Photo By Scott Sturkol | Participants in a special visit for sponsors held by the Fort McCoy Directorate of...... read more read more
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The Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) with support from other Fort McCoy organizations and personnel held a special visit Oct. 15 for DFMWR sponsors on post.
The nearly 30 visitors received a bus tour, lunch, and a stop at the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area, a stop at the installation simulations training complex areas, and more, DFMWR officials said.
The post has also held similar past visits. DFMWR personnel state the visit is a “special day” to thank sponsors who supported events serving MWR and the Fort McCoy community throughout the year.
Sponsors help DFMWR with many events throughout the year on Fort McCoy. They support the annual tree-lighting event every December, the Army Birthday Celebration, and many more.
During their stop at the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area, they got to review Army and Fort McCoy history while fall colors were around Equipment Park, Veterans Memorial Plaza, and the entire area was at near peak. The group saw the park, the plaza, and the Fort McCoy History Center where they were led by Fort McCoy Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell.
The 900 block of Fort McCoy and the 11-acre area surrounding it are the hub of the fort’s history-preservation efforts that make up the Commemorative Area. Through every major operation, and everything else supported, that history is remembered in the Fort McCoy History Center. In 2015, the History Center was improved after several months of work to renovate the interior and exterior of the facility. Those interior renovations provided for expanded exhibit floor space, improved lighting, and installation of energy efficient heating and air-conditioning systems. Exterior improvements included new steps and a ramp to improve access for visitors.
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, 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.”
In September 2024, the center also received a uniform donation. Several family members of fallen World War II Soldier Pvt. Robert L. Skaar made a special visit to Fort McCoy’s Commemorative Area on Sept. 30 to not only tour the area but also donate a uniform of Skaar’s to the Fort McCoy History Center at the area.
The family members were in Wisconsin for the funeral service for Skaar, which took place Oct. 1 in La Crosse, Wis. Skaar had been recently identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and after 79 years was being returned to his hometown of La Crosse.
The family members visiting the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area were Skaar’s nieces and nephews from southern Illinois. The uniform they brought to donate was not one Skaar had actually worn, but rather one the Army provided as a final uniform for the graveside service.
“We wanted to see that his uniform was donated somewhere, and his story would be told instead of the uniform being interred with him,” said John Cauble, Skaar’s nephew from Dongola, Ill.
For the sponsor tour, visitors also toured the many historical buildings in the area. The area consists of five World War II-era buildings set aside to help tell Fort McCoy’s unique story, Townsell said, who opened the area for the group. 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.
Some also took a change to tour Equipment Park. The Equipment Park is an outdoor display of historic and present-day equipment representative of the types used on the installation. The design of the park allows for display of 70 pieces of equipment, ranging from helicopters and howitzers to trucks and trailers.
Visitors also checked out Veterans Memorial Plaza. 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, 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 yearlong centennial observance.
Ever since its dedication, the Veterans Memorial Plaza has been the center of more than a dozen annual Armed Forces Day Open House events, dozens of official events, dozens of tours, and met by thousands of people throughout the years, including more people during this tour.
Executive Officer Mike Volpe with Fort McCoy Garrison assisted with organizing the tour. He said it was a great opportunity to show the visitors some of the unique capabilities of Fort McCoy while also providing a history lesson.
“During the tour at the Commemorative Area, a couple of the visitors were sharing stories about their fathers’ service and recognizing equipment and uniforms they’d seen them use or wear at one time,” Volpe said. “It overall was a great way to show them how we support training at Fort McCoy as the Total Force Training Center. I think they enjoyed being a part of this visit.”
For more information about the Commemorative Area, contact the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office at 608-388-2407, by email at usarmy.mccoy.imcom-central.list.pao-admin@mail.mil, or go online to see the Commemorative Area section in the Fort McCoy Guide at https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/66725.
Learn more about Fort McCoy DFMWR by visiting https://mccoy.armymwr.com.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on DVIDS at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/FMPAO, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
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.”
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2024 17:36 |
| Story ID: | 483482 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 4 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort McCoy holds 2024 installation visit for DFMWR sponsors, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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