Photo By Chief Warrant Officer Kiel Skager | Command Chief Master Sgt. James Gibson, senior enlisted leader for the North Dakota...... read more read more
BISMARCK, N.D. — A change of command ceremony today at the Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck formally introduced newly-promoted Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann as the state’s 21st adjutant general. He assumed command from Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, outgoing adjutant general, who retired after leading the North Dakota National Guard’s nearly 4,100 Soldiers and Airmen during critical missions, including federal mobilizations and state emergencies, since August 2006.
“Maj. Gen. Dohrmann’s impressive resume of leadership, strategic planning and policy development will serve him well as North Dakota’s next adjutant general and will provide a strong foundation for leading our National Guard and Department of Emergency Services into a new era of service to our state and nation,” said Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who presided over the change of command ceremony. “Maj. Gen. Sprynczynatyk has done an outstanding job for our state and his vision and leadership will have a lasting impact on future generations. We thank him for his many years of faithful service and wish him well in his retirement.”
In addition to commanding the North Dakota National Guard, Dohrmann also will serve as the director of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, which is comprised of the Division of Homeland Security and the Division of State Radio Communications. Prior to the change of command ceremony, he was promoted to the rank of major general by U.S. Army Gen. Frank Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau, who administered the oath of office.
Grass’s visit coincided with the observance of the National Guard’s 379th birthday. According to the National Guard Bureau, the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts on this date in 1636. This year’s National Guard birthday theme is “Proven in Battle. Trusted at Home,” an adage that reinforces the organization’s unique dual mission: to provide professional, reliable homeland response and serve the U.S. during operations overseas. As adjutant general, Dohrmann will be responsible for commanding North Dakota’s Soldiers and Airmen to carry out those missions.
“Maj. Gen. Dohrmann and I have worked together since the early 1990s, and I know he is highly qualified and has the training and experience needed to be successful as our adjutant general,” Sprynczynatyk said during the change of command ceremony. “I know he will continue to ensure the North Dakota National Guard remains a well-trained and ready operational force that serves the people of our state and nation.”
Dohrmann’s military service began in 1983 when he accepted his officer commission upon graduating from Minnesota State University’s Reserve Officers Training Program in Mankato, Minnesota. He served within the ranks of the active-duty Army, first as an infantry officer with the 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment in Gelnhausen, Germany and, later, as the communications officer for the 1st Special Forces Group on the island of Okinawa in Japan.
In 1991, Dohrmann joined the North Dakota Army National Guard, and transferred to the engineer branch serving as the assistant operations officer for the former 141st Engineer Combat Battalion in Valley City, North Dakota. Dohrmann has served in a number of roles within the North Dakota National Guard, including operations officer for the 164th Regiment Regional Training Institute, executive officer for the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, staff judge advocate, personnel officer and chief of staff for the Joint Force Headquarters and land component commander for the North Dakota Army National Guard. He was appointed deputy adjutant general in 2007, a role in which he has been second in command of the North Dakota National Guard.
In 2009, Dohrmann deployed overseas as part of Kosovo Forces 12, serving as the commanding general of Multinational Task Force – East. In Kosovo, he oversaw more than 2,000 military members from the United States, as well as seven other counties. Upon his return in 2010, he resumed duties as deputy adjutant general.
A graduate from Minnesota State University, Dohrmann holds a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement. He also is a graduate of the University of North Dakota’s School of Law in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2002. Dohrmann resides in Bismarck with his wife, Becky and four children.
“Thank you, Gov. Dalrymple, for putting your trust in me. I promise to work hard every day to carry on our organization’s proud tradition of service to our state and nation,” Dohrmann said. “Maj. Gen. Sprynczynatyk, thank you for your leadership, for being a mentor and for your service over the last four decades. We have a great team here in the North Dakota National Guard, and it’s an honor to lead and continue to work with our outstanding Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees.”
After North Dakota’s new adjutant general was welcomed, audience members bid farewell to Sprynczynatyk during a retirement ceremony and paid tribute to his more than 43 years of service to the National Guard. During the ceremony, Grass presented Sprynczynatyk with the Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of military contributions.
Sprynczynatyk’s military career began in 1972 when he enlisted as a photographer with the 116th Public Information Detachment of the North Dakota Army National Guard. In 1978, he received a direct commission to the rank of first lieutenant and served as the civil engineer, operations officer and company commander for the 164th Engineer Group. He later was assigned as the executive officer and operations officer for the 231st Engineer Battalion in Valley City.
Sprynczynatyk also served in the Headquarters, State Area Command, in a number of roles, including positions as North Dakota’s Officer Candidate School commandant, operations officer, plans and operations officer, director of plans, operations and training and deputy commander. He also commanded the Bismarck-based 68th Troop Command before assuming duties as the North Dakota National Guard’s assistant adjutant general for Army in June 2000. Prior to being appointed adjutant general in 2006, Sprynczynatyk served as the director of logistics for the National Guard Bureau from 2003 to 2006.
A graduate of North Dakota State University, Sprynczynatyk earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1972. He began serving North Dakota that year with the State Water Commission, ultimately becoming the state engineer in 1989. In January 2001, former Gov. John Hoeven appointed Sprynczynatyk as the director of the North Dakota Department of Transportation, a position he held until being appointed adjutant general.
“As adjutant general, I have been honored and privileged to work with thousands of outstanding Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees, including the Department of Emergency Services and State Radio,” Sprynczynatyk said. “Whether the work was a war fight, coordinating communications or responding to natural disasters, the safety and security of our citizens was always my priority. I will always be grateful for the support of every one of my colleagues and the support of our great citizens of North Dakota.”
Sprynczynatyk’s duration as adjutant general was marked by frequent mobilizations for North Dakota units. As commander, Sprynczynatyk oversaw the deployments of nearly 3,300 Soldiers and Airmen in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle, as well as federal stateside missions to the National Capitol Region and the southwest border.
Under Sprynczynatyk’s leadership, the North Dakota National Guard also provided support to the state’s citizens during more than 40 domestic emergencies. Those operations included flood response, fighting fires, search and rescue, winter emergency support and tornado response. More than 7,600 Soldiers and Airmen were placed on state active duty to support these missions during Sprynczynatyk’s time as adjutant general.
For North Dakotans, two prominent National Guard state emergency missions occurred during 2009 and 2011 when Soldiers and Airmen responded to statewide flood events. The 2009 flood primarily was focused in the Red River Valley area in the eastern part of the state. During this event, Sprynczynatyk provided direction and resources to protect lives and property from rising flood waters. North Dakota National Guard members helped fill about 4.5 million sandbags, emplaced nearly 600 one-ton sandbags using Black Hawk helicopters, supported evacuation efforts and emplaced six miles of HESCO flood barriers and three miles of earthen dikes, while patrolling more than 11,000 miles on the Red River’s levee systems.
In 2011, Sprynczynatyk and members of the National Guard again brought their flood-fighting expertise when 22 communities across the state recorded record river crests, including the Red, Missouri and Souris Rivers. Sprynczynatyk once again provided guidance to North Dakota National Guard leaders fighting the flood and state emergency managers. He helped to develop lasting relationships between the North Dakota National Guard and community leaders during the emergency response. More than 3,000 individual Guard members served a record 142 duty days on state active duty to battle the floods and assist with recovery efforts.
Sprynczynatyk also contributed to the development of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP) while serving as adjutant general. Under his leadership, the North Dakota National Guard has cemented a successful 11-year partnership with the Republic of Ghana. In 2014, North Dakota broadened its participation within the SPP by adding the Republics of Togo and Benin as partners. The collaborations foster and establish long-term relationships between North Dakota’s military and state agencies and their SPP counterparts in Africa. Sprynczynatyk additionally supported the SPP by serving
as chair of the General Officer Advisory Council for Security Cooperation Activities, which reports to Grass at National Guard Bureau.
Sprynczynatyk and his wife, Connie, who serves as North Dakota’s civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, have two children, Thomas (Rebecca) Sprynczynatyk and Cathryn (Jason) Sprynczynatyk Anderson, and two grandsons.
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2015 19:30 |
| Story ID: | 184388 |
| Location: | BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 378 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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