Photo By Scott Sturkol | People look over Christmas trees to take home after a Federal Express (FedEx) semi...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy military members were treated to 70 free Christmas trees Dec. 1 courtesy of the Trees for Troops effort as a FedEx truck delivered the trees to McCoy’s Community Center at the installation.
By midday Dec. 1, staff with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) were lining military members and their family members up to get their free trees. DFMWR also offered several hours on Dec. 2 for people to pick up a tree.
The truck delivering the trees arrived earlier in the morning Dec. 1, and DFMWR staff members helped unload the truck. Once the trees were out of the truck and lined up, the delivery to the troops was next later in the day.
According to www.christmasspiritfoundation.org, approximately 16,000 total trees were picked up from dozens of locations in 2023 and given to more than 90 total bases, including Fort McCoy.
Trees are donated by individual farms and lots, the collective efforts of state and regional Christmas Tree associations, local sponsoring groups, and the customers of participating locations. Hundreds of donors and volunteers participate each year to make Trees for Troops happen, the website states.
Also on the website, it states: “Trees for Troops, a program of the Christmas Spirit Foundation, provides free, farm-grown Christmas Trees to United States armed forces members in all branches of the military and their families through donations, sponsorships, grants, and the work of many volunteers. … Christmas tree growers have been providing free trees for military families for years.
“In 2005, FedEx contacted the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable branch of the National Christmas Tree Association, and wanted to be involved in the foundation’s mission. Together the two organizations expanded the idea of providing Christmas trees to military families, and Trees for Troops was born,” the website states.
“Since 2005, FedEx Freight has supported the Trees for Troops program, an initiative that delivers farm-grown Christmas trees to domestic and international U.S. military bases,” an organization news release states. “This long-standing collaboration has become a cherished tradition for FedEx Freight, with drivers logging over 600,000 miles for tree deliveries over the years.”
The website also states, “In 2017, Trees for Troops was honored to win the Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award. Trees for Troops was nominated for the award by the U.S. Coast Guard. The award is given annually by each branch of the military to groups that epitomize Bob Hope’s values of patriotism, loyalty, freedom, and dedication. Winning this award was a highlight of the season.”
Fort McCoy has been a recipient of Trees for Troops Christmas trees for many years, and they have previously been delivered to the South Post Housing area, and the feedback is always appreciative from the troops who receive them, officials said.
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,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison 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.”
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.04.2023 12:41 |
| Story ID: | 459051 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 633 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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