How to Recruit Veterans Near Fort McCoy, Wisconsin

Every summer, thousands of soldiers roll into Fort McCoy for annual training. A week or two later, most of them drive home. They go back to civilian jobs across Wisconsin and beyond.

That is the first thing a local employer needs to know about Fort McCoy. It is a training post. Most soldiers you see there are not leaving the Army. Many are part-time soldiers in the Guard and Reserve. They need a civilian employer who can work with their schedule.

This guide is for hiring managers and recruiters at midsize companies in western Wisconsin. Think La Crosse, Tomah, and Sparta. You will learn who you can hire near Fort McCoy and what roles they fit. You will also learn what the law asks of you and where to meet them. If you want to hire veterans near Fort McCoy, start with the people who are still serving.

Why is Fort McCoy different from other Army posts?

Many big Army posts are home to a full division. Soldiers live there for years. When their contracts end, a steady stream of them leaves the Army right outside the gate. Employers near those posts recruit from that stream.

Fort McCoy works another way. The post says it is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. Its main job is training. In fiscal year 2025, the post says it supported 109,962 personnel in training. That figure comes from Fort McCoy Public Affairs.

Those people come from the active Army, the Army Reserve, the National Guard, and the Air Force. Units arrive, train for days or weeks, and leave. So the post sees a huge flow of soldiers, but most of them go home when training ends.

That changes your plan. You will not find a line of soldiers leaving active duty at the gate. You will find Guard and Reserve members who live in the region and train nearby. You will find veterans who settled in the Coulee Region. And you will find people who already work at the post.

Who can you actually hire near Fort McCoy?

Think in four groups. Each one needs a different approach.

Guard and Reserve members who live here

This is a large group, and an easy one to miss. These soldiers drill part-time and hold civilian jobs the rest of the month. Some live in La Crosse or Monroe County. Many more live across the state and drive in to train.

In May 2026, parts of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team trained there. The 724th Engineer Battalion and the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment trained there too. In July, thousands more Wisconsin Guard soldiers came for annual training.

Veterans who already settled in the area

Some people train at Fort McCoy, leave the service, and move back. Others grew up in the Coulee Region and came home after active duty. These veterans are no longer in uniform. They are your neighbors, and they may be job hunting right now.

People who work at the post

Fort McCoy runs on civilians and contractors. Some are veterans. Some are military spouses. They know the region and they know how a big operation runs. When a contract ends or a position moves, some of them may look outside the gate.

Military spouses

Spouses are not veterans, but they belong in your plan. Fort McCoy and area chambers run a Military Spouse Hiring Initiative. The Tomah chamber helped start it. In July 2026 the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce joined. Pledge employers give qualified spouse applications priority review. Hiring decisions stay with the employer. Our guide to recruiting through military spouse networks covers that channel in depth.

What jobs do these veterans and reservists fill?

Look at who trains at Fort McCoy and you can see the skills. Take Fort McCoy's June 2026 training report as an example. It named engineer, artillery, and aviation support units. It also named quartermaster, civil affairs, and security forces units. It also named training sites for vehicle maintenance and for medical readiness.

Here is how those skills line up with roles a midsize Wisconsin employer often needs.

Rank matters less than scope. An engineer staff sergeant may have run a full crew and a set of heavy equipment. Ask how many people they led and what they were responsible for. That tells you their level faster than the rank does.

A reservist also brings two careers to your team. Many hold a civilian trade and a military one. A Guard medic might work as a warehouse lead during the week. Read both halves of the resume before you decide where they fit.

Is Fort McCoy competing with you for the same workers?

Yes. In April 2026, Fort McCoy staff led an employment panel for workforce partners at Western Technical College. A post leader called Fort McCoy a major employer in western Wisconsin. It hires federal civilians and nonappropriated fund (NAF) staff. Outside companies also hire contract workers there. A post hiring rep said applicants do not need prior military service.

So the post draws from your labor pool too. It pulls veterans, spouses, and local workers who want a federal job close to home.

You can still win. Federal hiring can have more steps, and the panel spent time on hiring timelines and freezes. A midsize employer can often move faster. Compete on these four things:

• Speed: Call the same week they apply. Make the offer while the federal job is still in review.
• A clear schedule: Put your drill-weekend policy in writing so a reservist knows what to expect.
• A next step: Show the path from crew member to lead to supervisor.
• Paid training: Cover a license or certification the job needs.

Some of your best hires may be people who applied to both. Treat the post as a neighbor and a rival at the same time.

What does hiring a Guard or Reserve member ask of you?

This is where some employers get nervous. Most of it is simpler than they fear. The federal law is the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA. A recruiter should know these basics.

You cannot turn someone down for serving

Under 38 U.S.C. 4311, an employer may not deny initial employment because of military service. That includes Guard or Reserve membership and the duty to serve. That covers job applicants as well as current staff. So "we need weekends and you drill" is not a safe reason to pass on someone.

They give notice, and they come back

Under 38 U.S.C. 4312, the service member gives the employer advance written or verbal notice of service. No notice is needed if military necessity prevents it or it is otherwise impossible or unreasonable. When the service ends, they have reemployment rights. How fast they must report back depends on how long they were gone.

Drills do not count toward the five-year limit

The law caps the total time away from one employer at five years. But the same section leaves out several kinds of service. Regular drills and annual training are among them. So drill time alone will not use up that limit.

Plan for the schedule

Guard and Reserve soldiers in a unit usually train on set weekends. They also do annual training that often runs about two weeks. Some months ask for more time than that. Ask each new hire for their drill dates early, and build your shift plan around them.

Near Fort McCoy, summer is the crunch. Fort McCoy officials expected thousands of Wisconsin Guard soldiers for annual training in July 2026. If you hire several Guard members, they may all be gone at the same time. Cross-train now so the work does not stop.

For the full legal side, read our guide on USERRA obligations for Guard and Reserve employees. For shift planning, see how to schedule around drill weekends.

Where do you meet these candidates near Fort McCoy?

You will not find most of them on a job board. Go where they already are.

Wisconsin ESGR and the Boss Lift

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, or ESGR, is a Department of Defense program. It helps employers and service members understand their rights under USERRA. On July 22, 2026, Wisconsin ESGR flew more than 30 employers to Fort McCoy on Guard Black Hawks. That event is called a Boss Lift. Ask Wisconsin ESGR how to get on the list for the next one.

ESGR also offers a Statement of Support that employers can sign. It tells your Guard and Reserve staff where you stand. Want a steady hiring channel? Read our guide on partnering with Reserve and Guard units.

Job Center veteran reps

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development has staff called Local Veterans Employment Representatives, or LVERs. Their job is outreach to employers. They plan job fairs and connect businesses with veteran job seekers. Call the job center that covers La Crosse or Monroe County and ask for the LVER. Our guide to working with state veteran employment offices explains what to send them.

Local colleges

Western Technical College has a campus in Sparta, close to the post. Fort McCoy held an April 2026 employment panel there with regional workforce partners. UW-La Crosse runs a Veteran and Military Connection office for student veterans. Both are good places to post jobs and meet students who use GI Bill benefits.

Chambers and the VA

Fort McCoy leaders give updates at Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce meetings. Show up. You will meet the people who run the post's community ties. The Tomah VA Health Care System runs a medical center in Tomah. It also runs clinics in La Crosse, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, and Clark County. It hires health care workers too, so it may compete with you for them.

How do you write a job post a part-time soldier will answer?

A Guard member reads your job post with one question in mind. Will this job let me keep serving? If the post does not answer it, they may skip you.

Put the answer near the top. Here is a short example a Tomah trucking company could adapt:

• Title: Fleet Maintenance Technician, Day Shift.
• Location: Tomah, near Fort McCoy.
• Drill policy: We schedule around drill weekends and annual training. Give us your dates and we plan for them.
• Experience: Military vehicle or equipment maintenance counts. No civilian license needed to apply.
• Growth: Lead tech role open to strong performers within the first year.

Notice what that post does. It names the drill schedule in plain words. It says military maintenance work counts. And it shows a next step. Each line answers a question a reservist would otherwise have to ask.

Then read the resumes with care. A resume full of acronyms can still describe exactly the work you need. Look for scope. How many people did they lead? What equipment did they keep running? What was the cost of a mistake? Those answers tell you more than a job title.

How does BMR help you reach veterans near Fort McCoy?

Local channels take time. A Boss Lift happens once a year. A job fair happens a few times a year. You may need a mechanic this month.

That is where Best Military Resume fits. BMR is a resume platform for the military community. Veterans, Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses use it to turn their service into a civilian resume. They have built 75,916 resumes on BMR so far. Members who are open to employer search come with a resume a hiring team can read and compare.

Tell us the roles you need to fill and where the work is. We look for people in our pool whose experience lines up. You can start on our employer hiring page.

A pool also reaches people the local channels miss. A Guard member who trains at Fort McCoy might live two hours away and want to move closer. A soldier on active duty in another state might want to come home to La Crosse. A search can find them, even if they have not applied to you.

Other Midwest employers run the same play. Our Rock Island and Quad Cities guide covers hiring near an Army arsenal on the Mississippi.

What to do next

You do not need a big veteran program to start. You need a few steps, done in order.

1. Write your drill policy: One paragraph on how you handle drill weekends and annual training. Put it in every job post.
2. Call your LVER: Reach the Job Center veteran rep for your county. Give them two or three real openings with pay and shift.
3. Contact Wisconsin ESGR: Ask about the next Boss Lift and the Statement of Support.
4. Show up locally: Attend a Sparta or Tomah chamber meeting. Ask Western Technical College how to post jobs for student veterans.
5. Plan for July: Cross-train so the summer training season does not leave you short.
6. Search a ready pool: Tell BMR what you are hiring for and reach candidates now.

The soldiers who train at Fort McCoy need civilian employers who make room for their service. Be that employer, and say so out loud. Ready to talk about your open roles? Reach out to BMR and tell us who you need.