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Fort McCoy, Wis., was founded in 1909. Here's a look back at some of the highlights of Aprils past.
75 Years Ago — April 1946
The McCoy separation center was operating on a quota of 1,000 discharges daily in early April until May 5, said commanding general Brig. Gen. John K. Rice on April 10, 1946.
After that date, an average of 800 discharges daily was expected. This increased load was assigned to the post unit due to the’ forthcoming shutdown of the Camp Grant, Ill., War Department Personnel Center unit.
The post discharge unit will be geared up to handle up to 1,200 seperaratees daily through the month of April and early May, said Maj. Thomas B. Hammond, separation center commanding officer. On April 9, the unit released 1250 enlisted men and 61 officers to eclipse any previous day’s totals.
It was anticipated, Maj. Hammond said, that the discharge center would operate at full speed through April due to the number of 30-month veterans returning from overseas service. In adherence with War Department policy, those men were processed as rapidly as possible.
The schedules for separation processing called for from 24 to 41 hours to process veterans through to final ceremonies.
To aid in the handling of the increased load, 54 enlisted men were assigned to separation counseling and finance from the Camp Grant unit. Twenty-six Women Army Corps members were added to the separation complement in the previous week from the Grant detachment.
For the first ten days of April, the separation unit had discharged nearly 10,000 officers and men to keep pace with the Sixth Service command quota.
75 Years Ago — April 12, 1946
“Jughaid,” Camp McCoy’s new locomotive arrived April 12, 1946. The new diesel was brought on a flat rail car.
The new diesel replaced “Betsy,” McCoy’s 38-year-old steam locomotive, which had done all the railroad-car switching on the Camp’s 9 1/2 miles of track since her arrival in August 1942.
50 Years Ago — April 30, 1971
Lt. Col. Louis L. Burwell Jr., executive officer at Camp McCoy, and A. N. Schantz, post forester, planted Camp McCoy’s millionth tree on Arbor Day, April 30, 1971. They planted the tree on the east side of post headquarters.
The Army Forestry program began in 1961, and Camp McCoy had planted trees in a managed reforestation process since that time. The program was multipurpose in that the trees were not only planted for timber production, but also were selected and arranged so as to provide wildlife habitat, prevent soil erosion, increase outdoor recreational benefits, and contribute to clean air and water.
(Editor’s Note: Modern conservation programs are managed at Fort McCoy but the Directorate of Public Works Natural Resources Branch, including the annual Arbor Day tree planting.)
30 Years Ago — April 26, 1991
About 50 people attended Fort McCoy’s annual Arbor Day observance held April 26, 1991, in Constitution Park.
Garrison Commander Col. Raymond Boland and Adrian Hagen, regional forester for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, participated in the symbolic Arbor Day tree-planting ceremony.
Other dignitaries present also were asked to sprinkle dirt around the tree, a four-foot red pine. Boland said the tree will serve as a lasting reminder of everyone who came through Fort McCoy during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
During the ceremony, Hagen presented Boland with Fort McCoy’s second consecutive Tree City USA Award.
The Tree City USA designation, a program of the National Arbor Day Foundation, recognizes U.S. communities that develop comprehensive urban forestry programs.
“This is Forest Appreciation Week — take time to appreciate the forest area you have here at Fort McCoy,” Hagen said. “Forty percent of the land in Monroe County is forest land, which provides many things, including jobs, od products, clean air and water, and scenic beauty.”
In his remarks, Boland said Fort McCoy is a true leader within the military establishment for its commitment to the environment.
25 Years Ago — April 1996
Members of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) Twenty-Five found the military training opportunities at their first-ever annual training held at Fort McCoy from April 20 to May 3, 1996, to their liking.
Commander (0-5) Norm Schleif, NMCB-25 commanding officer, said the Seabees, the Naval counterparts of Army engineers, dedicated the first annual training of a three-year military training cycle to enhancing mobilization skills.
“The move of our headquarters here last August couldn’t have come at a more opportune time,” he said. “At our former site (Glenview Naval Air Station, Ill.), we didn’t have much room for training opportunities. Here, we have lots of room for training.” NMCB-25 relocated to McCoy as the result of a Base Realignment and Closure decision.
The 351 members of the battalion who attended training received a lot of classroom work and were given practical exercises in the field to use those skills, he said. Some of the skills the Seabees were taught or received refresher training in were land navigation, basic communication skills, patrols, convoy procedures and running combat operations centers.
(Article prepared from The Real McCoy and Triad archives.)
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.09.2021 17:32 |
| Story ID: | 393499 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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