204th Army Band provides entertainment for Fort McCoy's 2023 Army Birthday Celebration

The Army Reserve’s 204th Army Band of Fort Snelling, Minn., performed for event-goers on June 14 during the 2023 Fort McCoy Army Birthday Celebration at McCoy’s Community Center at Fort McCoy.

The band played to hundreds of people who visited McCoy’s for a free lunch and a cake-cutting ceremony and of course — the music.

The band had last played on post at the 2023 Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House in May. The band also played during the 2022 Fort McCoy Army birthday celebration.

For the 2023 celebration, band members played on the stage at the McCoy’s Community Center courtyard.

The 2023 Army Birthday celebration was organized by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation. DFMWR Director Patric McGuane in welcoming everyone to the free lunch knew the guests were in for some good entertainment.

“Thank you everyone for being here,” McGuane said. “We have a lot of great food and entertainment here for you today.”

The band played for more than two hours and played many well-known songs, and it was well received.

Their dedication to their performance may possibly be reflective to something Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger said in his speech to the luncheon’s guests.

“Today’s Army is the best-led, best-trained, and most capable Army that has ever been fielded on the face of the earth,” Messenger said. “Think about that. No other army has been more powerful than the one we serve, and we continue to take on those challenges with extraordinary skill and devotion.”

In addition to the band performing and the related luncheon and cake-cutting ceremony, Fort McCoy also held a Commander’s 5k/2-Mile Run/Walk and free breakfast in the morning and free bowling in the afternoon at McCoy’s.

Also as part of the event, Messenger held the enlistment oath for six new recruits who joined the Army. They enlisted in the same year as the renewed “Be All You Can Be” slogan for the U.S. Army. Maybe with Messenger’s speech and the spirit of the day, it will be a day they remember as well.

Fort McCoy was established in 1909 and its 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 the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.