1950

Fort McCoy has had a proud history of contributing to the defense of the nation.  The Korean War era was no exception. The following information and photographs, presented in recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War, were obtained from the records at the Fort McCoy History Center. Official orders on file state Camp McCoy was  activated for the Korean War Aug. 9, 1950 and was deactivated April 1, 1953.

 1950 [ back to top ]

Aug. 10     Col. Jacob J. Gerhardt, post commander, announced that the Army would reopen Camp McCoy as a full-time training center for both combat and service soldiers. The camp would be reactivated immediately for training of units smaller than a division. Camp McCoy, the largest of four posts across the country that were reactivated, can accommodate 27,000 troops.

Recruits of the 272nd Field Artillery Battalion edge their way through the obstacle course, emphasizing the infantry phase of training at Camp McCoy, Wis. (Dec. 6, 1950)

Aug. 17     A branch employment office opened in building 2117, the Camp McCoy warehouse area, and accepted applications for "any and all kinds of jobs." Civilian personnel were employed in the camp hospital, ordnance shops, coal yards and laundry. An estimated 600 additional civilian employees were hired.

Sept. 8     The 887th Field Artillery, a Reserve unit from the Green Bay area, was the first contingent of troops to arrive at newly reactivated Camp McCoy.

Oct. 11     Camp McCoy's first selective recruits, assigned to 465th Field Artillery of Minot, N.D., arrived.

Oct. 27     The first firing of heavy weapons on the camp artillery range consummated the reactivation of the military establishment. A token 105-mm piece from each of the 187th Field Artillery's four battalions formed the artillery battery.

During the Infiltration Course, exploding mines and overhead machine-gun fire make combat training realistic for the men of the 887th Field Artillery Battalion. The soldiers crawl for 15 to 20 minutes through 60 to 100 yards of barbed wire while under fire.  (Nov. 20, 1950)

Nov. 6     Maintenance crews have been on the job continuously since the federal government stepped up activity in September. A new chimney went up in the motor repair shop, mess halls were painted and steps repaired. Thousands of troops were training at the camp.

Nov. 9     The "Real McCoy," went back into publication at Camp McCoy. The first edition of the rejuvenated camp newspaper/magazine "hit the streets" Friday,  Nov. 10. The Real McCoy came into existence July 24, 1942, and continued to serve the camp for almost five years with only one break in publication. The last publication of the paper was May 25, 1947.

Nov. 20     The traffic problem along Highway 21 received attention from the Monroe County Board. Maj. Kenneth Thomas, McCoy provost marshal, called the situation very dangerous. He said more automobiles were registered on post than there were people in the city of Sparta. Every day at 4:30 p.m., 2-3,000 vehicles left Camp McCoy for Tomah or Sparta. At 5:30 p.m. another 2,000 left in a procession that continued until 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. another 1,000-1,500 vehicles departed. This process reversed itself in the morning beginning at 7 a.m. when the vehicles returned.

Nov. 26     It was a great time for paraplegic veterans at Camp McCoy when McCoy officers and men joined with veteran groups of the area to be hosts to the disabled men for a deer hunt. The hunt, believed to be the first of its kind anywhere, was a success, with the men promising "repeats" in the future.

 1951 [ back to top ]

Brig. Gen. Frederic Butler talks to a member of the Honor Guard as he arrives at Camp McCoy, Wis., to take command.  In back of Gen. Butler is Col. Peter C. Bullard, retiring commander of the post.  (May 24, 1951)

Feb. 11     Army Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Lawton Collins made a brief inspection of Camp McCoy along with Lt. Gen. S.J. Chamberlin, Commander of the Fifth Army and Maj. Gen. A.C. Smith, Deputy Commander of the Fifth Army. He told reporters that there were no plans to call National Guard divisions or units in for service in the immediate future. Asked about the adaptability of Wisconsin climate for training, Gen. Collins said it was not suited for basic training and would never be used as such.

March 27     Using their 155-mm "Long Toms," personnel of the 847th Field Artillery Battalion established a precedent on McCoy's ranges March 27 when they fired over Highway 21 and both the Milwaukee and Northwestern railroad tracks. Firing continued throughout the day, with interruptions only when guards posted along the railroad tracks radioed the fire direction center to report that trains were approaching. Guards along the highway also stopped motorists and informed them that overhead firing was being conducted.

The riot control squad, all members of the 115th Engineer Construction Battalion, advances on an unruly mob in a wedge formation designed to scatter the group.  Battalion officers and non-commissioned officers at Camp McCoy, Wis., staged the full-dress rehearsal after several hours of instruction on riot control.  (Oct. 5, 1951)

June 5     Cannoneers of the 187th Field Artillery Group opened up with every artillery piece in their possession during a time-on-target firing mission. This was the first instance at McCoy in 1951 that a group-sized unit has fired a time-on-target problem.  As a phase of the Army Field Forces Training Tests being conducted by the 187th, the Group's four battalions spent their time tossing shells at a target which was concealed, even from the artillery observers, by darkness. Assistant plans and training officer Capt. Frederic Hacker said that this "time-on-target" tactic had been used with deadly effect in Korea. 

June 15     Aided by Company "B" of the 645th Engineer Combat Battalion, the 317th Pontoon Bridge Company pushed its 713 foot M-4 Pontoon bridge across the back water of Castle Rock Lake between Necedah and Mauston last week. During the exercise, the two companies put up the bridge under the cover of darkness so the VI Corps Artillery could move across the lake. Actual construction of the bridge took about 14 hours. Ten hours after the bridge was completed, the night-working engineers began dismantling it.

Pfc. Herbert E. Hallstrand of the 793rd Field Artillery, Camp McCoy, checks the controls of his 8-inch self-propelled gun before moving to a firing position on one of Camp McCoy's outlying ranges. (Oct. 8, 1951)

Aug. 21     Three divisions and several non-divisional units representing several thousand troops cleared the post during the weekend. The 84th Airborne Division left on four troop trains and a portion of them went on charter buses. The 102nd Division left on nine troop trains. In addition to the departures, the first of six trains carrying the 103rd Division arrived on Sunday, along with 46 buses from Minnesota and Iowa. The addition of two divisions for training in one summer greatly increased the volume of responsibilities for the transportation office. A total of 100 civilians and 90 military personnel are employed as drivers.

Sept. 14     Nine women joined the Women's Army Corps detachment at Camp McCoy after completing medical school at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

1952 [ back to top ]

Jan. 7     With the unofficial opening of a new non-commissioned officers club, Camp McCoy's NCOs were "sitting pretty." The club's members were able to entertain guests, as well as themselves, in smart style. Remodeled during November and December at a cost of approximately $5,000, the club, located at Building 1546 on 11th Street, had a large dining room, kitchen, dance hall, bar and snack bar.

Soldiers cross ditches on log bridges during training in 1952.

Jan. 16     Anthony P. Gawronski, state director of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) of Wisconsin, announced the approval of 224 housing units on which the FHA granted the relaxation of credit restrictions for immediate construction in Monroe County. The county was designated as a critical housing area. Of the 174 rental units allowed, 75 were allocated to Sparta and 99 to Tomah. Fifty sale units were granted, of which 26 will be located at Sparta and 24 at Tomah. 

Jan. 23     At Camp McCoy's separation and reassignment center, a highly coordinated program reduced the processing period to a maximum of 48 hours. The center was established at McCoy to expedite the return to civilian life of some of the Army's 80,000 enlisted reservists. Since its opening day, several thousand soldiers - coming from Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Europe, Africa and Alaska, as well as other posts in this country - poured through the center for separation or assignments to new units.

Soldiers conduct bridge training at Camp McCoy in 1952.

Jan. 24     Even though Camp McCoy was one of the Army's coldest training sites - valuable for conditioning men to function with their equipment in sub-zero temperatures akin to Korean winters - it was generally not thought of as such. This fact perhaps was overshadowed by Camp McCoy's huge summer training program. Yet, currently here doing specialized unit training, which periodically requires excursions out to McCoy's frigid ranges, were a variety of non-divisional combat, technical and service units including field artillery, transportation, chemical, military police, and combat engineers. The winter of 1950-1951 was more rugged than temperatures indicated. There was a shortage of winter clothing in the Army, and most winter clothing in the United States was shipped to Korea for our fighting forces there. This year, however, everyone engaged in field training received the latest in Army cold-weather equipment.

Jan. 28     Brig. Gen. Frederic B. Butler, Camp McCoy Commander, received a change of assignment from the Department of the Army, which would again take him to the Far East Command. Butler stated he expected to leave Camp McCoy on Feb. 7, spend a month at his home in San Francisco, and then go to Japan. With an outstanding combat record, and known as being an expert in organizing Army training centers, Butler turned Camp McCoy into one of the "top" training centers in the 13-state Fifth Army area.

Winter training on the ranges at Camp McCoy.

March 2     Twenty-six soldiers watched with interest as Camp McCoy's Commander, Col. Harlan R. Statham, snipped the tape which officially opened the post hospital's "model ward," in an informal ceremony recently. The 26 soldiers were post-operative patients who had just been moved into their pleasant new quarters. Many of the soldiers also are veterans of combat in Korea -- and  are veterans of other U.S. Army hospitals.

April 17     This West-Central Wisconsin Army post was almost completely emptied, having gone all-out to aid flood-stricken Council Bluffs, Iowa; and Omaha and Nebraska City, Neb., and to help the residents of nearby La Crosse prepare for a flood crest expected early next week. Unit after unit has left the post since Saturday - some by motor convoy and others flying to the Omaha-Council Bluffs disaster area from the La Crosse airport.

Part of the 114th Engineer Combat Battalion was detailed to do evacuation work in La Crosse, working with National Guard and volunteer workers to remove furniture and other household items from homes in the flooded areas. With two National Guard "ducks" - amphibious trucks - the men took furniture to the La Crosse Armory and to homes of more-fortunate residents of La Crosse away from the flooded areas. Trucks of the 114th will evacuate homes not yet flooded by the end of the week.

May 23     The influx of Camp McCoy families was definitely reflected in the vital statistics for Monroe County received this week by County Clerk Edwin G. Monick. A total of 343 marriages were performed and births numbered 1,063. Sparta High School was awarded $10,712 in federal aid for the 1951-52 school year as compensation for the extra burden it is assuming by the influx of Camp McCoy families.

June 26     An intense storm containing wind, rain and hail visited Monroe County, disrupting electric power and telephone service and blowing over trees. The main force of the storm struck the Camp McCoy military reservation with winds estimated at 60 to 70 miles an hour. At least 200 trees were damaged, blown down and uprooted by both the high winds and lightning. The heaviest building damage was to the Officer's Open Mess, where a portion of the roof was blown off at the height of the storm.

July 11     The Camp McCoy Nursery brought 352 "civies" into the world in its first year. In addition to three Army nurses working in eight-hour shifts, the department was staffed by six civilian attendants and several members of the Women's Army Corps. The two doctors heading the department provided pre-natal care to young mothers throughout their pregnancy.

Aug. 10     The Fifth Army Chemical Defense School at Camp McCoy marked its first anniversary. More than 1,400 men were trained as chemical defense officers and non-commissioned officers. The only one of its type in the 13-state Fifth Army area, the school was established by Department of the Army order on Aug. 6, 1951, to "instruct Army personnel in the detection and course of action in case of biological, chemical, or radiological warfare."

The only Reserve searchlight unit in the U.S. Army, Battery E, 29th Artillery, sights in an 8-million candle-power light during its proficiency tests at Camp McCoy, Wis., where the unit participates in annual summer training.  The citizen-soldiers are members of the 2nd Platoon, from Milan, Ind. (1952)

Sept. 29     Camp McCoy military police were taken off the town patrols in Sparta and Tomah after many months. The provost marshal's office said it did not have the personnel to staff both Camp McCoy and town patrols. Military policemen were on duty nightly in Sparta and Tomah and remained on duty until after midnight.

Oct. 4     A piercing beam of light capable of penetrating almost 20 miles into the night, or illuminating an entire battlefield area, showed Camp McCoy soldiers the combat mission of one of the Army's most unusual units during a night demonstration staged here. The use of the Army's 800-million candlepower searchlight wasn't new to all of the men, however. Many of them had seen "battlefield moonlight" in Korea, where searchlights are proving effective both as tactical and psychological weapons. Two lights of the 88th Engineer Searchlight Company, Fort Bragg, N.C., were used for the demonstration at McCoy.

Nov. 17     The communities surrounding Camp McCoy were reported to be "stunned" by Friday's order that would close the camp except for summer reservist training. Tomah leaders had some definite opinions. I.B. (Red) Bell, who headed the three-city committee that formed to have Camp McCoy designated as a permanent year-round training station, felt the matter had far more than local significance. 

From a military standpoint, it "just doesn't seem practical," Bell stated. "Officers who have seen Korean duty, and have been stationed at other training camps in the United States, have said repeatedly that Camp McCoy offered ideal training conditions for the type of warfare encountered in Korea. The change of season and especially the rugged winters enable men and machines to be conditioned and adapted to the very type of war we are now in."

Nov. 19     The Army no longer needs Camp McCoy because soldiers are no longer being trained in large groups, residents of this area were told. About 125 residents had met here to protest a recent order in which the camp was closed except for summer training of National Guard units. They were read a letter from Maj. Gen. Miles Reiber, liaison officer between the defense department and congress. Reiber said that the Army now was being maintained at a maximum strength and the large-scale training program has ended. McCoy is primarily a training camp, not a garrison for trained troops. The general also said that the camp recently had been operating at 40 percent of capacity, making the cost per man too high.

1953 [ back to top ]

Jan. 5      "Why are you closing the only cold weather camp you have in the United States?" Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin asked Hon. Robert A. Lovett, Secretary of Defense.

A copy of the letter sent to Sec. Lovett by Sen. McCarthy was received by Gage Baldwin of Sparta. "I would very much like to hear from you as to whether or not you intend to establish another camp like McCoy in some other cold-weather area so that the men can get the benefit of that type of training. If so, where is it to be established and what is the reason for changing?" Sen. McCarthy stated that in referring to Camp McCoy as the only cold-weather camp he said he was relying on verbal information from the Department of Defense and assuming that it was correct.

Jan. 13     They're rolling the big guns up on the flatcars, padlocking the barracks and shipping the troops out of Camp McCoy. One of the biggest Army training centers in the country is being put in mothballs after again serving the country in a national emergency. To the surrounding communities - Sparta, Tomah and La Crosse - it was bad news, a low blow in the pocketbook. Since it was reopened in September 1950, shortly after the war in Korea started, the number of troops in the camp has not come close to the 40,000 that were here at one time in World War II. The peak strength reached since the reopening was between 18,000 and 19,000. That was last winter. The number has dwindled to a little more than 1,000 soldiers and an equal number of civilians now. By the end of the month there will only be an estimated 200 military personnel. Only about 200 civilians will be working by late winter. Camp McCoy officials are operating on the assumption that the last military unit will pull out about Jan. 20, leaving only caretaker troops.

Jan. 19     Camp McCoy's replacement and separation center, through whose portals more than 33,000 soldiers have passed in the last 15 months, closed its doors Thursday as the deactivation of this western Wisconsin Army post continued at a rapid pace.

Feb. 4     Employment in the seven-county La Crosse district showed an increase of about 89 percent between November and the end of January, but unemployment had jumped more than 100 per cent, according to the La Crosse office of the Wisconsin State Employment Service. A flurry of winter layoffs in certain industries, return of many seasonal workers from out-of-state government projects and closing of Camp McCoy added to the unemployment rolls.