Fort McCoy hosts successful first Community Leader Engagement in five years; dozens attend
Representatives from La Crosse, Black River Falls, Sparta, and Tomah participated in the event, which included an installation tour, opportunities to meet with Fort McCoy and 88th Readiness Division leaders, and hands-on training demonstrations.
Building and maintaining strong partnerships with surrounding communities is vital to Fort McCoy, said Melissa Dubois, public affairs specialist with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.
“Through our collaboration, we will create meaningful connections for our service members, their families, our Department of the Army civilian workforce, and our leadership,” Dubois said.
The engagement provided community representatives with an opportunity to see several areas of the installation and learn more about Fort McCoy’s operations and recreational opportunities. Tour stops included South Post Housing, Whitetail Ridge Ski Area, Pine View Campground, the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area, the History Center, and the Equipment Park.
Participants also visited Building 221, where they experienced demonstrations involving the Virtual Reality Combat Training System, and Engagement Skills Trainer. The demonstrations provided an opportunity to see some of the training capabilities available to military personnel at Fort McCoy.
The group also met with installation and 88th Readiness Division leaders, including Maj. Gen. Kevin Meisler, commanding general of the 88th Readiness Division and senior commander of Fort McCoy; Col. Sarah Fraticelli, commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy; Lt. Col. Chad Holder, deputy garrison commander; and Command Sgt. Maj. James Riddle, garrison command sergeant major.
The event included discussion about Fort McCoy’s economic contributions to the region. The installation’s estimated economic impact for fiscal year 2024 was $1.6 billion, with more than $398 million in workforce payroll, operating costs, and other expenditures.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for community representatives to share their perspectives about needs and opportunities in the surrounding communities.
Among the key takeaways identified by attendees were the importance of housing, childcare, schooling, and health care in neighboring communities as Fort McCoy prepares for significant growth in the coming years through the Army Transformation Initiative.
“Fort McCoy’s partnerships with local communities are vital to the installation,” Dubois said. “This event helped foster growing relationships with La Crosse, Black River Falls, Sparta, and Tomah.”
The event concluded with a luncheon at McCoy’s Community Center and further discussion among community representatives and installation leaders.
Fort McCoy officials look forward to continuing the conversations and strengthening those relationships at the next Community Leader Engagement event, planned for spring 2027.
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.” The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
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 athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on DVIDS by visiting https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/FMPAO on DVIDS. 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.”
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