Veterans Memorial Plaza: Honoring Fort McCoy’s legacy of service since 1909
For generations of Soldiers, veterans, families and visitors, Veterans Memorial Plaza at Fort McCoy has provided a place to pause, reflect, and remember those who have served the nation.
Located within Fort McCoy’s historic Commemorative Area, the plaza is both a memorial and an active part of the installation’s history-preservation program. Its five Soldier statues represent major periods of military service associated with Fort McCoy’s history — World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terrorism. Together, the statues help tell a larger story of military service spanning more than a century.
The plaza’s story is closely connected to Fort McCoy’s broader effort to preserve and interpret its history.
Preserving Fort McCoy’s past
According to the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, work to establish what became the Commemorative Area began in 1992, during the 50th anniversary period of World War II.
Fort McCoy, originally established as an installation in 1909, expanded dramatically during World War II. Much of the wartime cantonment was eventually removed or altered as the installation changed over the decades. The preservation effort sought to retain representative structures and artifacts that could help visitors understand what life was like during the 1940s.
Five World War II-era buildings were eventually incorporated into the historic area. Today, those buildings, the History Center, Equipment Park, and Veterans Memorial Plaza form the core of Fort McCoy’s Commemorative Area. The site is intended to interpret Fort McCoy’s history from its founding in 1909 through the present day.
Fort McCoy’s Public Affairs Office identifies the Commemorative Area as an official museum activity and states that its purpose is to collect, identify, preserve, study, and interpret artifacts associated with the establishment and history of Fort McCoy. The program also identifies the Veterans Memorial Plaza as a memorial site intended to honor the service and sacrifice of those who have served.
From an idea to a memorial Construction of Veterans Memorial Plaza began in 2006. At the same time, work began on five Soldier statues representing major conflicts associated with Fort McCoy to that point: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terrorism, according to Fort McCoy officials. The completed memorial was formally dedicated on June 13, 2009 — the date of Fort McCoy’s 100th anniversary.
Several descendants of Fort McCoy founder Maj. Gen. Robert B. McCoy attended the dedication, history shows. The dedication was a major event during Fort McCoy’s yearlong centennial observance.
The date gives the memorial an important connection to Fort McCoy’s history. The installation was established in 1909, and exactly 100 years later its Veterans Memorial Plaza was dedicated as a permanent tribute to those who served during the many eras of the installation’s existence.
Five statues, a much larger story
The five Soldier figures provide the most visible historical interpretation at the plaza.
They represent:
• World War I
• World War II
• Korean War
• Vietnam War
• Global War on Terrorism
Fort McCoy’s current Commemorative Area information describes the plaza as a tribute to all men and women who have served the nation during each era of Fort McCoy’s history. The memorial therefore extends beyond the conflicts represented by the statues themselves.
The five figures can be viewed as milestones in a much longer chronology — beginning with Fort McCoy’s establishment in 1909 and continuing through the conflicts, missions and training operations that have involved the installation throughout its history.
A centerpiece of the Commemorative Area
Veterans Memorial Plaza is part of an approximately 11-acre historic area surrounding the 900 block of Fort McCoy.
The Commemorative Area includes five World War II-era buildings, the Fort McCoy History Center, Equipment Park, and the plaza. Three of the historic buildings are arranged to depict aspects of Soldier life during the 1940s, including an administrative facility, dining facility and barracks. Exhibits include period furnishings and other artifacts. The History Center contains artifacts and displays documenting Fort McCoy’s history, while Equipment Park displays historic and contemporary military equipment associated with the installation.
The arrangement makes Veterans Memorial Plaza an important part of a larger historical experience. A visitor can move from preserved buildings representing the World War II cantonment, to artifacts and exhibits covering Fort McCoy’s history, to military equipment representing different eras, and finally to the memorial honoring those who served.
From memorial to ceremonial landmark
Since its dedication, Veterans Memorial Plaza has also become one of Fort McCoy’s principal ceremonial locations.
Fort McCoy historical reporting states that the plaza has been the center of numerous Armed Forces Day Open House events, official ceremonies and tours and has been visited by thousands of people. It has become a regular gathering place for ceremonies recognizing military service and Fort McCoy’s heritage.
The plaza has also increasingly served as a backdrop for significant installation ceremonies. That evolution has given the plaza a dual purpose: it preserves the memory of past generations while serving as an active ceremonial location for today's Fort McCoy community.
A place for visitors
The memorial also remains part of Fort McCoy’s public history and outreach efforts. Fort McCoy reported that from 2015 through 2019, the Commemorative Area hosted 236 tours involving 8,153 visitors, in addition to the much larger crowds attending annual Armed Forces Day Open House events.
The current Fort McCoy Commemorative Area information states that the Veterans Memorial Plaza and Equipment Park are accessible to visitors year-round, daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The broader Commemorative Area also offers scheduled public open hours and group tours by appointment.
(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)
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