Fort McCoy community members participated in the 2024 Fort McCoy Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 5 at McCoy’s Community Center at Fort McCoy.

Hundreds gathered to celebrate the annual event, which signals the start of the holiday season for the installation.

This year’s celebration featured not only the iconic tree lighting but also an array of festive activities, including holiday crafts for children, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a short play featuring the Grinch and citizens of Whoville.

“We celebrate our strong sense of community, the bonds we share, and the spirit of giving that makes this time of the year so special,” said Karla Rynes, Business and Recreation Division Chief. Rynes welcomed attendees also saying “it’s time to come together as a community and spread joy, warmth, and cheer.”

The ceremony also included remarks from the Garrison Command Team. Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez emphasized the importance of community and gratitude during the holidays.

“It’s a special evening for all of us here at Fort McCoy because this marks the official start of the holiday season,” Baez said. “We always have things to be thankful for, and this is a great opportunity to gather outside of the office, outside of work, and get to know each other a little bit better and celebrate the great things we have around us.”

The ceremony also honored the sacrifices of military families, especially those with deployed loved ones. Command Sergeant Maj. Thomas Calarco, garrison command sergeant major, introduced a local family whose mother had recently deployed, sharing his own reflections about military families.

“You all pay a significant price for this great nation. My family has committed so many more sacrifices than I could ever dream of,” Calarco said. “I know I see a lot of military members in this audience. And me personally, I can remember the last day at home, my four-and-a-half-year-old son tried to crawl into my kit when I was in the middle of my living room. And my wife took a picture of it so I can never forget it.”

After the tree was lit by the family members of the deployed Soldier, the festivities continued well into the evening with photos from Santa and interactive booths where children and families could create holiday-themed crafts and gifts.

The event was organized by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR).

Learn more about Fort McCoy DFMWR activities by visiting https://mccoy.armymwr.com or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mccoymwr.

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,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy,” on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fortmccoywi, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@fortmccoy.

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.”