Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Ricciardi, commanding general of the 88th Readiness Division and Fort McCoy’s senior commander, gave a presentation Dec. 2 for a Lunch & Learn event for the Fort McCoy military force and civilian workforce.

The event was the first Lunch & Learn coordinated by the U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy Headquarters and Headquarters Company since earlier in 2025.

The major general spoke significantly on topics such as training, and Fort McCoy being a “training center of excellence.”

He also reviewed commander priorities, such as those from Lt. Gen. Robert D. Harter, 35th Chief of Army Reserve and 10th Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command.

The 88th RD leader talked of how Lt. Gen. Harter is challenging members of the Army Reserve and elsewhere to come up with ideas, and more, to make the Army better.

According to his biography, Ricciardi was commissioned through the U.S. Military Academy. He obtained master’s degrees in strategic studies from the Army War College and Purdue University. He additionally obtained a doctorate from Benedictine University.

His additional command assignments include the 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Shafter, Hawaii; 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment, Saco, Maine; 605th Engineer Detachment, Darien, Ill.; 863rd Engineer Battalion, Darien, Ill.; and A/863rd Engineer Battalion, Kankakee, Ill.

Ricciardi has served in a variety of military assignments spanning his career of more than 30 years, his biography also states. Some of his additional assignments include Deputy Commanding General, 81st Readiness Division, Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Deputy Chief of Staff, G3, 416th Theater Engineer Command, Darien, Ill.; Deputy Chief of Staff, G7, 9th Mission Support Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii; Deputy Brigade Commander, 3rd Brigade, 104th Division, Fort Belvoir, Va.; and Assistant Professor of Military Science, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.

Ricciardi’s operational deployments include serving as the Operations and Logistics Officer for Combined Joint Task Force 180 from November 2002 to June 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan; Operations and Intelligence Officer for the 172nd Corps Support Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; and Commander of the 863rd Engineer Battalion, Task Force Line Backer, from October 2010 to August 2011 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan.

Ricciardi’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge.

According to the Army Reserve, the 88th Readiness Division is headquartered at Fort Snelling, Minn., and Fort McCoy and is a two-star command which provides services and Base Operations Support (BASOPS) to more than 46,500 Army Reserve Soldiers, 2,594 Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Soldiers and 2,524 civilians serving in 525 units at 277 sites with 579 facilities totaling 10,341,955 square feet of facility space on 18,113 acres of land throughout 19 states in the northwestern U.S. from the Ohio River Valley to the Pacific Coast.

The 88th manages 14 local training areas across 11 states covering 7,795 acres. Local training areas provide Soldiers opportunities to perform in their jobs, train close to home, and make the most out of battle assemblies by offering units the use of facilities, grounds, and training venues to include convoy operations, organizational maintenance, engineer equipment dig sites, as well as field training exercises.

The most recent addition to 88th’s services and support is the 88th Fort McCoy Draw Yard. The Draw Yard is a set of common military equipment (mostly vehicles and generators), available at Fort McCoy for exercise and transient training unit use. The goal is to reduce transportation costs and Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and Integration (RSOI) time for exercise and transient training units during their rotation.

Accomplishing the 88th’s mission is a full-time support force of 42 AGR Soldiers, 1,227 military technicians, 105 Department of the Army civilians plus 42 Troop Program Unit Soldiers as well as contractors assigned throughout the northwest region.

Additionally, the 88th coordinates Army Music support to the 19-state-region with the command and control of four U.S. Army Bands in seven locations.

The history and lineage of the 88th Division began a century ago in August of 1917.

The 88th Division was created following the passage of the Selective Service Act of 1917 and the registration of approximately 10 million men. National Army draftees from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, became the 88th Division at Camp Dodge, Iowa.

Learn more about the 88th by visiting https://www.usar.army.mil/88thRD.

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office and the 88th Readiness Division Public Affairs Office.)