Courtesy Photo | A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the North Dakota National Guard's Company C, 2nd...... read more read more
BISMARCK, N.D. — As 2015 ends, the North Dakota National Guard revisits the service and accomplishments of Guard members from across the state. In a year that concluded with the beginning of a new adjutant general’s tenure, North Dakota Soldiers and Airmen remained involved in missions and training both at home and around the world in 2015.
“Airmen and Soldiers of the N.D. National Guard met opportunities and challenges head on in 2015,” said Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, N.D. adjutant general. “We’re extremely proud of the accomplishments of our citizen-Soldiers, citizen-Airmen and agency civilian employees. We are also thankful for the continuing support of our families and civilian employers that enable our members to be always ready, always there when needed to support our communities, state and nation.”
Here’s a look back at some of the key events, missions and moments of 2015 for the North Dakota National Guard:
New Leadership
A change of command ceremony, which took place earlier this month, formally introduced newly-promoted Maj. Gen. Alan 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 serves 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,
Mobilizations, Stateside and Abroad
Airmen and Soldiers continued to serve on overseas deployments and stateside missions in 2015.
In January 2015, a group of about 35 aviation Soldiers from the North Dakota Army National Guard mustered on the southwest border in Texas to support the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ongoing operations there. The Soldiers served as members of a headquarters element, providing command and control for an aviation task force comprised of Army Guardsmen from nine additional states. The task force’s mission is to provide around-the-clock flight surveillance capabilities in support of border patrol agents on the ground.
While a number of North Dakota Army National Guard aviators were flying LUH-72 Lakota helicopters on the southwest border, other Soldiers launched UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to support contingencies at home. In April 2015, Guard aviators equipped with 600-gallon water buckets provided support to emergency responders battling a wildfire south of Bismarck, near the residential area of Briardale.
In July 2015, about 15 Soldiers from the Valley City-based 231st Brigade Support Battalion returned home from a nearly yearlong deployment overseas. The Soldiers were organized into a specialized Logistical Support Element and provided logistical support to units in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, where they managed supply, maintenance, transportation, and cargo movement activities.
Also in July, a small group of Airmen assigned to the Minot-based 219th Security Forces Squadron left for a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia, where they are supporting CENTCOM operations. About 15 Airmen — proficient in implementing critical protection measures for military personnel and other important assets — volunteered for the base defense and security operations mission. The Guardsmen will draw on the experience and training provided by their home unit, which made history by becoming the first National Guard unit to team up with an active-duty Air Force unit to provide security for one of the nation’s three missile fields.
Today, as they’ve done 24/7 throughout all of 2015, Airmen from the 119th Wing stationed stateside remain engaged in the Global War on Terror as they support remote piloted aircraft overseas.
Achievements and Awards
The Guard recorded a number of accomplishments in 2015. Throughout the year, many units and individuals were thanked for their overseas service, and more were recognized for excellence in 2015.
In March of 2015, Master Sgt. Daniel Anderson, of Audubon, Minnesota, received the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Goddard Medal for his exemplary work in electrical power production career field. Anderson, a member of the 119th Wing’s Fargo-based 119th Civil Engineer Squadron, was presented the award during the North Dakota Air National Guard’s annual Outstanding Airmen of the Year banquet at the Courtyard by Marriot in Moorhead, Minnesota.
At the Outstanding Airmen of the Year banquet, the 119th Wing, also known as the “Happy Hooligans,” recognized the “best of the best.” Fifteen Airmen were nominated for the award based on their military and civic service during 2014, with only three winners walking away with titles: Senior Airman Luke Knutson was named Outstanding Airman of the Year, Staff Sgt. Kellynn Fosse was named Noncommissioned Officer of the year; Master Sgt. Luke Gardiner was named Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the year and Capt. Gregory Goodman was named Company Grade Officer of the Year. Maj. Jackie Nord and was named Field Grade Officer of the Year. Goodman works full-time as the vice commander of the Minot-based 219th Security Forces Squadron. He also serves as the commander of the Fargo-based 119th Security Forces Squadron in his traditional Guard duty status Nord is the chief of dental services for the 119th Wing in Fargo.
For the North Dakota Army National Guard, Maj. Daniel Murphy, of Bismarck, was named as Field Grade Officer of the Year and Capt. Jay Sheldon, also of Bismarck, was named Company Grade Officer of the Year. Murphy serves full-time as the executive officer for the North Dakota Army Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. As a traditional Guardsman, he is assigned as the operations officer for the 164th Regiment Regional Training Institute at the Devils Lake-based Camp Grafton Training Center. In his traditional National Guard role, Sheldon serves as the commander for the Fargo-based 191st Military Police Company and works full-time for the North Dakota National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters as the senior intelligence officer.
Later in the month of March, and about a month prior to celebrating its tenth year as a full-time emergency response unit for the state of North Dakota, the 81st Civil Support Team (81st CST) was awarded the North Dakota National Guard’s State Outstanding Unit Citation. This award recognizes individual units and its assigned military personnel for their contributions towards the improvement of combat readiness and unit preparedness.
Families were also recognized in March, for their generosity, support and devotion to fellow Guardsmen during a National Guard Officer and Enlisted Association of North Dakota awards banquet at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck. At the same event, select Guardsmen, were honored for extraordinary achievements.
In May 2015, the N.D. National Guard hosted embassy and senior military personnel from the Republic of Benin and Togolese Republic as part of an engagement for the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP). The engagement was the first major activity with representatives from these partner nations to take place in North Dakota.
Through the SPP, the N.D. National Guard paired with Ghana in 2004 and with Benin and Togo in February 2014. The recent agreements elevated North Dakota as the first state with multiple partnerships in western Africa in what has become known as the SPP’s regionalization concept.
In July of 2015, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited members of the 119th Wing at the Air National Guard base in Fargo. Later in the year, the Happy Hooligans would receive their 17th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (AFOUA). The AFOUA is awarded by the secretary of the Air Force to numbered units that demonstrated exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement that clearly sets the unit above and apart from similar units. The award recognizes units across the active-duty Air Force, U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard that have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement, including successful involvement with combat operations or exposure to hostile actions by an opposing foreign force.
Three North Dakota National Guard officers were promoted to brigadier general this past year. Giselle “Gigi” Wilz, an Army Guard officer, was promoted in May. She is now serving as the commander and senior military representative of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters in Bosnia. In September, Robert Fode, the Army Component commander for the North Dakota National Guard pinned on his general officer star while Robert Becklund, Chief of Staff for Air, North Dakota National Guard, was promoted earlier this month.
Going Forward
Heading into 2016, the vision of the North Dakota National Guard remains being a “dynamic, relevant force where everyone is a trained, mentored and empowered leader.” The N.D. Guard’s goals are designed to set the organization on a path to achieve that vision.
The N.D. National Guard’s goals include the following:
1) Trained and ready units and leaders
We must prepare our Soldiers, Airmen and units to meet the challenges of the future, while at the same time remaining “always ready, always there” to support federal and state missions on short notice. Personnel and training readiness will be the key to our success. We also will ensure we provide all Soldiers and Airmen with the core skills and leadership competencies that are required to successfully meet the challenges of the future.
2) Build a competitive force positioned for emerging missions
To meet the challenges of tomorrow, we must continually examine and plan how to maintain our force structure, stationing, facilities and end strength, and how we will support federal and state mission requirements. We must meet this challenge to ensure our relevancy in the future.
3) Strengthen the National Guard community
The demands placed upon the National Guard have changed over the past decade, and it is essential that we manage those demands in order to accomplish our missions while preserving the values of family and community. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s wellbeing is critical to our success. We will foster resilient and healthy Soldiers, Airmen, families and civilian employees by embracing a culture of total fitness.
4) Forge and maintain partnerships
For more than 130 years, the N.D. National Guard has supported and partnered with local, state and federal entities. Interagency cooperation is one of the National Guard’s core strengths. We will continue our success by ensuring we build and maintain these important and enduring relationships.
5) Act as effective stewards of our resources
Our values guide us to be good stewards of the resources the American people give us to accomplish our mission. In order to sustain our commitment, we will implement a holistic resource management system to optimize the use of all resources and make resource-informed decisions. As effective stewards of resources, we also will implement innovative, cost-effective approaches to reduce pollution, reverse environmental damage and embrace energy conservation.
Men and women from throughout North Dakota — family, friends, neighbors and coworkers — serve proudly in their military uniforms. These Soldiers and Airmen, with the support of their families and employers, are committed to maintaining the level of readiness and professionalism our state and nation have now come to expect.
They train hard with the fight in mind, they build relationships knowing the importance of strong, devoted partners, and — in these seemingly constant times of uncertainty — they are standing by, waiting for the call. Take comfort in knowing that the North Dakota National Guard will be “always ready, always there.”
| Date Taken: | 12.31.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2015 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 185537 |
| Location: | BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Dynamic, Relevant North Dakota National Guard reflects on 2015, by William Prokopyk, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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