Friday, September 1, 2023

N.D. National Guard leadership welcomes home the 188th Engineer Co.
N.D. National Guard leadership welcomes home the 188th Engineer Co.

About 100 members of the Wahpeton-based 188th Engineer Company returned home yesterday after a monthlong mission to support operations near the U.S-Mexico border. The Soldiers were a part of Operation Lone Star, a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Military Department.


Friday, August 11, 2023

ADA Soldiers prepare Avenger for annual training   GRAND FORKS, N.D. — A North Dakota Army National Guard unit has received an alert for mobilization. The Grand Forks-based Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion,188th Air Defense Artillery (1-188th ADA) Regiment, will deploy to the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of operations sometime early fall 2023.


Saturday, July 15, 2023

Bismarck, ND. - Three officers with the Fargo Police Department were shot during an on-duty incident on Friday, July 14. Officer Andrew Dotas, who was injured during the incident, and Zach Robinson, who was involved but uninjured, are both master sergeants with the North Dakota Air National Guard’s Fargo-based 119th Wing. Dotas is being treated for his injuries at Sanford Hospital in Fargo and is in critical, but stable, condition. 


Friday, May 26, 2023

Columbarium Groundbreaking Afterwards

MEMORIAL DAYMANDAN, N.D. — The 2023 Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 12 p.m. (Central Time), Monday, May 29, at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, 6.5 miles south of Mandan on North Dakota Highway 1806. This annual event, hosted by the North Dakota National Guard, honors all deceased American servicemen and women and is free and open to the public. The first observance was held in 1993.

The ceremony will be live streamed at NDGuard.ND.gov and on the North Dakota National Guard Facebook page. It will begin with a flyover performed by two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at approximately 12:03 p.m.

Approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Memorial Day observance, a groundbreaking ceremony will be conducted for a planned 2,240 compartment-niche columbarium at the northeast corner of the cemetery. This facility, scheduled for completion October 2023, is funded by grants from the VA’s National Cemetery Administration and the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery Foundation of $1.86 million and $600,000 respectively. More information about the columbarium is available on the program insert.


Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Army Guard CareersBISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion will host their spring Discovery Career Fair, May 17 and May 18, at the Bismarck State College (BSC) Career Academy, Bismarck. Purpose of the fair is to highlight the many career fields offered by the North Dakota Army National Guard to area high school students.

This event will showcase key job skills including air defense artillery, aviation, information technology, engineering, vehicle maintenance, military police, medical, and Civil Support Team.

Media is invited to cover this event. Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Carrigan, 701-425-4844, will be on site to assist media.


Friday, May 5, 2023

Wittrock-Baker-WolfDevils Lake, N.D. — The North Dakota Army National Guard’s Camp Grafton Training Center (CGTC) and 164th Regional Training Institute (RTI) welcomed new commanders today in change of command ceremonies conducted at the Training Center near Devils Lake.

In the first ceremony, Lt. Col. Anna L. Wittrock assumed duties as the commander of CGTC from Col. Philip F. Baker Jr. who has led the unit since April 1, 2022. An hour later, Baker assumed command of the 164th RTI from Col. Russ Wolf, who is scheduled to retire later this month.

The commander of the North Dakota Army National Guard, Brig. Gen. Jon Erickson, presided over both ceremonies. The change of command ceremony is a time-honored military tradition that represents the formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding officer to another. The event is witnessed by members of the unit, as well as other military members, families and friends.


Monday, May 1, 2023

career fairBISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion will host Northern Cass (NC) Military Career Expo Day, May 2, at Northern Cass School, Hunter, N.D. Purpose of the event is to highlight the diverse career fields offered by Army National Guard membership to area high school students.

This event will showcase key job skills including air defense artillery, information technology, engineering, vehicle maintenance, and military police. The event also includes Veterans appreciation and recognition. Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Binstock, N.D. Army National Guard state command sergeant major, will welcome each group of students.


Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Flanagan-Markovic

BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota National Guard’s 81st Civil Support Team (CST) welcomed a new commander today at the National Guard’s headquarters at Fraine Barracks in Bismarck.  

Maj. Shawn A. Markovic assumed duties as commander from Lt. Col. Pat R. Flanagan who has led the CST since January 2020. Col. Paul Helten, commander, 68th Troop Command, presided over the change of command ceremony.

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored military tradition that represents the formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding officer to another. The event is witnessed by members of the unit, as well as other military members, families and friends.


Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Bag FillBISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota National Guard is assisting local flood mitigation efforts by placing one-ton sandbags by helicopter this afternoon near White Earth, North Dakota east of Tioga. At the request of the Mountrail County emergency manager, the Guard diverted one UH-60 Black Hawk from today’s scheduled training at Kimball Bottoms south of Bismarck to assist the local community.

“Expanding our training to two sites is a win-win scenario,” said Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, North Dakota National Guard adjutant general. “In addition to assisting one of our communities, simultaneous missions provides excellent training for our operations personnel commanding and controlling aircraft in multiple locations. We will also gain experience working with community members who fill and stage these large sandbags.”

The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is emplacing one-ton sandbags to block an interior drainage culvert, preventing further inundation of the town of White Earth.


Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Oak Grove School, March 29, 2009, Fargo
Oak Grove School, March 29, 2009, Fargo

BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota National Guard’s Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment will conduct one-ton sandbag training on Wednesday, April 12, and Sunday, April 16, in the vicinity of Kimball Bottoms near the Missouri River, south of Bismarck. This training will include all of the tasks involved in placing one-ton sandbags by Black Hawk helicopters and will occur in the parking area near the boat ramp. These large sandbags are used to block water and slow erosion during emergency flood response operations.

The use of one-ton sandbags in emergency response was last used on May 3, 2022, when Gov. Doug Burgum authorized the N.D. National Guard to assist in stabilization efforts on the Bourbanis Dam at the request of the Pembina County emergency manager. These large sandbags were also used during the Guard’s 2009 flood response and in Minot during 2011 flooding.