Several Fort McCoy members shared their expertise while supporting the Western Technical College Community Panel Breakfast on March 11 at the college’s campus in Tomah, Wis.

Western’s Tomah Campus Coordinator Nikki Purvis invited Fort McCoy members to attend, which included personnel from the Fort McCoy Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office (PAIO); Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, and Fort McCoy Garrison leadership.

According to college officials, the meeting was held to assist Western in developing their next 5-year strategic plan.

Discussion topics included attendee vantage points of how their organizations and communities see challenges, changes, and opportunities in their area, and much more. Also each org representative reviewed what their connection is to the college.

In addition to Purvis, other Western attendees included Western President Roger Stanford, Director of Enrollment Services Deb Hether, and many more community members.

For Fort McCoy participation in the event, it was another example of direct efforts to support the Army community relations program from Fort McCoy with local communities.

Community outreach is an important part of the Army mission. According to the Army, as stated at https://www.army.mil/outreach, “the Army is about more than ensuring our national security at home and abroad, it’s about giving back and getting to know the communities that support us.”

It’s also possibly important for community leaders to hear from the installation that provides a significant economic impact to their communities.

Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for fiscal year (FY) 2023 was an estimated $1.38 billion, Fort McCoy Garrison officials announced in 2024. Information for Fort McCoy’s FY 2024 economic impact have not yet been completed by Fort McCoy PAIO.

Approximately 69 percent of the Fort McCoy workforce also lives within Monroe County, including Sparta. The total FY 2023 workforce payroll for civilian and military personnel was $190.5 million.

FY 2023 operating costs of $346 million included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, as well as salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy. Much of that includes supporting local communities as well, officials said.

Fort McCoy will continue to support community meetings such as these to continue having strong community relations with its neighbors in surrounding communities.

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.”