98th Army Reserve Readiness Training Center marks major milestone with patch ceremony at Fort McCoy

Soldiers and personnel supporting the new 98th Army Reserve Readiness Training Center (98th ARRTC) gathered Aug. 28 at Fort McCoy for a foot march and patch ceremony marking an important milestone in the unit’s establishment and integration at the installation.

The ceremony began at 6:50 a.m. at Grad Hall, Building 1363, on South O Street at Fort McCoy, and brought together 134 personnel, including Soldiers and members of the 98th ARRTC’s satellite organizations who participated virtually through Microsoft Teams.

Capt. Wanda Snipes, the 98th ARRTC S1 officer in charge, said the event was designed to promote unit integration, build unity among the organizations, honor the history represented by the unit’s shoulder sleeve insignia, and mark progress toward the 98th ARRTC standing up at Fort McCoy.

The organizations participating included:

• Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 98th ARRTC

• Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Fort McCoy

• Ordnance Training Center, Fort McCoy

• Ordnance Training Center, Fort Hood, Texas

• Ordnance Training Center, Fort Devens, Ga.

• Engineer Chemical Training Center, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

The ceremony also highlighted the connection between the new training organization and the long history of the 98th Infantry Division, whose heritage is represented by the Iroquois shoulder sleeve insignia.

A legacy dating to World War I

The history of the 98th ARRTC traces back to the 98th Infantry Division, which was constituted July 23, 1918, at Camp McClellan, Ala., during the closing months of World War I. The division was only partially organized before the Armistice and was demobilized later that year.

The 98th Infantry Division was subsequently reconstituted as part of the Organized Reserve on June 24, 1921, with its headquarters and units associated with upstate New York, the history states. The division was activated for World War II in 1942 and trained extensively in the United States before moving to Hawaii in 1944.

During World War II, the 98th Infantry Division was assigned to security duties in Hawaii and prepared for the planned invasion of Japan. Following Japan’s surrender, the division moved to Japan for occupation duty, where it remained until its inactivation in February 1946, the history states. Historical records note that the division did not participate in combat during World War II.

The division was reactivated in the Army Reserve after the war and eventually transitioned from an infantry mission to a training mission. In 1959, the 98th Infantry Division was redesignated as a training division, beginning a long period in which its primary focus became preparing Soldiers through institutional and individual training, history shows.

Further reorganization in 1994 resulted in the designation 98th Division (Institutional Training), expanding its responsibilities to include missions associated with U.S. Army Reserve Forces schools.

The division’s training legacy continued through missions ranging from Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training to the preparation of Army Reserve instructors, drill sergeants, and other training personnel.

The Iroquois patch

The 98th’s distinctive Iroquois identity is reflected in its shoulder sleeve insignia. The patch incorporates the colors associated with the Dutch House of Nassau and an Iroquois figure representing the division’s historical connection to New York and the Iroquois Confederacy. Historical accounts note that the division's heraldry was intentionally tied to its New York heritage.

That heritage was an important part of the Aug. 28 ceremony as Soldiers participating in the 98th ARRTC's establishment received and wore the unit patch.

For the 98th ARRTC, the ceremony represented more than simply adding a new insignia to the uniform. It provided an opportunity for personnel from Fort McCoy and the satellite training centers to come together as one organization while recognizing the history behind the name and patch they now carry.

The establishment of the 98th ARRTC at Fort McCoy also adds another component to the installation's longstanding role as a major Army training center. Fort McCoy has supported large-scale field and classroom training for military personnel for decades and continues to serve as a Total Force training installation.

The Aug. 28 foot march and patch ceremony marked another step in bringing the 98th ARRTC together as an integrated training organization at Fort McCoy, unit officials said, connecting today’s Army Reserve training mission with the proud legacy of the 98th Infantry Division and its Iroquois heritage.

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 athttps://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.”

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