World War II-Era Exchange Associate Receives Fort McCoy Cheer-Up

Thirty-seven years after retiring from Fort McCoy, Lola Morrison of Sparta, Wis., received a special cheering up from the Exchange and Fort McCoy personnel in August.

The 107-year-old Morrison began working at then-Camp McCoy in 1942 in food service with the Exchange.

At that time, the installation was in a construction boom, and troops were busy training for their roles in World War II. Morrison worked at the installation in that capacity for 41 years, retiring at the age of 70 in 1983.

In late July, Morrison’s relative, Jo Morstatter, said Lola was looking for a “cheering up” because the COVID-19 pandemic has kept visitors to a minimum all year. It also seemed Morrison’s health was diminishing, and Morstatter knew how much Lola loved Fort McCoy and serving there.

Lola Morrison of Sparta, Wis., shown here Aug. 27, 2020, received a special cheering up from the Exchange and Fort McCoy personnel. The 107-year-old Morrison began working at then-Camp McCoy in 1942 in food service with the Exchange. (Photo courtesy of Jo Morstatter)

After a call to the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office, and a further spreading of the word to Fort McCoy Exchange and post workforce members, Morrison soon received letters and post cards from all over.

Morrison received them from not just the Fort McCoy Exchange but from other stores as well as Exchange leaders in Texas. Installation workforce members also sent a package and numerous post cards.

“The response from Fort McCoy was terrific and cheered her so much,” Morstatter said. “The special package you had made up for her plus the Fort McCoy postcards and the other cards were so much appreciated that this was her response to her niece Bonnie Hall — ‘I feel so much better,’” Morstatter said in an email to the installation. “Your help and response was deeply appreciated and so greatly appreciated by Lola. Thank you all. Thank you all for your service.”

Fort McCoy Exchange personnel reached out also in 2016, presenting Morrison with an Exceeding Excellence Award certificate and a military coin from the Exchange.

During her time on post, Morrison saw the construction of the cantonment area, where more than 1,500 buildings went up in just a few years.

She saw tens of thousands of troops complete transient training for World War II, the Korean War, Cold War and the Vietnam War, and she helped feed all those troops. She also was working on the post when it was renamed from Camp McCoy to Fort McCoy in September 1974.

In the June 30, 2016, edition of the Monroe County Herald, writer Vicki Horstman featured Morrison, who was born in 1913 in Viroqua, in a story for her 103rd birthday and also discussed her time at Fort McCoy.

“I fed 480 cadets two times a day with only one helper,” said Morrison in the story.

Morrison also had a couple of mentions in The Real McCoy newspaper in the 1940s.

The Aug. 14, 1943, issue, under the “P. Extras” column, stated that she and two other workers “hung up their aprons and caps from Cafeteria No. 1 and marched off on their vacations.”