Courtesy Photo | Civilian employees work in an office in the 1950s at then-Camp McCoy.... read more read more
Subscribe
Fort McCoy, Wis., was established in 1909. Here is a look back at some installation history from November 2020 and back.
78 Years Ago — Nov. 11, 1942
The personnel of Camp McCoy paid silent tribute at 11. a.m. Nov. 11, 1942, Armistice Day, to all of their comrades of World War I who gave their all in that great conflict.
During a minute of silence, all persons stood at attention and faced East. Patients in the hospital who were unable to stand paid tribute by one minute of silence.
Many of the units stood in formation outside of barracks and offices. All others halted their work to honor those who slept in the Field of Honor.
A sacred concert was broadcast from the Post chapel prior to 11 a.m. Taps were sounded over the loud speaker at the hour of the signing of the Armistice in 1918.
75 Years Ago — November 1945
Comfortable and economical housing and dining facilities were opened to civilian employees at Camp McCoy in November 1945, as Brig. Gen. John K. Rice, commanding general, announced opening of a drive to recruit 750 women and 600 men typists and clerks to speed demobilization.
Total cost of room, including maid service and two meals daily, would not exceed $35 a month per person, Rice said.
Women were to be housed in the nurse's quarters in semiprivate rooms with two people in each and male employees in barracks, also in the hospital area.
Paying from $130 to $165 a month, the jobs would permit workers to save a large part of their salaries with the economical room and board, Rice said. Applicants needed to be able to type 35 words a minute. The typists were needed to replace soldiers being discharged.
A variety of additional services were available to the civilian workers in the hospital area without having to go outdoors, said Guy Stratton, civilian personnel chief. Emergency medical and dental service was provided. They could see latest movies, often shown before those at civilian theaters, for only 15 cents. Chapel services and an extensive library were available, as were laundry and dry cleaning
68 Years Ago — Nov. 14, 1952
The communities surrounding Camp McCoy were reported to be stunned by the Nov. 14, 1952, order that would close the camp except for summer reservist training.
I.B. (Red) Bell of Tomah, Wis., who headed the three-city committee that formed to have Camp McCoy designated as a permanent year-round training station, said the matter had far more than local significance.
From a military standpoint, it "just doesn't seem practical," Bell said. "Officers who have seen Korean duty, and have been stationed at other training camps in the United States, have said repeatedly that Camp McCoy offered ideal training conditions for the type of warfare encountered in Korea. The change of season and especially the rugged winters enable men and machines to be conditioned and adapted to the very type of war we are now in."
35 Years Ago — November 1985
A record 471 deer (239 antlered, 323 anterless) were killed at Fort McCoy on Nov. 23, 1985, the opening day of the nine-day Wisconsin deer-gun season.
The opening weekend tally reached 636 compared to 364 for the same period in 1984. At press time Nov. 27, 1985, the deer kill registered at 1,047, well ahead of the previous year's count of 794 on the same day. Fort McCoy Biologist Kim Mello said a target harvest of 1,200 deer was set for the installation during the deer-gun season.
30 Years Ago — November 1990
Department of Defense officials gave the green light to the establishment of a commissary at Fort McCoy.
Garrison Commander Col. Raymond G. Boland said this was great news for the Fort McCoy military community.
"Lack of a commissary long has been the No. 1 quality of life issue here," he said. "It's been a struggle, but I guess perseverance pays off."
Fort McCoy had a commissary in operation during the Korean War, but it was closed afterward because the post population wasn't large enough to support it. Over the years, the repeated attempts to re-establish a commissary were unsuccessful because the installation did not meet the population criteria needed for approval.
(Article prepared by The Real McCoy staff from The Triad and The Real McCoy archives.)
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2020 14:26 |
| Story ID: | 382986 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, This month in Fort McCoy history: November 2020, by Kaleen Holliday, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
