Soldiers with the Army Reserve’s 648th Regional Support Group of St. Louis, Mo., visited the historic Commemorative Area on July 23 at Fort McCoy as a break from their ongoing training at the installation.

The many Soldiers from the 648th were able to learn more about Fort McCoy’s and the Army’s history as the area was open for several hours, said Public Affairs Specialist Christopher Jones with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.

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. Many of the visitors first took a walk around the Fort McCoy History Center.

Through every major operation, and everything else supported, that history is remembered in the Fort McCoy History Center, according to Fort McCoy Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell. 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.

Recently, 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, brought a new artifact for the center. 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.”

Read more about that artifact at https://www.dvidshub.net/news/429892/artifact-donated-fort-mccoy-founders-grandson-speaks-installations-origins.

The 648th 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, Jones said, who opened the area for the visitors. 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 of the visitors also took a chance 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, Fournier also said in a past news article.

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 many events, including annual Armed Forces Day Open House events, dozens of official events, dozens of tours, and met by thousands of people throughout the years.

For more information about the Commemorative Area, contact the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office at 608-388-2407, by email at [email protected].

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.”