Photo By Scott Sturkol | A scene from the 2024 Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House is shown May 18, 2024, at...... read more read more
Subscribe
Every year, on the third Saturday in May, Fort McCoy holds its Armed Forces Day Open House at the historic Fort McCoy Commemorative Area which showcases installation and Army history and heritage in a variety of ways.
June is Army Heritage Month, and according to Army leaders, a time to remember the long and storied history and heritage of the U.S. Army. At Fort McCoy every year, that time to rediscover that history and heritage begins with the Armed Forces Day Open House and continues through the summer with open hours at the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area.
The area is managed by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office. The Commemorative Area consists of the Fort McCoy History Center, Veterans Memorial Plaza, and the Equipment Park. The Commemorative Area also has five World War II-era buildings set aside to help tell Fort McCoy’s unique story, said current Fort McCoy Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell, who oversees the overall operations at the area. These facilities are representative of the types found in the cantonment area when it was constructed in 1942.
Three of the buildings — an administrative facility, a dining facility, and a barracks — are set up to depict Soldier life during the 1940s. Display items include a World War II chapel, bunk beds, footlockers, mannequins, and potbelly stoves. Another building highlights four different modern military training venues, and a separate facility shows various training aids.
During every Armed Forces Day, thousands of visitors from the local area and from surrounding states come to Fort McCoy to see what the Commemorative Area offers, and more.
The History Center is often the first stop for visitors in the Commemorative Area, Townsell said. The History Center features exhibits as well as displays of artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia that tell the story of Fort McCoy since its founding in 1909. The center first was opened in 1999 in building 902 when the Fort McCoy observed its 90th anniversary.
Whether it’s Maj. Gen. Robert B. McCoy’s World War I gas mask, horseshoes from the early
camp stables, World War II-era uniforms, or items from the 1980 Cuban Refugee Resettlement mission, or photos from when the Soldiers of the highly decorated 100th Infantry Battalion trained on post during World War II, the History Center offers exhibits spanning from Fort McCoy’s earliest beginnings to the installation’s involvement in the war on terrorism.
In 2022, the center also received two new additions as well. In July 2022, Alan McCoy, grandson of Maj. Gen. Robert Bruce McCoy for whom Fort McCoy is named after had visited the installation with his family members, and with him he brought a century-old artifact he’d received in the form of a wood crate that included the words stamped on it: “CAMP EMERY UPTON” and “CAMP ROBINSON.”
And soon to also be displayed will be the contents of a time capsule found at Fort McCoy. In November 2004, the 617th Military Police Company of the Kentucky National Guard was one of many military units completing their mobilization at Fort McCoy for deployment. Before they left, however, some members of the unit decided they'd put together a “time capsule” of sorts in a plastic drawer they got from the Fort McCoy Exchange, put some mementos in it, and stash it away in the walls of one of the hundreds of barracks on the installation’s cantonment area.
But after their deployment, members of the unit never went back to find their time capsule. Whoever stashed the drawer of mementos into the wall did it well because it remained undiscovered for 19 years. The time capsule was found in fall 2022 when contractors were beginning major renovations on 200 of the barracks at Fort McCoy.
When workers discovered the capsule, they made sure to give it to members of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, who in turn presented it to the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office for eventual presentation into the Fort McCoy History Center. Read more about the time capsule at https://www.dvidshub.net/news/440516/time-capsule-left-decorated-kentucky-guard-mp-unit-found-fort-mccoy-barracks-nearly-two-decades-after-unit-left.
With Veterans Memorial Plaza, it is also a favorite stop for open house visitors for photos, and for reflection. Construction on Veterans Memorial Plaza began in 2006, as did the work to create the five Soldier statues on the memorial representative of each of the major conflicts that Fort McCoy had been involved with to that point in time: i.e., World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the war on terrorism, installation history shows.
The formal dedication of Veterans Memorial Plaza was June 13, 2009 — the date of Fort McCoy’s 100th anniversary. Several descendants of the installation’s founder, Maj. Gen. Robert B. McCoy, attended this dedication. The dedication was the key event in a series of activities held during Fort McCoy’s year-long centennial observance. Ever since its dedication, the Veterans Memorial Plaza has been the center of every annual Armed Forces Day Open House event, dozens of official events, dozens of tours, and met by thousands of people throughout the years.
Right across from Veterans Memorial Plaza is the Equipment Park as well, where open house visitors every year spend time looking over the exhibits there. The Equipment Park is an outdoor display of historic and present-day equipment representative of the types used on the installation, Townsell said. The design of the park allows for display of 70 pieces of equipment, ranging from helicopters and howitzers to trucks and trailers.
During the 2024 Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House, in addition to the Commemorative Area, there was an added focus on heritage with the Vietnam Veterans Recognition Ceremony. Numerous Vietnam-era veterans attended along with their family members. Overall, approximate 150 to 200 people attended the event.
The event honored the service and sacrifices of Vietnam-Era veterans, including those who served overseas and in the United States.
“Service is an opportunity,” Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger said during the ceremony. “It’s an obligation to our nation. And at the same time, a tremendous opportunity to make a difference. … And you all made a difference. You made a difference to the people whose lives you touched overseas and stateside at the time and then for the last 50 years, you've made a difference to families, friends, and communities, and you've done it with pride and distinction. I am completely honored to thank you so much for what you've done during our Vietnam era. I am incredibly indebted, me and my family and generations after are indebted to you for what you have done to serve our nation.”
The open house also often features an Army band that plays traditional Army songs as well as modern music. And each open house brings historians and archaeologists who share their experience, exhibits, and more.
During the 2024 open house at Fort McCoy, Ward E. Zischke, command historian for the 88th Readiness Division, was on hand once again to give hundreds of event-goers a deep look into Army history when he sets up in one of the historical buildings.
After a past open house, Messenger may have best said how the event connects to Army heritage — both past and present.
“Armed Forces Day is a chance to recognize all the people who have served our nation here at Fort McCoy,” Messenger said. “We open up our gates once a year on the third Saturday of every May and invite people in just to see Fort McCoy and the rich heritage that it has to offer. … What we try and do is invite as many different organizations as possible to come out and support the event, too. … What we’re doing is showcasing the different services in addition to the Army here and also the different components … whether it’s the active duty, the Guard or the Reserve.”
Learn more about Fort McCoy’s Army history and heritage by viewing the 2024 History and Heritage special edition of The Real McCoy newspaper at https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/71050.
Learn more about Army overall history and heritage by visiting the U.S. Army Center for Military History at https://history.army.mil.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, 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: | 06.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2024 17:51 |
| Story ID: | 472925 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 690 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Heritage Month: Fort McCoy’s annual Armed Forces Day Open House is installation’s spotlight on Army heritage, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
