Fort McCoy

A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from the 303rd Fighter Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., are shown conducting a bombing run Aug. 21, 2026, at Fort McCoy, Wis., in this photo slideshow. The unit returned to Fort McCoy from Aug. 17–21 for another round of specialized training that put the aircraft's distinctive capabilities to work over the installation. According to Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security officials, the Air Force Reserve pilots conducted bombing training during the week, including low-level missions to the installation's impact area. The training also provided significant flight time for the pilots, giving them an opportunity to maintain and sharpen skills associated with operating the A-10 in a realistic training environment. Music by the U.S. Air Force Band from https://www.music.af.mil/multimedia/AF-recordings/ceremonial-music. (U.S. Army Video by Scott T. Sturkol/Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)

Fort McCoy Training Capabilities
MOTTO:
Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.
MISSION STATEMENT: 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.
VISION STATEMENT: To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.

The 900 block of Fort McCoy’s cantonment area and the 11-acre area surrounding it are the hub of the fort’s history-preservation efforts that make up the Commemorative Area. Through every major operation, and everything else supported, that history is remembered in the Fort McCoy History Center, according to the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office. The History Center features exhibits as well as displays of artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia that tell the story of Fort McCoy since its founding in 1909. The center first was opened in 1999 in building 902 when the Fort McCoy observed its 90th anniversary. Visitors to the Commemorative Area also can tour the many historical buildings in the area. The area consists of five World War II-era buildings set aside to help tell Fort McCoy’s unique story. These facilities are representative of the types found in the cantonment area when it was constructed in 1942. Three of the buildings — an administrative facility, a dining facility, and a barracks — are set up to depict Soldier life during the 1940s. Display items include a World War II chapel, bunk beds, footlockers, mannequins, and potbelly stoves. Another building highlights four different modern military training venues, and a separate facility shows various training aids. The Commemorative Area also has Equipment Park. The Equipment Park is an outdoor display of historic and present-day equipment representative of the types used on the installation. The design of the park allows for display of 70 pieces of equipment, ranging from helicopters and howitzers to trucks and trailers. Veterans Memorial Plaza is also a part of the Commemorative Area. Construction on Veterans Memorial Plaza began in 2006, as did the work to create the five Soldier statues on the memorial representative of each of the major conflicts that Fort McCoy had been involved with to that point in time: i.e., World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the war on terrorism. To learn more about the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area, visit the installation’s website at www.home.army.mil/mccoy or call the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office at 502-898-7777. (U.S. Army Video by Greg Mason/Fort McCoy Multimedia-Visual Information Office)

This video, taken Sept. 30, 2026, shows the La Crosse River as it flows through the Pine View Recreation Area and over Trout Falls at Fort McCoy, Wis. On Fort McCoy’s western side, in an area near the cantonment area and nested in between other training areas, is the Pine View Recreation Area. It includes Pine View Campground, Whitetail Ridge Ski Area, and Sportsman’s Range. The recreation area covers hundreds of acres. People can learn more about the recreation area and all it has to offer the public by visiting https://mccoy.armymwr.com. (Video by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)