Wisconsin Challenge Academy cadets support 2026 Fort McCoy Armed Forces Day Open House

Dozens of cadets from the Wisconsin Challenge Academy played a key role in supporting Fort McCoy’s 2026 Armed Forces Day Open House on May 16, helping welcome more than 800 visitors to the installation’s historic Commemorative Area for a day of military appreciation, community engagement, and hands-on activities.

Cadets with Wisconsin Challenge Academy Class 56 assisted throughout the event in a variety of roles, helping ensure the success of the annual open house while also sharing their own stories of personal growth and service.

“The cadets help with the sandbag filling activity, they helped with parking vehicles, they shared their stories with visitors, and much more,” said Public Affairs Specialist Melissa Dubois with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, which organized the event with significant support from Fort McCoy Garrison staff across many directorates.

The Wisconsin Challenge Academy, a tenant organization at Fort McCoy, has been a longtime partner on the installation and provided valuable manpower and enthusiasm for the event.

Founded in 1988, the academy is part of the Wisconsin National Guard Youth Challenge Program and provides an alternative educational path for young people seeking a fresh start and greater direction in life.

“The Wisconsin Challenge Academy is an alternative education program designed to reclaim the lives of at-risk youth and produce graduates with the values, skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults,” according to the academy’s website.

“The academy is part of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a community-based program that leads, trains, and mentors 16–18-year-olds so that they may become productive citizens in America’s future.”

According to the academy, the program begins with a 5 1/2-month residential phase followed by a one-year post-residential phase, helping participants develop life skills, discipline, education, and personal responsibility needed for long-term success.

For visitors attending the open house, the cadets’ presence added another meaningful dimension to the event — showcasing not only Army equipment and military history, but also one of Fort McCoy’s important community-based programs focused on youth development and mentorship.

Held under sunny skies with temperatures in the 80s, the Armed Forces Day Open House continued a long-standing tradition of strengthening ties between Fort McCoy and surrounding communities while offering the public a firsthand look at Army readiness, history, and service.

The free event featured military vehicle displays, historical exhibits, interactive activities, live music, and a special recognition ceremony honoring veterans who served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Organized by U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy with support from numerous installation partners, the event reflected a mission extending beyond military training — building and maintaining strong relationships with the communities that have supported Fort McCoy for generations.

As Wisconsin’s only U.S. Army installation, Fort McCoy has played a central role in preparing America’s armed forces for more than a century. Established in 1909, the installation has supported mobilization and training missions for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the Global War on Terrorism, and ongoing readiness operations.

Military public engagement events such as Armed Forces Day observances have long served as important bridges between installations and the communities they serve. Armed Forces Day itself dates to 1950, when the newly unified Department of Defense established a single observance to recognize Americans currently serving in the armed forces.

For Fort McCoy, that tradition remains an important part of its enduring relationship with the public.

This year’s event also demonstrated how tenant organizations such as the Wisconsin Challenge Academy contribute directly to that mission — not only by supporting installation activities, but by embodying the values of service, resilience, and growth that military communities strive to foster.

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 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.”