Longtime installation safety manager completes career at Fort McCoy; leaves legacy of safety excellence

At the end of July 2023, Randy Eddy finished his career as the installation safety manager at Fort McCoy.

Eddy has held that position since 2005. From 2004-2005 he was mobilized at Fort McCoy supporting the mobilization mission from the Army Reserve. In May 2005, when his mobilization support time was finishing, he said he was asked by the Fort McCoy Garrison commander at the time to come fill in as the installation safety manager for a bit.

“He came and asked me to … help him out by coming over here to the Safety Office because his safety manager had just quit and walked off the job,” Eddy said. “He needed somebody in the office to kind of keep things going for a little while.

“So that’s what he asked me to do. And as it was, he said I’d be here about 30 days,” Eddy said with a slight laugh. “That 30 days turned into a career.”

Eddy’s not only retiring as a government civilian employee. He’s also been retired several years now as an Army lieutenant colonel — since August 2008. One of the facts about him is he’s always lived in the local area near Fort McCoy.

Eddy’s military career began in 1973.

“I enlisted in the National Guard in December 1973 in Black River Falls (Wis.),” Eddy said. “And, then went to basic training at Fort Dix, N.J., and advanced individual training at Fort Lee, Va. Then I came back to the unit at Black River Falls. … After about six years, I decided to go to Officer Candidate School, so I went through the state Officer Candidate School program here … at Camp Douglas.”

After he was commissioned, Eddy went back to Fort Lee and got training as a 92-Alpha material management second lieutenant.

“Then I went back to Black River Falls as a second lieutenant and ended up as the commander,” Eddy said. “And so, I spent 12 years in the Black River Falls unit and went from and E-2 to the company commander. It usually doesn't happen that way, but that was great.”

Eddy then served in an engineer battalion in Onlaska, Wis., an engineer group in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and with a state maintenance inspection team at Camp Douglas, Wis. All the while moving up in rank.

“In August 2008, on a Friday, I was Lt. Col. Eddy, and I came back in on Monday as Mr. Eddy doing the same job, same desk, doing the safety job,” Eddy said.

During his tenure, Fort McCoy also has had some of its best years for safety records, and it has been recognized by Army-level safety streamers and awards. Eddy discussed the numerous safety streamers Fort McCoy has achieved under his safety leadership.

The whole safety streamer program I believe came out in the 2010-time frame,” Eddy said. “There were three requirements then, and they are the same requirements today. You could not have a class A or B accident within a one-year time period. You have to have an Army readiness assessment program completed within two years, and you have to have everybody have risk management training, which is pretty standard here now.”

Eddy said the post earned the first safety streamer in 2012 and have continuously earned them since.

“We’ve very fortunate, and that’s partly maybe because of our proactive safety approach,” Eddy said. “That’s been great that we've been able to maintain that.”

Eddy and his team have also been key leaders in the Fort McCoy Safety and Occupational Health Council for many years. Eddy said the installationwide council that now shares ideas and concerns about all things safety for not just garrison team members but also tenant organization members is significant.

“That council brings out a lot of awareness,” Eddy said. “They had somewhat of a council going when I came in, but it was maybe about six or seven people. It’s a lot bigger now, and we average about 35 to 40 people, and we get all the tenants involved along with our garrison organizations. I mean the issues discussed from whatever I’ve seen is a broad range of subjects.

“It's not just your basic safety subjects,” Eddy said. “It’s infrastructure, It’s the climate and weather. It’s the potential risks and hazards that we could see in coming months and even years.”

Eddy added about one example where a tenant organization brought up a need for street lighting in an area where it was needed during a council meeting, and it led to street lighting being installed. “That was a real safety success story,” he said.

During his career at McCoy, too, Eddy worked through the COVID-19 global pandemic measures and helped installation agencies, offices, and personnel stay informed, have items they needed, and more.

Additionally, since the days of mobilization where Eddy has worked as the safety manager of the installation, Fort McCoy has averaged an annual training population of more than 100,000 troop on post nearly every year. By the law of averages, the chances for something unsafe to possibly happen always looms yet under Eddy’s watch the record has proven stellar.

Eddy said possibly some of his success can be attributed to his military experience.

“In my beginning years, too, when I was a lieutenant colonel, we started having the Army Reserve exercises coming here, and I think it really paid off that I was out and visible to the units as the safety manager for McCoy,” he said.

In his time, too, Eddy said he has worked with many great people, and he’s appreciated they’re support and hard work. He said without their support, the success of the program wouldn’t be what it is.

Eddy’s successor, Ed De Leon, is also already on the job. He said he’s a good fit for the position and will do well.

And to the Fort McCoy Team, Eddy wanted to wish everyone well and relay the following:

“Well, we've made a lot of progress through the years, and we're not perfect yet. We’re getting close. Just remember that safety is everyone's responsibility. Look out for your fellow employees Look out for yourself. Look out for your fellow employees and always do the right thing. And if you see something that doesn't look right, please call us.”

Stay safe Mr. Eddy.

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,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”