Army history up close with fall colors: Fort McCoy’s Equipment Park in October

As October arrived at Fort McCoy, the sight of leaves changing from green to the vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow were seen throughout the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area and Equipment Park.

The Equipment Park was established in the mid-1990s to complement the Commemorative Area’s historical representation, documentation shows. What began as an initial outdoor display of five pieces of equipment (“macro-artifacts”) increased over time to what is today a display of 70 different items of equipment and vehicles and is still growing.

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office officials said the park is traditionally open throughout the year between May and September, but every October the park has drive-in access for people to check it out.

All of the items on display in the Equipment Park specifically were selected in keeping with the Commemorative Area mission statement — “to present pieces of military equipment that are representative of what was used here on Fort McCoy.”

The most-recent park acquisitions were added in 2014, but others are expected to be added in 2026. The site actually has expansion capacity that can accommodate up to an additional 50 display items, officials said.

The Equipment Park is an outdoor display of historic and present-day equipment representative of the types used on the installation. It has everything represented from a Sherman tank of World War II to a High-Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle that was used in more recent years. The area also includes helicopters, howitzers, trucks, trailers, and more.

One of the specific items at the park includes an M3 Personnel Carrier (Half-Track). This carrier was available during the Korean War. According to Army facts about the M3, it was first manufactured in 1941 by White Motor Co., and later produced by Autocar Co., and Diamond T Motor Co. The M3 was used to transport cargo and personnel in combat zones.

“It used the same chassis and mechanical components as the M2 half-track car, but the rear-armored body was 10 inches longer and featured a door in the rear to ease entry and exit from
the vehicle,” the Fort McCoy Equipment Park Guidebook states. It had a crew of three, could carry six passengers, and its top speed was 45 miles per hour (mph).

According to numerous online sources as well, the M3’s use in the Korean War was extensive, but after the war it was no longer considered effective as more heavily armored vehicles like tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Another item at Equipment Park is the famous “Sherman” tank, or M4A3 Combat Tank.

The Fort McCoy Equipment Park Guidebook states the version in the park was first built in 1942 by Ford Motor Co.

“The M4A3 provided firepower, mobility, and crew protection for offensive combat,” the guidebook states. “It was the principal U.S. combat tank in all combat zones for most of World War II.”

Versions of the Sherman were also used during the Korean War along with newer armored tanks such as the M46 Patton. The Sherman has a crew of five — a commander, gunner, loader,
driver, and assistant driver — and can go a top speed of 25 mph. Its main armament is a 76 mm main gun and .30- and .50-caliber machine guns.

For tracked vehicles from the Korean War-ear, Equipment Park also has the M42A1 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun, Self-Propelled. According to the Fort McCoy Equipment Park Guidebook, this item was manufactured by Cadillac in 1951.

“The M42A1 deployed with armored divisions as a means of providing mobile anti-aircraft weapons,” the guidebook states. “Because of its rapid rate of fire, it also proved valuable as an infantry support weapon against ground targets.”

The M42A1 requires a crew of six — commander, gunner, sight-setter, two loaders, and a driver — and has an armament of two 40 mm guns.

But why October? During October every year, the forested area in the backdrop of Equipment Park has offered a picturesque scene for visitors with fall colors.

The Equipment Park is always open for those who have Fort McCoy access, and there are picnic tables available to use on the outer edges of the park for people to use. The area typically closes up for winter in November.

People can still walk into the park from outside the driving area after November as well.

For more information, contact the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.

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, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

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.”