “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.”
The new mission statement reads: “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.”
Its vision statement states: “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
The revised motto acknowledges Fort McCoy’s establishment in 1909 while recognizing the installation's role in preparing today's military for tomorrow's operational challenges.
According to officials with Fort McCoy’s Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office, the updated statements align with the installation’s long-range strategic plan and emphasize both its historic foundation and future-focused mission.
More than a training post
Fort McCoy’s responsibilities extend well beyond hosting annual training exercises. The installation serves as one of the Army's premier Mobilization Force Generation Installations, preparing deploying units for operations worldwide. It also functions as a Strategic Support Area capable of supporting federal missions during national emergencies while sustaining year-round operations that support active-duty, Army Reserve, Army National Guard, and interagency organizations.
Fort McCoy Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon previously described the installation as the Midwest’s only federal installation of its kind, noting that when military operations expand in size and complexity, Fort McCoy is designed to scale with them.
That capability has positioned the installation to support everything from major training exercises and mobilizations to disaster response, humanitarian operations, and strategic support missions over the years.
Building on a legacy
As garrison commander, Fraticelli will oversee the civilian and military workforce responsible for maintaining Fort McCoy's infrastructure, quality-of-life programs, environmental stewardship, public safety, engineering, logistics, housing, family services, recreation, and countless other functions that enable readiness every day.
Those efforts directly support tenant organizations, transient units, community partners, and military families while ensuring Fort McCoy remains prepared to answer the nation's call whenever needed.
The passing of the garrison colors during the July 17 ceremony symbolized more than a change in leadership. It represented the continuation of a mission that has endured for more than 117 years—one that continues to strengthen America's military readiness, support surrounding communities, and ensure Fort McCoy remains, as its new motto proclaims, “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.”
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.”