Minot Air Force Base 60th Year

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

A number of The Minot Daily News readers who were active-duty military members or civilian employ-ees at Minot Air Force Base have submitted stories about the base in recognition of the 60th anniversaryof the groundbreaking for the base. The groundbreaking took place on July 12, 1955. The publicationincludes a number of guest columnists who have provided insight into the present and future of the base.

In the earliest of days

Submitted photoConstruction is under way at Minot Air Force Base in this photo from 1956.

60 yearsJuly 9, 2015

BY ELOISE OGDENRegional Editor

[email protected] AIR FORCE

BASE — When Minot AirForce Base’s newspaperwrote a story about OwenBrenden for his retirementafter 29 years of service in1987, the writer saidBrenden “is as much a partof Minot AFB’s history asthe ICBM or the B-52.”Brenden, who continues

to make his home in Minot,began working at MinotAFB in 1958, only a year orso after the base was activat-ed. He was the second AirForce civilian engineerassigned to the base.Maurice Isaacson, whohired Brenden, was the firstcivilian engineer.Originally from

Bottineau County, Brendenbecame the base’s chief

engineer in 1962 and heldthat position until his retire-ment in 1987. Prior, heserved in the Air Force from1950-54, then went to NorthDakota State University,Fargo, on the GI bill, gradu-ating with a degree inmechanical engineering.“I wanted to stay around

home and it was a timewhen engineers were indemand,” he said. He gotthree offers for jobs andchose Minot AFB because itwas close to home and alsobecause of the benefits, hesaid.When he began work at

the air base he said it didn’thave a lot of facilities yet.“The control tower wasthere and base operations.They were working on therunway. There were a fewbuildings. The CivilEngineer buildingwas there,of course, and the fire sta-tion (near base operations).”

He said there wasn’t anyhousing yet.“It wasn’t quiet though. It

was busy with construc-tion,” Brenden said. He saidextensive constructionactivity would continue forthose next years. “We built2,461 houses. Actually, webuilt 2,462 but one of themburned down. He said 300of the houses were relocata-bles.When he was first there,

he said a Division (810thStrategic AerospaceDivision) was over MinotAFB with Brig. Gen. JohnMcPherson in charge.Brenden remembers

when he was being hired foran engineer job he had to seeMaj. Joe Roberts. “That wasone of the things I had to godo was interview with himbefore Maurice could hireme,” Brenden said. Roberts

Eloise Ogden/MDNOwen Brenden, of Minot, was an engineer with the civil engineer unit atMinot Air Force Base for 29 years, arriving in 1987. He was the second AirForce civilian engineer assigned to the base.

Owen Brenden: Rememberingthe early days of Minot AFB

See EARLY — Page 28

By JUDY SPITZERMinot

I have delightful memo-ries of teaching vocal musicat North Plains Elementary.It was my first year of teach-ing elementary music andthe kidswerewonderful. OnNov. 22, 1963, I was in aroom above the stairs off thegym (perhaps a temporaryclassroom). Patricia Holmenwas the classroom teacher ofa 3rd grade class when prin-cipal Will Laabs made theannouncement over theintercom of JFK’s death. Itechoed loudly in the gym. Aperson never forgets thatdate.

Another North Plainsmemory was a fire drill withsome code word that meant(for the teacher’s benefit) ...“This is for real!!” ...Construction of a new wingwas under way and theydug into a gas line and werefearful of an explosion! Onlya few (maybe custodians)went in to get purses and carkeys. The students weresent home. Scary.

Jerry and I were marriedthe Wednesday beforeThanksgiving in 1964. Aswe were recently lookingthrough memorabilia wefound the “CarminaBurana” program from theweekend prior to our wed-ding. Jerry was playingstring bass in the symphony(Dr. Ira Schwarz, Director)and I was directing the chil-dren’s chorus. Their part

was in Latin. The studentswere from North Plains onMAFB (Will Laabs,

Principal) and at LincolnElementary (Ella Johnson,Principal).

Jerry and I both taughtmusic in the two schools ondifferent days. The kidspracticed during noon“hour” (I actually think wedid have close to an hour assome kids went home forlunch.) We rehearsed in thegym or kitchen. The per-formance was an excitingevent for the young stu-dents to sing with theMinotHigh Chorus (HardyLieberg, Director) and theMinot State vocal groups.

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

Delightful memories of teaching music at North Plains

Submitted artThis is a list including students from North Plains Elementary at Minot AirForce Base and Lincoln Elementary in Minot who took part in “CarminaBurana” Nov. 22, 1964, at Minot State University.

Submitted photoJudy and Jerry Spitzer

60 yearsJuly 9, 2015

Started as Minot AFBmissile engineer in ’67By MATTHEW M. KLEIN

MinotI started employment at

Minot AFB as a missile engi-neer in July 1967 designing,managing,inspectingconstructionprojects atthe missilesites. Mr.Owen J.B r e n d e nwas thechief of theEngineering Branch, Mr.Lyle A. Dagner was the chiefof Missile Engineering, andMr. Maurice G. Isaacson wasthe deputy base civil engi-neer. The base civil engineerwas officially a full colonelmanaging about 750 militaryand civilian personnel.Major construction/reno-

vation/repair work was con-stantly under way support-

ing the missile wing with150 Minuteman I missiles,the bomb wing with asquadron of B-52 bombers,and KC-135 tanker aircraft.The 5th Fighter Squadronwith F-106 aircraft, the heli-copter squadron, the basehousing complex, trailercourt, numerous supportfacilities, including theSouth Radar Base andFortuna facilities.Shortly thereafter Boeing

started a major program toupgrade the Minuteman I tothe multi-warheadMinuteman III. Missile engi-neering was involved as partof the inspection/acceptanceprocess.In 1978 I accepted a job

with the U.S. Army inStuttgart, Germany, as a staffengineer at 7th CorpsHdqtrs, returning to MinotAFB in 1981 and thenaccepting the job of base

deputy civil engineer.During the Reagan years a

major military buildup tookplace andmajor constructiontookplace atMinotAFBwiththe U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers managing all mili-tary construction. I acceptedthe position of Corps resi-dent engineer and about$420 million worth of proj-ects were constructed,including the new hospital,air-launched cruise missilefacilities, F-15 fighter conver-sion facilities, dorm renova-tions, a B-52 hangar, helicop-ter hangar, missile storagefacilities in theweapons stor-age area, etc. The Corps ofEngineers staff had grownfrom two people, John Sinnand Tony Frank, to about 26people during that time.In August 1989 I chose to

retire from any civil servicecareer as work slowed downat the base.

Klein

A tribute to Dr. Gale TeskeBy ANN PHIPPSJOANNE AUSTIN

VICKIE PIOTROWSKINorth Plains teachers,

all of MinotThe Magic City Gate wel-

comes all with “ONLY THEBEST COME NORTH”w h i c hreflects Dr.Gale Teske,principal for21 years(1973-1994)at NorthP l a i n sElementary,Minot AirForce Base. He was an excel-lent leader; kind, caring andalways putting kids first. Hevalued people and their con-tributions and left this worlda better place.

In his retirement letter(due tohealth) toNorthPlainsparents he wrote, “I havetruly enjoyed working withyou and your children. Eachchild has been special in hisorherownwayandhasmademe feel so lucky tobeapart oftheir lives. Your childrenhave enriched my lifeimmensely and I hope I havetouched theirs. Thankyou forall your support in helping tomake your children’s educa-tion so important and forma-tive years successful. I hopeyou will continue to do sobecause your children aretomorrow’s future; buttoday’s most precious jewel.”

During his years at NorthPlains Elementary, he devel-oped a phenomenal volun-teer program for Moms andDads. He stated that if par-

ents were involved in theirchild’s education, they natu-rally were better parents.Many, many volunteersenhanced the education ofthe students.The North Plains staff

thought of Dr. Teske as a top-rated principal. He wasalways available, believed inhis staff and cared for every-one.One didn’twork for him,but worked with him. Hereminded his teachers, “Youare here to teach. I’ll handlethe problems so you canteach children.” To his staffthat was a reassuring blessingfromDr. Teske!Staff members, along with

many students at NorthPlains, have positive memo-ries of those 21 years — aneducational tribute and a bigThank You to Dr. Teske.

Teske

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

By AIRMAN 2nd CLASSTHOMAS B.

MacCLENNANPOL Section 862nd

Supply Sq.(aircraft refueling)

Minot

On the nite of Oct. 16th,1962, I was dispatching forthe Fuels Section. At 8:12p.m. the phone rang. Ianswered it, it was head-quarters SAC Offutt AFB inOmaha, Neb. A major noti-fied me through proper pro-tocol that the Air Force wason DEFCON V alert. This isthe real deal!

Our unit was given three

hours time to be fullymanned and prepared toship out. A skeleton crewwas left on the base and therest of the support personneland aircraft left for otherbases in Alaska and Floridaon the 17th of October. Thevery same day my daughterwas born.

Everyone was wiredthinking this is it. Like every-one else I didn’t get muchsleep for the next twoweeks.

P.S. By the 21st ofOctober the services weredown to DEFCON III.

(Thomas MacClennanserved at Minot AFB: January1961-May 1964)

DEFCONV alert atMinot AirForce Base

Submitted photoThomas B. MacClennan in 1962.

By LE ROY “LEE”SCHOFFSTALL,

MSgt. (Ret.)Minot

My name is Le Roy J.(Lee) Schoffstall. I came intotheAir Force on 4Oct. 1960,and was assigned to Minot

AFB the first time fromDecember 1960 to August1963.

I have two areas that areof interest — actually morethan that, but I’ll keep it tothese two. My first is theCuban Missile crisis, andthe second, my duty office

was Base Redistribution andMarketing Office

Minot AFB, N.D., wasmyfirst duty station in the AirForce. I arrived by train theevening of 19 December1960. It was snowing andthe road to the base was twolanes and the end of Minot

was North Hill.I was an A3C, assigned

to the 32nd MATRON, partof the 32nd Fighter Group(ADC).

Initially I worked in theRedistribution and

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Submitted photoLe Roy “Lee” Schoffstall first served at Minot AFB in the early 1960s. This 1961 Air Force photo shows the base with hangars in the background. SeeSchoffstallʼs story for more details about the photo.

Memories of Minot AFB

See BASE — Page 8

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

By WALTERSKRAINY Jr.,

Colonel, USAF (Ret.)Hampshire, Ill.

From 1981-83 I had the honor ofcommanding the 742nd StrategicMissile Squadron, a unit of the 91stMissile Wing at Minot Air ForceBase. This mission, during theheight of the Cold War with theSoviet Union, proved to be one ofthe highlights of my Air Forcecareer. The nuclear deterrent mis-sion placed unique demandingrequirements on not only the menand women under my command butalso their family members. The AirForce‘s Human Reliability Programrequired that only highly competentand mentally stable personnel wereassigned missile alert duty. A dedi-cated community support environ-ment was critical to our mission.Minot and the rural towns spreadthroughout the large missile fieldprovided outstanding support.On a more personal note during

my first assignment at MalmstromAFB, Mont., in 1965-66 I met andmarried Phyllis Zieman, a Makotigirl. She was a nursing student inGreat Falls for pediatric training aspart of St Andrew‘s School ofNursing in Bottineau. Thus Phyllis, Iand our three daughters Karen,Kristin and Kelly received specialfamily support from the T. E.Zieman family.Even though the Soviet Union no

longer exists and the Cold War hasbeen declared over, the global worldis still struggling to find a new stableorder. Minot AFB and its multiplemissions continue to be a bulwarkfor U.S. national security. May thisspecial relationship between thebase, Minot and the surroundingcommunities continue to prosper.

Dedicatedcommunitysupportcriticalto mission

Marketing (R&M) front officewithin Base Supply. The build-ing is 437 and it used to be part ofBase Supply inthe ’60s, then theBX and is nowSecurity ForcesTraining Center.I’ve enclosedsome pictures ofthe outside stor-age lot for R&Mlocated justnorth of the present Base Supplyfacility — these were takenaround the 1961 timeframe.Note the vehicle years, also my1955 Chevy is parked in front ofthe trailer office. There were nota lot of trees, since it was a newbase. Also the base housing ispictured in the background. Theoutside storage lot building was ablue trailer, and the clothing stor-age was in large wall tents.I was reassigned to the

Strategic Air Command (SAC) 1July 1962; witnessed the arrivalof the first B-52H’s that came toMinot AFB, some KC-135s were

already here. At the same timeperiod I was transferred to the862nd Supply Squadron, andworked in theOrderly Room. Thesquadron Orderly Room waslocated in theDorm just NE of theDakota Inn Dinning Facility andhas since been torn down. TheOrderly Room was on the 1stFloor and I lived on the 2nd. Thedorm rooms were designed fortwo airman, but with the increaseof personnel coming to the basewith SAC, we had four per room,two bunk beds, one small tableand chair and four lockers.My number one event that

was paramount in my mindwhile at Minot AFB was theCuban Missile crisis in October1962. While working in theOrderly Room, all was businessas usual. The base and allseemed so quiet, as if waiting forsomething to happen or notknowing what was next.I worked for the first sergeant

(SMSgt Robet T. Goodrich). Formany weeks it was long dutydays, with night shifts till mid-night. I came in on night duty —mainly to man the phones but toalso type up additional dutiesassignments, they were called

Dirty Purples, and some Article15s and discharge requests, notmany but the normal routinework load. Also, I was thesquadron mail clerk. The mailroom was located on the 2ndfloor of the dorm. Even withDEFCON alert status the mailroom still had to function.The SAC alert pad (Christmas

Tree) was loaded with B-52Hs allready to go to war. The SAGEbuilding (ADC) was active at thattime and up and running.We mainly waited for news

daily — will war happen or willwe go back to normal duty?This was the only time in my

Air Force career that I’d seen orwill see DEFCON 2 whileassigned to SAC.Construction just started on

the missile field so they were nota factor. While the 5th FighterSquadron, with their F-106s werealso on DEFCON alert status.When all was said and done

this was a very tense time, espe-cially at my grade level (A1C). Idid not have much informationbesides what we heard on thenews and fellow AF members inconversation.All ended well, so much so

that I married (June 1963) mygirlfriend (Marlene Sailer), shegrew up in Minot. I departedMinot AFB August 1963 PCS toKorea.Additional information onmy

duty and tours at Minot AFB:As stated earlier I initially

came to Minot AFB December1960 and departed August 1963.My second tour, we came

back to Minot AFB fromElmendorf AFB, Alaska, in July1977. I was assigned to the 23rdBomb Squadron (SAC) andworked as NCOIC of the OrderlyRoom. In 1979 Imoved to the 5thBomb Wing (SAC), Wing Staff,and then in late 1980 took over asfirst sergeant (for the) 91st CivilEngineering Squadron (SAC). Iretired from the Air Force in thatposition May 1983.I came back on Minot AFB in

March 1987 as a GS-4 in the BaseManpower and Organizationoffice. Retired from Civil ServiceMinot AFB as Chief (GS-12)Manpower and Organization forthe 5th Bomb Wing and the 91stSpace Wing September 2008.Marlene and myself stayed in

Minot and currently live at 1916-12th NW, Minot, ND.

Schoffstall

BaseContinued from Page 7

Minot Air ForceBase did nothave many treesin the early1960s when LeRoy “Lee”Schoffstall firstserved there,shown in this1961 Air Forcephoto ofRedistributionand Marketing,one of the siteswhere Schoffstallwas assigned.He gives moreinformation aboutthe photo in hisstory.Submitted photo

By SHEILABROUGHTONIrvine, Calif.

Our family lived inMinot, North Dakota, in theearly 1960s whenmyfather, Col. Jacksel M.Broughton, was command-er of the 5th FighterSquadron flying the F-106aircraft. I have two vividmemories from the winterof ‘62 when I was 2 1/2years old. Vivid, yes, forbeing so young but thosemoments made a bigimpression onmy littlemind.

One of those memoriesis a tribute to Minot’s infa-mous winter weather. Iremember standing in ourhome’s driveway trying towalk but I could not move,not one single inch. Thewind was so strong and soicy cold that no matterhow desperately I tried tomake my small body pressforward, I simply stood stillas a statue in that weather.

The second preciousmemory I have of Minot isfrom the same season,same young age and just aspowerful of a mentalimprint, only this one car-ries much more emotionfor me.

This day was free of anyblizzard-like winds. Thebright sun showed prettywhite snow everywhere. Isat calmly, yet watchedintensely as my fatherthrew snowballs in theprocess of playing a gameof catch with a pair of cutebaby animals he called the“Spittin’ Kittens”(of course,I grew up to learn thatthese were the squadron’sbeloved lynx). I will neverforget that amazing feelingof being totally happy justto be me— a little girlspending that very momentwith her daddy, Col. Jack

Broughton.(Col. Jack Broughton, a

combat pilot and career offi-

cer, died Oct. 24, 2014, inLake Forest, Calif., at theage of 89.)

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

What I remember about Minot

Submitted photoThe patch of the 5th Fighter InterceptorSquadron at Minot Air Force Base was a lynxcat, shown in this photo courtesy of SheilaBroughton.

Submitted photoCol. Jack Broughton is shown here with the lynx cats, mascots of the 5thFighter Interceptor Squadron at Minot Air Force Base. The photo is cour-tesy of Sheila Broughton.

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

By WILLIAM D. DAWKINSMaj. USAF (Ret.)

I joined the USAF when I was 24 and livingin North Carolina. On my enlistment forms Iindicated that I wanted to be assigned to a basein North Carolina and if notN.C., then some place in theSouth Eastern U.S.. Well. USAFtried to accommodate me to theextent they could. My firstassignment was to a state thatdid have “North” as part of itsname. And North Western isthe reciprocal of South Eastern.So…It would be a gross understatement to say I

am so very very thankful it happened that way.I like the way things turned out. The start wasa little rocky though. I moved into a secondfloor room on base in the summer of 1973 andwatched the white lined parking spaces out mywindow disappear under a covering of sleet in,if memory serves, October 1973. I didn’t seethose lines again until sometime the next year.I was a maintenance analyst for 5th Bomb

Wing and across the hall from me worked acute little redhead civilian, Kathy Vollbrecht,from downtown. She eventually agreed to goout with me. We ended up getting married andhad our first daughter in Minot. I fell in lovewith the whole Vollbrecht clan. Her dad tookme deer hunting and gave me my first snow-mobile. Her mom cooked fantastic meals (I canstill taste the walleye, and the berry pies). Herbrothers and sisters became great friends andare a cherished part of my family today.By the time I left Minot AFB in 1977 I had

worked for 5BW, 5AMS, and 91SMW. Ibecame friends with other airmen who are stillfriends, was promoted to SSgt, and was namedan outstanding airman by the missile wing. Iwas raised by River Jordan Lodge AF&AM.Thanks to the uniformed professionals on

Minot AFB, and the wonderful people ofMinot, N.D., and most especially my bride, myUSAF career was very rewarding. I had severalmore assignments in my 20-year career,received three college degrees, was commis-sioned, commanded two units, and retired in1993.Kathy Vollbrecht Dawkins and I have been

married 40-plus years now and have threedaughters and five grandchildren. I am still amember of the AF&AM Lodge downtown (Starin West since they merged with River Jordan).Best wishes to my Brothers-in-law; Brothers inarms; and Masonic Brothers. Minot was thestart of it all.

‘Minot was thestart of it all’

Dawkins

Retired Air Force Col. Chuck Senn, ofAlexandria, Va., was a bombardier-navi-gatorwith a B-52 crew atMinot Air Force

Base in the early 1960s.He was a member of oneof the first crewswith thebase’s first B-52s.When he was at

Minot AFB, Senn, in aninterview last year, saidthe F-106s, the tankers...“everything was here. Itwas a really active base.”

A native of Mott, Senn spent 38 yearsin the military, including eight years inthe Navy and 30 years in the Air Force.

Submitted photoThis family photo taken at Minot Air Force Base is from Chuck Senn, a retired Air Force colonel fromAlexandra, Va. He said the photo “describes family conditions to a T.” The photo is of a backyard Easteregg hunt in 1962 at 113 Summit Drive at the base. The little boy in the photo is Dick Thomasʼ son andthe girls are the Sennsʼ daughters. The Thomas family lived next door to the Senn family.

Chuck Senn, a retiredAir Force colonel fromAlexandria, Va., foundthese photos of whatfamily life was like forthe folks that camefrom bases likeHomestead AFB,Florida, south ofMiami, to Minot AirForce Base in the1960s. He providedthese photos describ-ing that period duringwhich time the Sennslived on the Minotbase at 113 SummitDrive in a fourplex andtheir next-door neigh-bor was the DickThomas family.Submitted photo

MinotAFB: Anactive base

Senn

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

By JOHN F.CHRISTENSENLas Vegas, Nev.My name is John F.

Christensen and I am aretired United States AirForce Technical Sargeant.I had the pleasure of beingstationed in Minot twodifferent times about 10years apart. My first timeat Minot Air Force Basebegan in 1964 and endedin 1966. I was assigned tothe Civil EngineeringSquadron as a heavyequipment operator.I returned to Minot Air

Force Base in 1977 andleft in 1980. I wasassigned to be aProduction ControlSpecialist and I wasinvolved in setting up thePrime Base EngineerEmergency Force (BEEF)program for the CivilEngineering Squadron.I retired in 1980 at

Minot Air Force Base andnow reside in Las Vegas,Nevada. I enjoy workingin my wood shop makingwalking sticks and canes. Ialso enjoy spending timewith my son, his wife, mythree grandchildren, andof course my beautifulwife.My favorite event

while stationed in Minotwas marrying mywonder-ful wife, Joan, 46 yearsago. I met Joan in 1966during my first tour inMinot. She is still my bestfriend and the love of mylife.I will be back in the

Minot area July of thisyear for a family reunionand I would like to visitmy old squadron.

Christensenassigned toMinot AFB2 differenttimes

By PAUL ENGELDINGERMSgt, USAF (Ret.)

BurlingtonIn September 1969 I was

assigned to Minot Air Force Baseas my first duty assignment aftertechnical school. I was an elec-tronic systems analyst for theHound Dog Missile System, AGM-28 B. I worked on a five-man teamin the flight line branch of the 5thAirborne Missile MaintenanceSquadron, 5th BombardmentWing. We uploaded/ downloaded,operational checked the missiles,one under each wing of the B-52HStratofortress. We also operationalchecked, troubleshot and removedand replaced the associated mis-sile components within thebomber.One day (night), in the wee

hours of the morning in about 1971or ‘72, we were working around theclock putting B-52s back on alert,each loaded with Hound Dog mis-

siles, after they had flown a suc-cessful training mission for anOperational Readiness Inspection(ORI). The bomber, loaded withmissiles, would taxi to the alert pador to the SAC parking ramp to get apost flight inspection, refuel, etc. Itthen would get ready to go back onalert with the “dummy” weaponsremoved and operational (real)weapons and warheads installed.The Hound Dog Missile wasunique in that it had a ballast(dummy) warhead installed fortraining flights and an operationalwarhead installed for strategic alert.The 5th Munitions MaintenanceSquadron would do the swap outafter the missiles were uploaded onthe bomber.Sometimes, after an ORI, a

bomber must go on alert but with amissile, or missiles, that it did notfly with on that mission.That day (night) I had to tow a

missile from the squadron area(near the west end of the taxiway)

to the alert area at the east end ofthe active runway. I drove alone inthe two seat, enclosed Colemantractor with a missile in tow to theparking ramp, where most of ourflight line maintenance is done. Ithen proceeded to the “red line” atthe taxiway which cannot becrossed without explicit permis-sion. The Coleman tractor had noradio and I had no escort vehicle toaccompany me. I waited for thepredetermined signal. The controltower flashed the light, signalingme to proceed. The authorizedmaximum speed to tow the missilewas five miles per hour. I cautious-ly entered the taxiway, heading tothe alert pad. Towing the missilewas uneventful, with only thesounds to accompany me, besidesthe drone of the tractor engine,were the distance sounds of vari-ous types of generators and powerequipment, and the shrill whine ofa bomber’s engines... Except it wasgetting a bit louder. I began to nerv-

ously look about me instead of justthe taxiway in front, poorly lit bythe tractor’s headlights. To my hor-ror a B-52 was taxiing up behindme and gaining on me. I’m think-ing, “Does the crew know I’m here?Do they even see me? I have noradio and no escort vehicle.”“Survival” and “cover my poste-

rior” kicked in. I’m not sure howfast I towed that missile, but it was-n’t five miles per hour! I didn’t lookback again, except to watch mymissile in tow, as I strained to seethe black taxiway in front of me.After a bit I did steal a look backonly to see that the bomber wasnow a safer distance away. Whew!I must say that as I retell the story,my heart is pounding as if it washappening now.You know, flight line was tough

work. But I’d go back in a second.Minot AFB was my 1st, 3rd and

5th (last) assignment, working inboth the bomb wing and the mis-sile wing.

An experience on the flightline

PaulEngeldinger isshown here witha missile on atrailer. He wasstationed atMinot Air ForceBase threetimes (21 of 24years) andworked in bothwings as a mis-sile maintainer.He also flew onthe BUFF as anon-crew mem-ber, assistant tothe navigator ontraining missionswhen they wereloaded withHound Dog mis-siles on captiveflights, usingsimulated launchfor scoring.Submitted photo

By BERNIE PELLENWESSELMinot

I was born in Chicago,Illinois, raised on a farm innorthern Indiana and enlistedin the United States Air Force(USAF) in 1961. After basictraining at Lackland AFB inSan Antonio, Texas, I served asemi-remote tour of duty withthe 731st Radar Squadron atSundance, Wyoming, and waslater transferred to the 5thFighter Interceptor Squadron(5th FIS) at Minot Air ForceBase (MAFB) where I servedfrom 1963 to 1965.My transfer date was in

April 1963 and I’d never heardof Minot, North Dakota orMAFB. However, prior to theactual transfer date and while

still at Sundance, I happened tohear of a new guy arriving inSundance from MAFB. Out ofcuriosity, I spent half a dayfinding him (who was a guynamed LarryGriffith) and ques-tioned him aboutmyupcomingNorth Dakota assignment.He began painting a picture

of Minot, North Dakota, andMAFB, similar to that found in

the infamous “Minot jokebook” that could be found invarious local stores. The verbalpainting suggested that a high-rise in North Dakota was agrain elevator; or that the statehad no trees and was so flat,that you could go 2 daysAWOLand they could wave you backand you could still see thewave; or the mosquitoes wereso large that if you stepped offbase sidewalks, the mosquitoescould literally knock you over;or therewere only 2TV stationsand they would go off the air atmidnight; or the yearly seasonswere “winter and 4th of Julyand winter” (i.e., my 1st winterstarted aroundOctober 1, 1963,and ended around June 1,1964); etc., etc.Although I eventually found

out that a lot of the “joke book”material had some truth to it, Iwas fortunate to have had theexperience of serving in the 5thFIS, which was one of the bestin the Air Force, under thecommand of Lt. Col. Jacksel M.Broughton, a fabulous man,pilot, leader and also one of thebest in the Air Force! Membersof the 5th FIS (officers, NCOs,airmen) were a fairly close knitgroup and there was a goodrelationship between MAFBand the city of Minot.At the time of my discharge,

I gladly vowed to leave “thisplace” as soon as possible and“never, ever come back” andleft to return to Indiana andresume life.Despite that vow, however, I

continued to keep in touch

with some of my 5th FIS bud-dies and they indicated thatthey had decided to stay in thearea after discharge and reallyliked it! Consequently, becauseof their various “good” com-ments and the fact that I hadgotten used to life in the “wideopen” spaces of the West, Idecided to return and arrivedback in the “Magic City” ofMinot one year and one daylater and as they say, “the restis history!”Every state bemoans the fact

that they lose their young peo-ple to other states, but Minot isfortunate to have MAFB,because a substantial numberof base personnel have stayedor returned and have becomean integral part of this state andthis area!!!

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60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

Many Minot AFB people stay or return here

Circa 1960s TodayBernie Pellenwessel

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

By CURTIS M. BEDKE,Maj. Gen. (Ret.)

Crystal City, Arlington, Va.The sign at the front gate says “Only

the Best Come North.”I told people that I loved the sign, but

it just wasn’t true. Then I would pausejust long enough to wait until they lookedat me like I was some kind of traitor, andthen I’d say: “The Air Force sends goodpeople here, but they’re no better or worsethan the average. It’s what we do withthem here at Minot ONCE THEY GETHERE that makes sure that they’re THE

BEST BY THE TIME THEY LEAVE!”The people of the community of Minot

are the friendliest and most loyal of any Isaw in 36 moves throughout my time inthe Air Force.

They would show up – usually (but tobe fair, not always) unannounced – be thefirst to arrive at the party, and the last toleave ... literally stuffing cookies andcandy into their coat pockets on the wayout the door! (This is a true story — andBruce Christianson will admit to it!) Westill see the Minot crowd about twice ayear, no matter where we’re living. Iattribute this to Ina’s cooking.

This was a photo my wife, Ina, took ofme late one night in November 1995,while I was the 5th Bomb WingʼsOperations Group commander. It wasafter midnight, and as was not sounusual, one of our B-52s haddeclared an “emergency” and wasreturning home. (Sometimes, thesewere “routine” emergencies, such as aloss of an engine (only seven to go!),and sometimes they could be serious(a gear that wouldnʼt come down). Asthe Ops Group commander, I wasalways called — and was part of theteam working the problem — no matterwhat time, day or night. I was likelytalking with the Supervisor of Flying(typically the captain spending thenight on the flightline to be the “firstperson to contact”) and the CommandPost on the hand-held walkie-talkie(aka “The Brick”), and was talking withthe squadron commander on the otherphone — when the wing commander(who always had a radio by HIS bed-side!) called me on the “land-line” (thewhite home phone) to see what wasgoing on. My wife, of course, waslaughing and snapping photos ... the1995 version of a conference call!These days, we could do it all on a sin-gle smartphone.Submitted photo

Itʼs typical, of course, forsomeone to get “hosed

down” upon landing from hisfinal flight. This photo shows

my executive officer, Capt.Ed Donaldson, spraying

me with champagne. Whatthey didnʼt count on was

that I would come down outof the B-52 fighting — wear-ing a plastic bag, and wield-

ing a hand-held water-spraying fire extinguisher —and going on the offensive! Iknew Iʼd end up soaking wet... but the assembled crowdhadnʼt counted on going onthe defensive! I think this isa good photo for highlight-

ing the “Camaraderieamong the Air Force team”!

Submitted photo

Minot people thefriendliest and mostloyal of any in 36 moves

60 years July 9, 2015

By DARWIN KAMPMANMinot

My name is DarwinKampman (MSgt Ret.) akaSam Kampman. I first cameto Minot AFB January 1961from Homestead AFB, Fla.What a change in theweather, it was minus 35Fwhen I signed in. We camehere to work on the B52Hswhich didn’t get to MAFBuntil July. So I worked onthem when they were newfrom the factory.

On the 24th of December1961 I married Elizebeth(Betty) Thorp of Glenburn.We were the first ones tolive in the original 77-2Dundee Dr. We left MinotAFB July 1965 and went toWalker AFB, N.M., where Iwas crew chief on a B-52E –was there until the baseclosed in 1967, then went to

Kirtland AFB, N.M., Thiswas an air weather serviceSq. We flew RB-57F air-craft. There were only 15 ofthis aircraft built. I leftKirtland AFB in December1969.

I went to Vietnam fromthere, was in the 12 SOSwhich was the outfit thatsprayed Agent Orange. Oneof the C-123s (Patches) thatI worked on there is now inthe Air Force Museum. Iwas sent to Forbes AFB,Kan., when I came backfrom Vietnam – was thereuntil they closed the base in1972. I came back to MinotAFB as a FTD, APG instruc-tor, then in February 1975went to Anderson AFB,Guam, and was there untilJuly 1977. Got orders toEllsworth AFB, S.D. Iretired 1 August 1978.

Came back to Minot and

we bought 9 acres of land 10miles east of Minot andbuilt a home. In 1980 I start-ed Civil Service at the base.I started out in transientmaintenance, was thereuntil 1986 when it wentcontract. I then worked inroads and grounds untilMarch 1996. I then went toAFETS and was working onthe B-52s again. On 1 April2002 I retired from CivilService. All totaled Iworkedon Minot AFB 30 years.Betty and I still shop for ourgroceries and get our medsat the base.

We still live on the 9acres where we built ourhome in 1978. I work parttime at Ryan Chevrolet as acourtesy van driver. Weattend the West MinotChurch of God. Minot isgreat. Only the best comeNorth.

By GREG “LUCKY” ADDISONOlympia, Wash.

My name is Greg Addison. Most peopleknow me as “Lucky.” I recently heard thatMinot AFB is celebrating its 60th year. Ispent more than seven years stationed thereand had some wonderful experiences withsome very wonderful people. Shortly aftermy arrival at Minot, I met some very talent-ed musicians and we started a band called“The Reflections.” I played bass guitar,although our members changed periodical-ly because of military commitments. Wewere together for about 3 years. We met awonderful woman named Sandie Karnack(who still resides in Minot) and formed avariety troupe called “Bandwagon” andentertained throughout North Dakota. Thebase director of Morale, Recreation andWelfare asked me to be the Master ofCeremonies for “SnowQueen,” “Mrs. MinotAir Force Base,” and “Miss Black Heritage”pageants which were held on the basethroughout the year.

A co-worker on the base told me that alocal radio station was looking for a part-time DJ for the weekends and thought Imight be interested. I auditioned andworked forMark Ess at KCJB radio for about

a year. One of the TV reporters there at thetime (Dave Ettl) once toldme that I might begood on television. A friend who worked inthe sales department at KMOT told me thestation was looking for a weekend sports-caster for PhilWillman. I auditioned and gotthe job. Among the great people I workedwith were Paul Unwin, Craig Bennell andMary Muhlbradt. I really loved workingthere, but was unable to stay more than ayear because of military commitment.

Sometime later, I met another group ofmusicians who were looking for a replace-ment for their guitar player, who had beenre-assigned. We entered a base talent showand made it all the way to Air ForceWorldwide level. Although we didn’t win1st place, several of the band members,(Mark Farris-piano, Richard Tennant-trum-pet, Richard Jackson-trombone), and I wereselected for theAir Force showcase “Tops inBlue.” I left Minot in July, 1981 and was re-assigned to McChord Air Force Base inTacoma, Wash. I am retired from the mili-tary now and live in Olympia, Wash. I havea treasure trove of wonderful memoriesregarding Minot that will last a lifetime. Ihad some incredible opportunities and metsome beautiful people there. Happy 60thMinot! Here’s to many more.

‘Only the best come North’

‘Treasure trove of wonderful memories’

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Eloise Ogden/MDNBetty Fedorchak was selected to participate in the Honorary Commanders Program. She continues to participate in the program. For more on thisstory, see Page 16.

Honorary Commanders

By BETTYFEDORCHAK

MinotMy husband, Mike, was

given assignment to MinotAFB, N.D.

We knew nothing aboutN o r t hDakota andimmediatelystarted tofind out allthat wecould aboutthe state. Itsuggested tous that itwas going to be very differ-ent from anyplace we hadever been.

We were in a great placein our life – young, happyand three beautiful childrenand, of course, our wonder-ful four-legged friendWinston.

We did however have achild with health issues andher doctor thought we maydo better in a different cli-mate. After much discus-sion and coming to the con-clusion that North Dakotawas where we were headed,

knowing that if anythingwent wrong we could leave.

So North Dakota it was.We went to Ireland andspent time with my family.Then off to Pennsylvania tovisit Mike’s family.

On a Monday morningtwo adults, three children,dog and luggage got into aVolvo andheadednorth.Wemade it all the way toMinnesota and we hit somevery cold weather. (Did Imention it was December?)The car was going fine. Allof a sudden we started tohave trouble. Mike had topull over. Within minutesanother Volvo pulled overand even with the stationwagon packed as it was, thisman was smiling and offer-ing help. “I will tow you toJamestown and once you getsome Heet in the gas tank,you will be on your way.”We understood nothing ofwhat hewas telling us.Mikegot out and he and Mr.Anderson hooked us up andaway we went.

Mike explained the con-versation he and Mr.Anderson had. Not only did

I learn about “Heet,” I alsolearned that the gentlemanwith the big smile and gen-erous offer of help to ourfamily was a retired colonelfrom Minot Air Force Base.It was a warm fuzzy that ourmilitary family was alwaysnear and willing to help.

We got to the gas stationand he made sure we weretaken care of and ready togo. We said goodbye andplanned to get together inMinot at a later date. Hegave us his phone numberand told us not to hesitate tocall if we needed anything.The fact that our knight inshining armor was fromMinot played a part in ouroutlook toward our newhome.

We arrived safely and gotto our hotel. We went tosleep and woke up in TheMagic City.

MAFB 1977Mike went to the base

and reported for duty. Hewas really pleased with hisplace of work and madefriends right away. Wemoved into our new homeand got settled rather quick-ly. The basewas really big tous. We had the bomb wing,missiles, 5th Fighter and57th Air Division — over20.000 personnel. We askedfor a tour of the base andthat was really overwhelm-

ing. One could only feelvery proud when youunderstood the responsibili-ty that each unit had and insome small way we werepart of all that.

Mike and I were invitedto join a downtown dartleague right away. Thursdaynight became our night outand the beginning of somegreat friendships thatremain in place to this day.How fortunate we were tohave joined such a terrificgroup. They were businessand professional with atouch of Canadian whenthey happened to visitMinot. We had a blast. Forme it was an open invitationto find out as much as Icould about Minot and thesurrounding area. We foundourselves a great churchdowntown and with that,more friends. I was alreadyvolunteering at the church,schools and the library. Thesquadron also needed helpand, of course, I was therefor whatever was needed.

Making Minothome

Now that we had church,schools taken care of andreally making Minot home,it was time to see whatsports were available to getthe children involved in.Wefound out there was no soc-

cer in ND. We loved thegame and our children hadplayed so we set out to findchildren on the base thathad played before andwould be interested in play-ing now and we would getsome teams together. Wewere taken back by theresponse. Happy kids,happy parents. Mike was aFIFA ref and could legallytrain coaches, linesmen andrefs. Mike took charge andbefore you knew it we werewell on our way. He heldclinics every week and itwent great. Then he neededteams outside the base. Hewas holding clinics inMinotand all the way to Fargo andeverywhere in between. Wewere the traveling soccerfamily. He brought expertsin and accessed the refs hehad trained and many peo-ple on base and throughoutthe state got their license. Itgrew in leaps an bounds andhis goal — getting in theschools.

Soccer was born in N.D.andMikewas going all over,accessing others and referee-ing from Minnesota toCanada and everywhere inbetween.

In the meantime I hadjoined the Chamber of com-merce and military affairs.Before I knew it I had takenon activities for severalorganizations.

I really enjoyed it.A program started at the

Chamber called theHonorary CommandersProgram. I was selected forthat and remain on that pro-gram to this day. It is a won-derful opportunity to shad-ow a family for the period oftime they are stationed hereat the base. It is really won-derful getting to know thefamily, seeing the childrengrow and when they leavehere, you can be sure youwill continue that friend-ship.

I have had the opportuni-ty to go to California for afew missile launches. It wasimportant to stay on top ofthe projects that you werepart of and travel wasinvolved in that. Our trips toWashington were always apriority.

I just mentioned a fewthings about the wonderfullife we have had here. Thatis why we retired here inMinot. We liked whatMinotoffered us as a family. Allthree of our childrenwent touniversities in North Dakota—Minot, UND and NDSU.

We all experiencedJulebakken, wild game din-ners, serving our military atthe fair, Military Day at theHøstfest and the list goes on.It is all relevant and brings ittogether when we sayproudly, TeamMinot.

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

A Magic Encounter

Fedorchak

‘I just mentioned a few things about the wonder-ful life we have had here. That is why we retiredhere in Minot. We liked what Minot offered us as afamily. All three of our children went to universitiesin North Dakota — Minot, UND and NDSU.’

By LeROY ROGELSTADS/MSgt. (Ret.)

Greenbriar, Ark.My name is LeRoy E.

Rogelstad but I have beencalled Lee for over 60 years.I am aMinotn a t i v e ,Minot HighSchool of1954. Ienlisted inthe AirForce in1954 andwas trans-ferred to the 5136thStrategic Wing at MinotAFB in July 1959. Our firstduty was to prepare theshops, offices and so forthfor the incoming new B-52Hand KC-135 aircraft.

Two events occurredduring my tour there thatwill remain fresh in mymind forever.

First. A lot of peopleweretransferred to Minot in thewinter of ’59/’69 from aFlorida base. Many of thesefolks broughtmobile homes.Homes that were built in theSouth for the South. Whilemany of the Florida folkshad problems adapting, themobile home dwellers wereoverwhelmed. Many Minotcivic organizations, church-es, clubs and individualsjumped right in, helping inany way to lift these peopleup. As I recall the Masonsorganized a group of everytype tradesmen required tobring these mobile homesup to the North Dakota chal-lenge— all at no charge. Mypride in Minot and NorthDakota has never been high-er.

Second. I was honored tobe selected as the electricaltech on the maintenanceteam that launched the his-toric B-52H Persian Rugflight from Kadena AFB,Okinawa to Torrejon,Spain, in January 1962.

Among the back pats, weeach received a City ofMinot Certificate of LifetimeCitizenship signed by

Mayor Harrington, LesMaupin and two MinotChamber officials.

The fact that Minot

remains a great place isreflected in the number ofAF retirees who elect to stayafter retirement.

1605 35th Ave SW701-837-7900

www.laquintaminot.com

Here for YouCongratulations On 60 Years Thank You

For Your Service

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Pride in Minot and North Dakota

LeRoy E. Rogelstadʼs Certificate of Lifetime Citizenship – City ofMinot – reads it is awarded to him: “for his part in the historic flightof ʻThe Persian Rug,ʼ U.S. Air Force B-52H missile bomber 040,which traveled 12,519 miles nonstop without refueling fromKadena Air Force Base on Okinawa to Torrejon Air Force Basenear Madrid, Spain, in 22 hours and 8 minutes on January 10,1962.

“The crew of ʻThe Persian Rugʼ is assigned to the 525th BombSquadron of the 4136th Strategic Wing, Minot Air Force Base,North Dakota.”

Rogelstad

City of Minot ‘lifetime citizenship’

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

Dan Henes, Minot, provided informa-tion about a fire and explosion at MinotAir Force Base in 1975. Twenty-threemedals for fire heroism were presented toactive-duty and civilian firefighters fol-lowing the incident. The informationincludes from the base newspaper TheSentry and The Minot Daily News.Twenty-three Minot Air Force Base

firefighters were recognized for theiractions on Nov.14, 1975, during an emer-gency caused by a November 1975 explo-sion and fire on the flightline that tooktwo lives and destroyed a $14 million B-52H bomber.Awarded were 17 medals of commen-

dation and seven medals of valor.Presented commendation medals by

Brig. Gen. James Light were Tech. Sgts.James Barrett and Larry Puderbauch; StaffSgts. Lee Bowen, Jollie Brett, CalvinKornegay, Raymond Lambert andThomas Wiegand; Senior Airman TonaldSpiegelberg; Airmen 1st Class MichaelBessett, Carl Fredericksen, Craig Krueger,

Lonnie Lauderdale, Roger Nicholson,Randy Schryer, Ronald Williams andLeroy Zink, all firemen at the base.Those now living in the local area

include Lambert of Bismarck andFredrickson of Minot.Those receiving the Strategic Air

Command Valor Award for civiliansincluded Phillip Cloud, fire chief at thetime, Daniel Abrahamson, Dan Henes,Gary Larson, Malcolm Mcbeth, AnthonyPrough and Ronald Thiele.Henes, Prough and Thiele live in

Minot; and Larson in Fargo. Mcbeth’slocation is not known. Abrahamson diedin 2011.The base fire department immediately

responded and began fighting the firebefore it could spread to the other aircraftparked nearby. The blast and fire took thelives of two members of a refueling crew,one from Grand Forks, the other a nativeof Indianapolis. The eight-jet aircraft wasbeing refueled when the disasteroccurred.

This photo, courtesy of DanHenes, is of the explosionand fire involving a B-52 inNovember 1975.Submitted photo

Firefighters honoredfor their actions

Paid for by the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce/MVD

Thank You Team Minot for

60 YEARSof protecting our future as

friends, family and community!

www.minotchamber.org1020 20TH AVE SE MINOT, ND 58701 • 701.852.6000

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Lt. Gen. GregoryBiscone, commander ofthe 5th Bomb Wing atMinot AirF o r c eBase fromJuly 2003to June2005, sayshe hasm a n yf o n dmemories of his twoyears at theMinot base.

Leading thepackof hismemories of Minot AFBinclude flying OperationEnduring Freedom withthe wing in 2002; Minotbringing bombers back toGuam with the continu-ous bomber presencemission (spring of 2004);and Minot Mayor Curt

Zimbelman flying in a5thBombWingB-52overMinot.

Biscone has had anumber of assignmentssince leaving Minotincluding at headquar-ters Air CombatCommand at LangleyAFB, Va.; WhitemanAFB, Mo.; U.S. CentralCommand at MacDillAFB, Fla.; headquartersU.S. Air Force inWashington, D.C.; andU.S. Strategic Commandat Offutt AFB, Neb.; U.S.Embassy in Pakistan.Currently, he is theInspector General of theAir Force with the Officeof the Secretary of theAirForce in Washington,D.C.

Fond memoriesof Minot,Minot AFB

Biscone

Team Red, White and Blue

Submitted photoAustin Howard of Minot Air Force Base, left, Team RWB Minot chapter captain, started the TeamRed, White and Blue Minot chapter in March. Paul Smitko, athletic director of Team RWB Minot,stands next to him. A national organization with the mission to enhance the lives of Americaʼs vet-erans by connecting them to their community through social and physical activity, anyone is wel-come to join at no cost. For more on this story, see Page 24.

Some important datesfor Minot Air Force Base:

®October 1954: AirForce officials fromWashington and AirDefense Command,Colorado Springs, Colo.,arrive to launch engineer-ing survey for new $7 mil-lion air base at Minot.

®July 12, 1955: Officialgroundbreaking ceremonyheld for Minot AFB.

®Nov. 1, 1955: Firstportions of land for MinotAFB were purchased.

®September 1956:The new air base alreadyhas some of the basicscompleted or being con-structed including dormito-ries, mess hall, hangars,NCO Club, chapel, gym-

nasium, heating plant, andsix-story control opera-tions tower, concrete park-ing aprons, taxi strips andmammoth runway beingenlarged from 8,100 to13,200 feet length.

®Feb. 7, 1957: FirstMinot AFB unit, 32rdFighter Group, activated.

®Feb. 15, 1957: TheU.S. Army Corps ofEngineers turns over the“key” of the base to Maj.Joe Roberts, the first basecommander.

®May 17, 1959: MinotAFB holds its first openhouse. Armed Forces Dayopen house held as part ofa two-day observance“Power for Peace” onArmed Forces Day with

Minot & the south radarsite. Base open housedrew 25,000-30,000 visi-tors.

®September 1958: U-2 “spy planes” arrive fornearly two-year assign-ment OperationCrowflight.

®Sept. 23, 1959: Firsttanker, a Boeing KC-135,arrives.

®May 21, 1960: Baseholds second open house.

®Feb. 4, 1960: First F-106 Delta Dart arrives.

®October 1960: Firsthousing units opened.

®July 16,1961: First B-52H bomber, named“Peace Persuader,”arrives, with Maj. Clyde P.Evely as its commander

for the flight. N.D. Gov.William Guy and Col.Harold A. Radetsky, com-mander, 4136th StrategicWing at Minot AFB,accompanied the crew onthe flight to Minot fromRapid City, S.D. Planearrived at base on sameday as base open housenamed “Peace PersuaderDay” when plane alsochristened “PeacePersuader” A secondplane (Tail No. 60-0025)was the backup plane incase the “PeacePersuader” could not land.It also landed at MinotAFB that day but the“Peace Persuader” offi-cially considered the 1stB-52 to arrive at base.

“Peace Persuader,” tailNo. 60-0027 crashed Oct.4, 1968, while assigned tothe baseʼs 23rd BombSquadron. Crashoccurred eight miles southof Minot AFB runway, withone survivor.

®June 1962: LastBUFF off the assembly

line 61-0040. Acceptedinto Air Force inventory infall ʼ62. Plane currently atMinot AFB, as of 2012.

®Operation PersianRug in 1962 - B-52 flighthalfway around the world.

®Jan. 12, 1962:

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

When the groundbreak-ing for Minot Air ForceBase occurred in July 1955,American technology pre-sented a vast array of possi-bilities. The assignment ofstate-of-the-art jet aircraftand the intercontinentalballistic missile complexundeniably demonstratedthe importance theDepartment of Defenseplaced on Minot AFB, itsAirmen, and the communi-ty.The Air Force activated

the 450th BombardmentWing and 455th StrategicMissile Wing (the predeces-sors of Minot’s 5th BombWing and 91st MissileWing) to provide nationalleaders combat-ready forcescapable of strategic deter-rence and global strikeoptions during the height ofthe Cold War.As we mark the 60th

Anniversary of the ground-breaking, I would like totake this opportunity tohighlight how TeamMinot

continues to provide theseoptions today and fortomorrow.The nuclear deterrence

mission is the top prioritybecause nuclear capableadversaries pose the onlyexistential threat to theUnited States today. In thepast, very few actors pos-sessed disruptive technolo-gies or extremely destruc-tive weapons. Today, manyhold these weapons, andthose that do not, have thepotential to develop orobtain them. Thus, the abil-ity to meet the challenges oftoday and tomorrow isimperative in today’s com-

plex international geopoliti-cal environment.The President has

charged our nuclear forcesto provide and maintain asafe, secure, and crediblearsenal to achieve deter-rence and assurance effectsas long as nuclear weaponsexist. Capabilities toachieve deterrence andassurance are foundationalelements of our nationalsecurity. We rightly placedthese responsibilities withTeamMinot.Minot Air Force Base is

the only military installa-tion in America operatingtwo of the three legs ofAmerica’s nuclear triad.Our trust in Minot solidi-fied even further with the91st Missile Wing and 5thBombWing earning theU.S. Strategic Command’sOmaha Trophy; designatingthem the premier intercon-tinental ballistic missile andstrategic aircraft operationswings.Looking to the future, I

anticipate nothing butexcellence from TeamMinot. Persistent focus anddedicated leadership are thekeys to success for thenuclear enterprise and weare on the right course.Recent efforts within theAir Force and Departmentof Defense have demon-strated our commitment tokeeping the nuclear mis-sion a top priority into thefuture. The AFGSC ForceImprovement Program(FIP), which began in 2014,ensures that the Airmenwho are executing the mis-sion are able to elevateideas to improve how theAir Force conducts this spe-cial mission.FIP initiatives brought

renewed vigor to thenuclear mission. Balancingthe readiness of today withthe modernization neededfor the future, we look tosignificant investments inthe Air Force’s two legs ofthe nuclear triad. Investingin the development of

replacement systems suchas the Long-Range StrikeBomber, the long-rangestand-off weapon, theGround-Base StrategicDeterrent and accompany-ing infrastructure areimperative to our modern-ization efforts.Modernization is vitalensuring we have a safe,secure, and effectivenuclear enterprise fordecades to come.While we focus on the

mission at hand and theresources required for themission, the Airmen thatexecute the mission are thecritical piece of the equa-tion.There is no question:

The strength of our AirForce is our people. Peopleare what make us the great-est Air Force on the planet.The Airmen of the nuclearforce have shown excep-tional resiliency, on duty 24hours a day, 7 days a week,365 days a year securingthe homeland and reassur-

ing our allies and partners.They could not do this

without the support of theMinot community and thestate of North Dakota. Thesuccess of both the bomberand ICBMmissions is pos-sible only because of thetremendous support provid-ed by the surrounding com-munities.From raising the first

$50,000 and providing theland that would becomeMinot Air Force base, to theunending support youshow our Airmen on adaily basis, the Minot com-munity is an invaluable AirForce partner. To all whohave welcomed Airmenand given them a homeaway from home – I offermy heartfelt thanks.As we look forward, I

know our nuclear missionis in good hands with ourAirmen, and our Airmenare in good hands with theMinot Community.Only the Best come

North!

DEBORAHLEE

JAMES

Secretaryof the Air Force

Nuclear deterrence mission is top priority

MMINOTINOT AAIRIR FFORCEORCE BBASEASE TIMELINETIMELINE

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60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

Minot AFB plays important role in nation’s defenseNestled in the quiet

farmlands of North Dakota,lies an Air Force basetasked with the responsibili-ty for the nation’s mostpowerful weapons. Since itsestablishment in 1955, theMinot community has been,and still is, one of the base’slargest supporters. The localcommunity donated themoney to purchase the firstportion of land that becameMinot Air Force Base.

As the only military baseholding the distinction ofsupporting two componentsof the U.S. nuclear triad,Minot Air Force Base playsa critical role in the defenseof our nation. It began as anAir Defense Command baseprotecting the U.S. through-out the Cold War, and has

since developed into a keycomponent of our nation’sdefense. Today, the Minotcommunity continues itssupport through local com-munity leadership groupslike Task Force 21. TheAirmen of Air Force GlobalStrike Command owe agreat deal of thanks to theMinot community, who

understand and appreciatethe important role theirbase plays in the nation’sdefense.

Secretary of the AirForce Deborah Lee Jamesand Air Force Chief of StaffGen. Mark A. Welsh IIIhave repeatedly declarednuclear deterrence as theAir Force’s number onemission. As Minot AirForce Base celebrates 60years since the ground-breaking of the base, ourcommitment to the defenseof our nation is as strongtoday as it was then. Wewill continue to build onthe historic role Minot con-tributes to our nation’sdeterrence mission. Due tothe challenges of operatingin a remote and austere

environment it is critical wecontinue to invest in propertraining for our Airmenwith new and improvedfacilities. We are improvingmanning levels at the baseand working to ensure bet-ter access to health care formilitary members whilemaking strides towardaddressing aging facilitiesand infrastructure there.

Minot Air Force Base isincredibly unique since it isthe only U.S. base currentlyperforming both the inter-continental ballistic mis-siles and strategic bombermissions. The Airmen whoexecute this vital missionare some of the most skill-fully trained and educatedin our Air Force, and theyhold the special trust and

responsibility that comeswith performing thenuclear mission. TheseAirmen provide thePresident and our nationwith ready and reliablenuclear forces. Maintainingthe credibility of ournuclear deterrent requires along-term commitment tosustainment, modernizationand recapitalization.Currently, the Air Force ismodernizing theMinuteman system toensure the reliability, sur-vivability, and efficacy ofthese weapons through theyear 2030. Air Force GlobalStrike Command is contin-uing to define require-ments, assess concepts, andidentify characteristics for afollow-on system to ensure

a viable Ground BasedStrategic Deterrent well intothe future. Alongside theintercontinental ballisticmissiles forces, the B-52Stratofortress bomberslocated at Minot Air ForceBase are past the half-cen-tury mark, yet this venera-ble aircraft still has plentyof years left to fly. The AirForce plans to keep this air-craft flying for the next 25years. We are investing inmultiple improvements toensure its continued readi-ness.

I want to wish Minot AirForce Base and its sur-rounding community ahappy 60th anniversary.We continue to see a brightfuture for this very impor-tant base!

Team Red,White andBlue Minothad around20 mem-bersparticipatein Relay forLife 2015.For moreon thisstory, seePage 24.Submitted photo

Team Red, White and Blue Relay for Life team

LT. GEN.STEPHENWILSON

Commander, AirForce Global Strike

Command

In July of 1955, theUnited States Air Force wasless than eight years old.The average age of a USAFaircraft was less than 10years old and the USAF AirForce Academy opened itsdoors for business at LowryAir Force Base in Denver,CO. Dwight Eisenhowerwas elected as our nation’s34th President, Rosa Parksrefused to sit in the back ofthe bus in Montgomery,AL., and America wasintroduced to the GoldenArches.In the wake of World

War II, tensions spread anddeepened between theU.S.S.R. and the U.S. andan arms race was about tobegin in earnest. A publicfear of a surprise attack bythe Soviets was becomingprevalent; Pearl Harbor stillechoed in recent memory.Increasing strategic capabil-ities and aggressivenesswithin the Soviet militaryforced the U.S. to rethinkits defensive posture. U.S.war planners and the AirForce embarked on a studyto determine optimum sitesnear the Canadian border tolocate defensive installa-tions. The result of exten-sive surveying and deliber-ate planning led to therapid construction of AirForce bases in the northerntier.The Air Force selected

Minot, along with GrandForks, ND, and Glasgow,

MT., as the most effectivelocations for Air DefenseCommand installations.These bases would housefighter interceptorsquadrons and serve assites for semiautomaticground environment direc-tion centers for air defensesectors. As organizationalstructures evolved, all threebecame Strategic AirCommand bases.The 60th anniversary of

the groundbreaking forMinot Air Force Base takesplace July 12. Thoughmuch has happened in thedecades since 1955, today,the base remains strategical-ly critical while supportingtwo legs of our Nation’striad.It is essential to recog-

nize that Minot Air ForceBase might never havecome into existence had itnot been for the initiativeand foresight of the leadingcitizens of Minot. In 1955,local businessmen and resi-dents of Minot and the sur-rounding area donated$50,000 in private funds tobuy land for what was to

become Minot Air ForceBase.Construction of Minot

AFB began in May 1956and the base’s first full-timeemployees began arrivingin January 1957. Initially,construction activities atthe base were focused inanticipation of the assign-ment of ADC fighters. AnADC unit, the 32d FighterGroup, with the 5th FighterInterceptor Squadron, sub-sequently activated inFebruary 1957 andassumed operational con-trol of the base. By 1961,the first B-52 Stratofortresshad arrived and the USAFhad selected numeroussites near the base to beginconstruction of aMinuteman IIntercontinental BallisticMissile complex. In 1962,technology rendered thedirection center obsoleteand the base transferred tocontrol of SAC.As technology advanced,

so did the mission andequipment at Minot AFB.By 1971, the 91st StrategicMissile Wing tradedMinuteman I for theMinuteman III and the 5thBombardment Wing fieldedthe Short Range AttackMissile to replace theHound Dog.The 5th Fighter

Interceptor Squadron’s airdefense mission ended in1988 eliminating more than500 personnel from the

base and fighters left theskies over Minot. Late inthe 1980s, base closuresacross the country began toaccelerate. The citizens ofMinot and Northern NDsuccessfully organized andpetitioned the governmentto keep the base open.The 1991 collapse of

communism in the SovietUnion resulted in the B-52fleet being ordered perma-nently off alert for the firsttime in nearly threedecades. In 1992, the basetransitioned from StrategicAir Command to AirCombat Command andMinot AFB’s KC-135 mis-sion concluded. Events inthe Middle East brought thedemand for the 5th BombWing’s B-52 airpower toIraq. Later in the decade,atrocities in Kosovo wouldreturn the 5 BW to combatonce again.9/11 focused the wing’s

combat power yet again;aircraft and personneldeployed to Southwest Asiato conduct strikes againstTaliban targets inAfghanistan duringOperation EnduringFreedom. In 2003, B-52sstruck numerous Iraqi tar-gets during Operation IraqiFreedom. Since then,Minot’s military and civil-ian Airmen have continual-ly deployed around theworld with a particularfocus on supporting UnitedStates Pacific Command’s

Continuous BomberPresence mission since2004. Through all of this,the 91st Missile Wing hasstood alert over-watch forus all as they constantlydeploy throughout theprairies of North Dakota.As a fixture of North

Dakota for 60 years, MinotAFB continues to partnerwith local citizens. Duringall these decades, manyfarmers have planted andharvested their crops neigh-borly distances from missilesites and the base itself.Activity in the Bakken hasadded new challenges andopportunities.Throughout our shared

history, aircraft have comeand gone and organizationshave been named andrenamed. Technology hasimproved and buildingshave been erected and torndown. USAF priorities havechanged and adapted to thedemands of our civilianleaders proving out the oldAir Force adage that “flexi-bility is the key to airpow-er.” But one thing has

remained constant: our willand ability to deter allpotential enemies andadversaries through anoverwhelming combat pres-ence. Our objectiveremains: to keep Americansand our allies safe andsecure.The words above our

gate read: “Only the BestCome North.” For Minot’sformer and current Airmen,family members, civilianemployees, retirees andcontractors, the pride in ourability to protect NorthAmerica couldn’t be moresuccinctly stated. It’s impor-tant, however, to rememberthat TeamMinot is biggerthan the base and the dis-persed sites of the missilecomplex. TeamMinot is allof us. We are delighted toserve in a community thatjoins with us in unique,supportive, and patrioticways to strengthen us allfor our 24/7/365 missions.The 5th BombWing andthe 91st Missile Wing oweyou a debt of gratitude.Thank you TeamMinot.

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

‘Our objective remains: to keep Americans and our allies safe and secure’

COL.JASON R.

ARMAGOST

Commander,5th Bomb Wing

Construction starts on newMinuteman I IntercontinentalBallistic Missile (ICBM) complex.

®July 1, 1962: Control of basetransferred from Air DefenseCommand to Strategic AirCommand.

®Sept. 9, 1963: First missileplaced in silo.

®April 1964: All missiles in place

and ready to go, if needed.®November 1970, Thanksgiving

Day, First Thanksgiving Day dinnerfor local senior citizens held atMinot AFB. Program started withidea by Col. Grover Graves Jr., thencommander of the 91st StrategicMissile Wing, later 91st SpaceCommand. He called Claude “Bud”Ebert, longtime chief of recreationat base, to make it possible. Later itbecame the “Thanksgiving Day ofLove.”

®December 1970: The 741st

Strategic Missile Squadron becamethe first operational Minuteman IIIsquadron.

®July 1973: Base pays specialtribute to the late A.R. Weinhandl,often known as the “Father of MinotAFB.” Weinhandl spearheaded thelocal efforts to induce the DefenseDepartment to locate an Air Forcebase at Minot and led the welcom-ing party to make Minotʼs militaryneighbors feel welcomed to the

TimeContinued from Page 20

See TIME — Page 27

By MARISSA HOWARDStaff Writer

[email protected]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE —Red, white and blue are colorsthat, separately, do not meanmuch, but together, mean morethan we can express. They meanpatriotism and unity, sacrifice andselflessness. They mean inno-cence, hardiness and valor in theface of battle and anything thatthreatens to take the colors away.They mean vigilance, persever-ance and justice for a country thatovercomes beyond all doubts.And in this case, the colors alsomean a team of people who striveto make a difference in the nameof the U.S.A.Team Red, White and Blue

(RWB), a national organization ofover 55,000 members with a mis-sion to enhance the lives ofAmerica’s veterans by connectingthem to their community throughsocial and physical activity,became a part of the Minot com-munity and Minot Air Force Baseon March 17 of this year. AustinHoward, an active-duty memberatMinot Air Force Base, began theTeam RWB chapter in Minotwhen he realized the valuablebenefits an organization like thiswould bring to themembers of theMinot community.“I wanted to bring Team RWB

to Minot because of a need for anorganization here that would

enrich the lives of veterans in somany ways,” said Howard, TeamRWB Minot chapter captain.“There are no membership duesand no meetings. We just want toconnect veterans back to theircommunity and give them thatsame camaraderie they had whenthey served in the military.”

Team RWB Minot, currently afield team that is part of the TeamRWB Bismarck chapter, now hasaround 350members and is grow-ing fast. The organization hostslocal opportunities for veterans,active duty members and thecommunity such as weekly fit-ness activities, monthly socialevents and participation in localfundraisers and events. As theTeam RWB Minot field team con-tinues to grow in members andevents, it will eventually becomeits own chapter.Paul Smitko, athletic director

for Team RWB Minot, joined theorganization because of his lovefor sports and the community.“Ever since I was a kid, I loved

sports, loved being aroundsports,” Smitko said. “I coach mylittle boys and being a part ofTeam RWB, you give back to thecommunity. It’s a really good out-reach for adults and even kids tocome together and enjoy eachother.”One of the primary missions of

Team RWB is bringing veteransback into the family atmosphereand camaraderie of the military

that they often lose when theyretire from it.Of the around onemillion serv-

ice members who will retire orseparate from the military overthe next five years, 58 percent ofthem do not return to their home-town, according to the nationalTeam RWB website.Further, the U.A. Department

of Veterans Affairs estimates thatthere are nearly 400,000 untreatedcases of post-traumatic stress dis-order and a 2009 Rand report esti-mates that 26 percent of returningcombat veterans may have mentalhealth conditions such as PTSD,anxiety or depression.So what has been proven to be

the non-drug equivalent of SSRIdrug therapies or psychotherapy

for depression and anxiety?Exercise.And 41 percent of veterans

stated that they are more likely toexercise if they can do it with agroup or team.

Team RWB is the only veter-an-support nongovernmentalorganization that focuses on con-sistent exercise events as the vehi-cle to improve social connectivityand reintegration.“Exercise is so important, and

we love being able to bring it backinto the lives of veterans and notonly that, but to work out by theirside,” said Howard. “These menand women are incredible peopleand we can learn so much fromthem.”Team RWB has hosted physi-

cal activities such as several 5Ks,interval training classes, paintball,bowling and more.They also participate in

fundraisers such as Relay for Life,and their dedication to theseevents is unparalleled. Around 20Team RWB Minot membersbegan the 12-hour walk at 7 p.m.June 19, making sure theAmerican flag was in the hand ofone of the members that waswalking at all times.Though the crowd grew thin-

ner as the night went on, TeamRed,White and Blue could still beseen sprinkled around the trackwith the flag held high.Team RWB Minot holds at

least five athletic events and two

social events each month, a goalthat keeps the zeal — and friend-ships — strong.The team recently fostered a

relationship with local yoga busi-ness YogifyU and added yoga totheir monthly physical activities, astep that Howard is excited about.And, Howard said, the team is

always looking for new membersto join.“Anyone interested in support-

ing our military and connectingwith veterans can be a part ofTeam RWB. We have civiliansand even kids that come to theseevents repping the RWB T-shirt,”said Howard. “We would love tohave you join.”To be a part of Team RWB, e-

mail your name and zipcode [email protected] Nike dri-FIT T-shirts, redwith the signature Team RWBeagle, are mailed to any active-duty military and veterans just forjoining the team. The shirts areavailable online for any non-mili-tary personnel to purchase atteamrwb.org.When the colors red, white

and blue are paired up as one,they make the eminent symboland flag of our nation. When peo-ple team up as one in Team Red,White and Blue, they make a dif-ference in the lives of veteransand beyond. Both bear thenation’s colors and both representa country that, to them, is likenothing else.

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

Cornerstone of deterrence: Minot Air Force Base yesterday, today and tomorrowThank you! The people

of Minot are inextricablylinked to the cornerstone ofour nation’s nuclear deter-rence—Minot Air ForceBase. The unwavering sup-port of the local communitybuoyed the first Airmen andtheir families who arrivedand called Minot home.Today, the community sup-port remains a crucial partof every Airman and theirfamilies experience as wecontinue to serve our nation.

Over the many decadesof our deterrent mission, theAirmen and the base adapt-ed to the challenges facing

our nation with unparal-leled integrity, service andexcellence. From the initialfielding of our interconti-

nental ballistic missile forceto today’s projected forcemodernization, Airmen exe-cute the nation’s deterrentmission with the underlyingguarantee of a safe, secureand effective deterrentforce.Today, our Airmen face a

future full of opportunitiesfor professional and person-al growth. The nuclear forceimprovement program resetthe operating conditions ofour force and the nuclear

force improvement programreally transformed into anoperating philosophy. Theoperating philosophy focus-es on leading, teaching,mentoring and developingAirmen to deliver results forour nation today whilepreparing for the everexpanding challenges oftomorrow.As the future unfolds, the

“Rough Riders” of the 91stMissile Wing will continueto lead, integrate and

demonstrate excellenceacross our nuclear enter-prise whatever the chal-lenge. We are unbelievablyproud of our heritage ofexcellence and remainactively engaged in shapingour future while alwaysdefending the United Stateswith combat ready nuclearforces.With sincere thanks for

your continued support andservice — Bully, RoughRiders!

COL.MICHAELLUTTON

Commander, 91stMissile Wing

CHIEFMASTER

SGT.FELICA

NOIL

Command Chief,91st Missile Wing

Team Red, White and Blue takes off in Minot

Teddy Roosevelt oncesaid that if he never hadlived in North Dakota henever would have becomePresident of the UnitedStates. The leadership skillshe honed and the relation-ships he forged during hisbrief stint as a free rangerancher there equipped himwell for the challenges hefaced — and overcame —later in his life’s remarkablejourney.

Successive generationsof Air Force members, andtheir families, have similar-ly been deeply and positive-ly influenced by their timein North Dakota. I considermyself very fortunate tohave served in the state onthree separate occasions,the last time as commanderof the 91st Missile WingRough Riders. My militarycareer and my family cameof age in Grand Forks andMinot.

The shared sense of pur-pose, the warm and wel-coming communities bothon and off base, the suc-cessful accomplishment ofmission in the face ofadverse weather — all thesecombine to make serving inNorth Dakota a unique andspecial experience. If it istrue that “Only the BestCome North,” it is evenmore true that our Airmenare better by the time theyultimately depart for otherassignments.

Minot Air Force Baseitself was born in the midstof the Cold War. At thetime, the United States andits allies had squared offagainst the Soviet Union ina titanic struggle betweendiametrically opposed con-cepts of the individual citi-zen’s role in the political,economic and even culturallife of the nation.

In addition to being a

conflict of ideas, the ColdWar also had a huge mili-tary dimension. Each sidefielded large military forces,including nuclear weapons,to deter and, if necessary,defend against an attack bythe other.

Minot was an ideal spotfor stationing the AirForce’s long-range, nuclear-capable bombers and inter-continental ballistic mis-siles (ICBMs). Because of itsnorthernmost location, thebase was closer to potentialtargets just over the pole inthe Soviet Union than frompractically anywhere else inthe lower 48 states.

Over its 60 years, MinotAir Force Base has beenhome to the B-52 bomber,the Minuteman ICBM, refu-eling aircraft, regionaldefense jet fighters, rescuehelicopters, and the thou-sands of Air Force mem-bers and contractorsrequired to operate, main-tain, secure and supportthese systems.

The Cold War endedwith the collapse of theSoviet Union in 1991. Inthe years that followed, theUnited States dramaticallyreduced the size and scopeof its military, including itsnuclear deterrence forces.When I first entered missile

operations in the early1980s, the Air Force had1,054 ICBMs of three differ-ent types located at nineoperational bases. Today,we have 450 Minuteman IIImissiles at three operationalbases. During the sameperiod, the number of long-range bombers similarlydwindled from more than300 to only about 70 still inactive service.

The size of our nuclearweapons stockpile alsodecreased dramatically. Atits highest point in 1967,the American nuclear arse-nal consisted of over 31,000weapons. Since then, it hasbeen reduced by 85 percentand today numbers about4,700 weapons. AsSecretary of State JohnKerry recently reported,during the last 20 yearsalone, the United States hasdismantled 10,251 war-heads, with anotherapproximately 2,500 war-heads retired and in thequeue for elimination.Anyone who argues that wehave not adjusted to theend of Cold War is simplydisregarding the math.

Even though the ColdWar is over, the world isstill a dangerous and com-plex place. For now and forthe foreseeable future,nuclear deterrence remainsan important element of ouroverall national securitystrategy. No threat poses asgrave a danger to our secu-rity and well-being as thepotential use of nuclearweapons and materials byirresponsible states or ter-rorists. Thus, as long asnuclear weapons exist, theUnited States must investthe resources necessary tomaintain — without testing— a safe, secure, and effec-tive nuclear deterrent thatpreserves strategic stability

and deters attacks upon theUnited States and its allies.And, we must also give thehighest priority to keepingnuclear materials out of thehands of terrorists and pre-venting the proliferation ofnuclear weapons.

The citizens of Minotunderstand the enduringimportance of maintaininga safe, secure and effectivenuclear deterrence. The

members of Task Force 21have become nationally-rec-ognized, highly articulatechampions for maintainingand modernizing America’snuclear security enterprise.That includes not only themilitary aircraft, sub-marines and missiles thatcomprise the so-called“Triad”; it also includes thenational security laborato-ries and production facili-

ties of the Department ofEnergy’s National NuclearSecurity Administration.

Thus, 60 years after thecreation of the base, Minotremains at the forefront inproviding for our nationalsecurity, both in terms ofarticulating the rationale fora strong defense, as well asextending world-class sup-port to the bombers andmissiles, as well as theAirmen and familiesdeployed here. Given theincreasingly uncertainworld in which we live,and the continuing need fornuclear deterrent forces,Minot’s unique and impor-tant mission is likely toendure for many years tocome.

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Minot’s enduring missionLt. Gen.

FRANK G.KLOTZ,

USAF (Ret.)

Under Secretary forNuclear Security and

National NuclearSecurity

Administrationadministrator

Over its 60 years, Minot Air Force Base hasbeen home to the B-52 bomber, theMinuteman ICBM, refueling aircraft, regionaldefense jet fighters, rescue helicopters, andthe thousands of Air Force members and con-tractors required to operate, maintain, secureand support these systems.

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

North Dakota proud to be home to Minot AFBThis year marks a spe-

cial milestone in the histo-ry of Minot Air Force Base,the 60th anniversary of thebase’s ground breaking.Several Minot business-men and citizens donatedapproximately $50,000 tobuy the first portions ofland for the base andground was broken on thefirst buildings in July1955. Since then, MinotAir Force Base has becomean economic engine forour state and a powerfulforce in our nation’s mili-tary.

Minot AFB has a strong,

proud history of defendingour homeland and preserv-ing peace around the globe.Over the past six decades,the base has been taskedwith many important mis-sions and has played anintegral role in pivotal mili-

tary operations that havedefined the course of ournation and our world.

North Dakota is proudto be home to Minot AFBand grateful for the strongpartnership that has exist-ed between the U.S. AirForce and our state overthe past 60 years. The baseis an important contributorto the economic growthand strength of Minot andthe surrounding area andhas been a key factor in theregion’s prosperity.

The base’s workforce ofmore than 6,000 militarymembers and civilian

employees makes theinstallation one of thelargest single employers inNorth Dakota. Since itsestablishment, Minot AFBhas brought jobs, revenueand economic opportuni-ties to the region and thestate. In 2014, the base’spayroll exceeded $350 mil-lion and its overall eco-nomic impact was morethan $575 million. Overthe years, those contribu-tions have had a significantimpact on the local andstatewide economies andon the quality of life forgenerations of North

Dakotans.Since its first ground

breaking 60 years ago,Minot AFB has been on theforefront of strategic opera-tions and technologicaladvances. When this coun-try needed a tacticalresponse to an emergingthreat or a unit to be thefirst tasked with a newmission, Minot AFB wascalled on to fulfill thoseneeds. No doubt, as thebase embarks on another60 years of service, it willcontinue to be a leader inthe U.S. Air Force and acentral part of our nation’s

military operations.Congratulations to the

Air Force, Minot AFB andthe community of Minot asyou celebrate this historicoccasion and mark sixdecades of outstandingmilitary and economic con-tributions to our state andnation. We look forward toa continued strong partner-ship between the base andour state, and to another 60years of Minot AFB callingNorth Dakota home.Because we all know thatonly the best come north.

Best wishes for another60 years!

JACKDALRYMPLE

Governorof North Dakota

Representatives of theDavid C. Jones Chapterof the Air ForceAssociation are shown inthis photo taken earlierthis year at Minot AirForce Base. The photoincludes Sen. HeidiHeitkamp, D-N.D., fourthfrom right, and LeoMakelky, Minot, back, fifthfrom right. Makelky wasthe first secretary of theMinot AFA and thanserved as president. Astaunch supporter of theAir Force, Minot AFA wasorganized nearly 44 yearsago.Submitted photo

Air Force Association

area.®January 1975: 57th

Air Division reactivated,units at Minot AFB andGrand Forks AFB. Officerof general rank to leadcommand – Brig. Gen.George D. Miller.

®May 14, 1976: MinotAFB pays tribute withmajor ceremonies onbase to Raymond C.Dobson, publisher andpresident of The MinotDaily News, for his manyyears of building relation-ships between the Minotcommunity and MinotAFB.

®Mid-1980s: The 5thFighter InterceptorSquadron converted fromthe F-106 to F-15.Squadron deactivated in1988.

®1988: Minot AFB

selected for Commander-in-Chiefʼs InstallationExcellence Award.

®October 1989: Air-Launched Cruise Missileadded to 5th Bomb Wingʼsarsenal; 1993, bomb winggets Advanced CruiseMissiles for B-52.

®Early 1990s: Aircraftand personnel deployedfor Operation DesertStorm.

®June 1991: 57th AirDivision inactivated; 5thBomb Wing now hostbase unit.

®September 1991:After 35 years continuousalert, bomb wing aircraftcame off alert status.

®June 1992: New AirCombat Commandreplaces Strategic AirCommand as host com-mand.

®Early 1994: MinotAFB receives Air CombatCommand CommanderʼsCommunity Support

Award.®Summer 1993: 91st

Missile Wing reassignedto Air Force SpaceCommand.

®January 1994: Baseloses 906th Air RefuelingSquadron, one of baseʼsoldest units; last KC-135tanker leaves threemonths later.

®August 1996: Missilewing completes first majorupgrade on command,control and communica-tion systems at launchand control centers.

®Oct. 1, 1997: 91stMissile Wing redesignated91st Space Wing.

® Since 9/11(2001), troops from MinotAir Force Base have beendeployed in support of thewar on terrorism.

®July 2008: 91stSpace Wing renamed91st Missile Wing.

®Oct. 18, 2008: NorthDakota Air National

Guardʼs 219th SecurityForces Squadron wasactivated whose missionis to support missile secu-rity for the 91st MissileWing.

®Dec. 1, 2009: 91stMissile Wing officiallytransferred from Air ForceSpace Command to AirForce Global StrikeCommand, the Air Forceʼsnewest major command tofocus on the nationʼsnuclear enterprise. Lt.Gen. Frank Klotz, a formercommander of Minotʼs91st Missile Group/91stMissile Wing, is the firstcommander of AFGSC.

®Feb. 1, 2010: 5thBomb Wing transfers fromAir Combat Command toAir Force Global StrikeCommand.

®Summer 2011: Majorflooding in the city of Minotimpacted nearly 1,200Minot AFB personnel andfamily members. The 5th

Bomb Wing provided per-sonnel and equipment viathe Stafford Act to assistthe city in levee construc-tion and evacuationefforts.

®Dec. 2, 2011: Thenewest 5th Bomb Wingunit, the 705th Munitions

Squadron, activated,replacing the 17thMunitions Squadron, anAir Force MaterielCommand Unit.

®July 12, 2015: 60thanniversary of the ground-breaking for Minot AirForce Base.

You Are WelcomeCongratulations, On 60 Years. Thank You

For Your Service1609 35th Ave SW

701-837-1700www.baymontinns.com

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Minot AFB has a proud past and a bright futureIn a few days, we’ll cele-

brate the 60th anniversaryof Minot Air Force Base,and on this occasion, wecan not only review thebase’s proud past, but alsoits bright future.Minot Air Force Base

holds a special place in thehistory of North Dakota.The groundbreaking for thebase took place in 1955 andthe first unit, the 32ndFighter Group, was activat-ed in 1957. Throughout thedecades, the base grew insize and importance.By the early 1990s, how-

ever, the future of the basewas at risk in one of thefirst Base Realignment andClosure (BRAC) rounds. Aschairman of Minot’s TaskForce 96 until 1993, I sawfirsthand the important role

the base plays in ournation’s defenses andworked with the group toavert a closure. Later, asgovernor, I worked to makesure North Dakota got a fairdeal in the 2005 BRACround.Minot Air Force Base is

unique. Among the nation’smilitary bases, it is the onlyone with a dual nuclearmission, including two legsof the nuclear triad, the 5thBombWing and 91st

Missile Wing. For that rea-son, it’s important not onlyto maintain, but to improvethe base for the future.Over the past four years,

we have worked to securemore than $181 million inconstruction funding forthe base. This includes anew control tower and baseoperations facility, new dor-mitories, maintenance facil-ities, weapons storage facili-ties, and a new runway tokeep the base in top form.We also introduced a

provision in theDepartment of DefenseAppropriations bill last yearto make sure that all of ourmissile silos are kept in awarm state. Keeping thesesilos active is importantbecause they enable us tomove the missiles around,

strengthening our nucleardefenses.Similarly, we have

worked to include provi-sions in this year’s defenseappropriations bill that willkeep Minot and the nation’sother Air Force bases on thecutting edge. That beginswith the Nuclear ForceImprovement Program(NFIP), which is designedto update the nation’snuclear triad and take careof the men and womenwho perform the nuclearmission. This year’s appro-priations bill includes morethan $130 million for theNFIP and directs the AirForce to report back toCongress on how thisinvestment is improvingnuclear readiness.The legislation also

includes language I insertedthat directs the Departmentof Defense to maintain U.S.nuclear forces at the levelsagreed to in the NewSTART Treaty, rather thanreduce them, as the admin-istration has proposed.To help Minot and other

bases stay on the cuttingedge, the appropriations billalso provides $75 million tobegin development of thenext generation interconti-nental ballistic missile(ICBM), which will replacethe current Minuteman III.Also included is $145 mil-lion to modernize the B-52,Minot’s bomber mission.Separately, we are work-

ing to include an amend-ment to a second bill, theNational DefenseAuthorization Act, that will

help keep the NuclearForce ImprovementProgram going in the future.Our measure affirms thatthe NFIP has made impor-tant improvements for theICBM and nuclear bombermissions and that thenuclear mission shouldremain one of our highestnational security priorities.Minot Air Force Base

has been an important partof our nation’s defenses for60 years, adapting to chang-ing times, changing tech-nologies and a changingworld. Today, the pace ofthose changes is even morerapid, but I am confidentMinot Air Force Base willcontinue to help provideour country with an effec-tive and dependabledefense well into the future.

JOHNHOEVEN

U.S. Senator, R-N.D.

Nuclear Force Improvement Program is important investment in MAFB

TimeContinued from Page 23

A big part of what makesNorth Dakota so special isthe commitment to servicethat we see every day in thelives of countless folks allacross our state. NorthDakotans volunteer theirtime at local homeless anddomestic violence sheltersto make sure everyone hasa safe place to spend anight. We prepare plenty ofhotdish for neighbors whenthey’re going through diffi-cult times. And in Minot,North Dakotans proudlygive back by serving ourcountry at Minot Air ForceBase, where thousands ofairmen and women, as wellas civilian employees, helpkeep our state and nationsafe.For decades, these patri-

ots have gone to work everymorning with a true senseof purpose, knowing theirdaily work plays a criticalrole in protecting ournational security. With

North Dakota as the onlystate to host two legs of thenuclear triad —Intercontinental BallisticMissiles (ICBMs) and B-52bombers, both located atMinot Air Force Base — theMinot community has beenon the leading edge ofnuclear deterrence mis-sions. And as we celebratethe 60th anniversary of thegroundbreaking of the base,we have an opportunity toreflect upon its value to ourcountry and the importanceof supporting the missionsand employees of the basefor generations into thefuture.

We all know that theUnited States faces very realthreats from terrorist groupsand state actors alike, whichis why it is so essential thatour nation continues tohave the strongest militaryin the world. As the militaryworks to address the widerange of threats, bolsteringsupport for a safe, secure,and effective nuclear deter-rent must rank among ourhighest priorities. AndTeamMinot — the menand women of the 5thBombWing and 91stMissile Wing, as well as thebase’s civilian personnel —stands at the forefront ofthat effort.To support Minot Air

Force Base, I’ve been work-ing with top leaders tomake sure the Air Forcerecognizes the value of thebase and its mission, andhave led efforts to improveresources for servicemem-bers and civilians working

on the base.Over the past year, I’ve

pressed top Air Force offi-cials to protect the long-term viability of the ICBMand B-52 missions byinvesting in the base’s mis-sile and bomber forces.Other members of theSenate ICBM Coalition andI also successfully con-vinced the U.S. Departmentof Defense to back off aplan that could have poten-tially reduced the numberof ICBM silos across thecountry — including thoseat Minot Air Force Base.Last fall, I joined then-Secretary of Defense ChuckHagel and Secretary of theAir Force Deborah LeeJames at the base, whereSecretary Hagel committedto investing billions of dol-lars to maintain and mod-ernize our nation’s nuclearforces — a significant signof support for Minot AirForce Base from the

Administration. And inMay, I introduced a biparti-san bill with RepublicanSenator Mike Rounds fromSouth Dakota that wouldsupport the B-52 bomberforce by making sure long-range strike bombers aren’tretired prematurely.But the most important

part of the work at MinotAir Force Base isn’t the mis-siles in the silos or thebomber aircraft on the run-way — it’s the selfless folkswho go to work there everyday and enable these mis-sions to succeed.After I brought U.S.

Office of PersonnelManagement DirectorKatherine Archuleta —who oversees federal work-ers — to Minot Air ForceBase last year to hear first-

hand the challenges thatcivilian employees face,nearly 500 have receivedsignificant pay increases atthe base and across westernNorth Dakota. The raiseswill help retain and recruitthese critical federalemployees by making suretheir salaries keep pacewith the high cost of livingin the area.Minot Air Force Base

and the proud folks whokeep it running are allabout service, giving backto their country throughhard work, selfless atti-tudes, and a commitment tokeeping the nation safe.Let’s keep working togetherto make the next 60 yearsas successful for the base,the Minot community, andnation as the last 60.

Only the BestComeNorth!

Thanks for

60 Yearsof Successful DeterancePreserving our Freedom

www.tcs-minot.com

1100 South BroadwayMinot, ND 58701

701-838-3967

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

Minot Air Force Base: A tradition of serviceHEIDI

HEITKAMP

U.S. Senator, D-N.D.

was the first base commander.(Brenden also recalls the first com-

mander of the missile wing— then the455th Strategic Missile Wing — wasborn in Wahpeton. Col. Gilbert F.Friederichs was the wing commander.Brendenwas involved inmanyproj-

ects over the years he worked with thecivil engineer unit at the base.The Division and its units at Minot

and Grand Forks were transferred fromthe 15th Air Force to the Second AirForce July 1, 1963.When the base was under Second

Air Force, he recalled Isaacson got acall that 200 trees were going to beshipped to Minot in winter. “Ofcourse, they plant trees in the Southanytime of the year. I can rememberhim (Isaacson) talking to them. Theywanted to ship us a bunch of trees..Wecouldn’t take thembecause it was deadwinter.”Others who worked in the Civil

Engineer unit at the base in early years

included Harold Stroklundwhowas incharge of all the shops; John Fahn, whowas in charge of the electrical shops;Leroy “Lee” Aftem, who was in chargeof real estate for the departmentBrenden was in; and Matt Klein, whobecamedeputy base engineer.All are ofMinot.“I worked with John Sinn a lot. He

was with the (U.S. Army Corps) ofEngineers,” Brenden said.Numerous women also worked at

the base, some remaining in their jobsthere for many years, includingBrenden’s sister-in-law Dorothy Brandtof Minot.When he retired from civil service at

Minot AFB, Brenden then worked foran Omaha-based private engineeringfirm as the project engineer on the B-1Bsupport facilities at Grand Forks AFBfor a year. He then worked for the stateof NorthDakota for five years.Whenhewent to work for the state’s Division ofEmergency Management, he said theywere interested in nuclear attacks atthat time. That was in 1988. “I was thefallout shelter and tornado shelterbuilding evaluator for them,” he said.

After that, Brenden went to work forFEMA, the agency he works withtoday.When he retired from his work at

Minot AFB, Brenden told the basenewspaper, The Sentry, his retirementparty was a highlight of his career. “Iwas presented an American flag thathad been flown overMinot AFB in a B-52, a KC-135, an F-15 and a helicopter.That was pretty neat,” he said.“Since I was 22 years old the Air

Force has beenmywayof life. I feel realfortunate to have had the opportunityto serve with the Air Force. It has beengood to me and my family and I owe ita lot,” he told the base newspaper.Brenden told the base newspaper

that every time he drives byMinot AFBhe thinks aboutMaurice “Ike” Isaacson,his boss and the base’s first engineer.“He always loved trees and because ofhim the landscapingout there is super,”Brenden said at Isaacson’s retirementevent. “He (Isaacson) deserves a lot ofcredit for getting trees out there. Weplanted a lot of trees,” Brenden added,in an interview with The Minot DailyNews.

EarlyContinued from Page 3

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

Minot AFB protects in peace and warIn his first inaugural

address, President GeorgeWashington said, “To beprepared for War is one ofthe most effectual means ofpreserving peace.”Congratulations Minot AirForce Base on 60 years ofpreserving the peace!Since July 12, 1955,

Minot and the men andwomen of the Air Force sta-tioned there have been thetip of the spear in defend-ing the United States.While the names and facesof our enemies havechanged since its founding,our vigilance remains con-stant.In the early days of the

Cold War, Minot Air ForceBase stood watch againstSoviet aggression anddeterred communist expan-sion across the globe. It’sbeen home to air crews tofree nations in the MiddleEast from brutal dictatorsand help fight and win theGlobal War on Terror.Things have come full cir-

cle with Minot being piv-otal in deterring a more bel-ligerent and bellicoseRussia as it threatens theindependence and freedomof our allies in Europe andaround the globe.President Reagan used

the phrase “Peace throughStrength.” It describesMinot’s mission of deter-rence. A robust and strongmilitary is the best way toensure current and poten-tial enemies do not eventhink of attacking.It is impossible to know

how many lives have beensaved by the mere presenceof Minot’s superior force. It

is safe to say the cost asso-ciated with this mission is abargain compared to fight-ing wars. Home to bothICBMs and B-52s, Minothouses two of the three legsof our nation’s nucleartriad, successfully deterringothers from developing orlaunching their ownnuclear weapons.Minot’s 5th Bomb

Wing’s B-52s are a directstrike weapon able to attackenemies from great dis-tances. With an unfueledcombat range in excess of8,800 miles and the largestpayload of nuclear weaponsof any bomber in the U.S.Fleet, they play a criticalrole for the United States’nuclear deterrence and con-tinuous bomber presencemissions.The B-52 plays an

important role in our mili-tary’s ability to protect ourfriends and allies aroundthe globe in conventionalbombing roles. Recently,Air Force Global Strike

Command deployed threeMinot Air Force Base B-52H Stratofortresses,assigned to the 5th BombWing, to participate inmultinational exercises.Minot AFB men andwomen will fly trainingmissions over the Baltic Seaduring their month-longdeployment to Royal AirForce Base Fairford.“I’m glad Minot AFB and

all the folks who are atMinot can come here to theUnited Kingdom and expe-rience some great partnersand great teammates,” Lt.Gen. Stephen Wilson, AirForce Global StrikeCommand commander,said. “The feedback I’m get-ting is it’s been a win-winrelationship for everybody.”Home to the 91st Missile

Wing, Minot is one of onlythree bases maintaining andoperating our nuclear ICBMforce. MAFB’s 150Minuteman III ICBMs areready every day at amoment’s notice to put

bombs on target. This vigi-lance is vital to promotingpeace and keeping ourcountry and allies safe fromcurrent and emergingthreats.Recently, the 91st

Missile Wing won theBlanchard Trophy for BestICBMWing the second yearin a row. The superiortraining and dedication ofthe men and women sta-tioned at Minot was hon-ored when the 5th BombWing was named the 2014Omaha Trophy recipient forthe fourth time as the com-mand’s premier strategicaircraft operations wing,and the 91st Missile Wingwas named the 2014Omaha Trophy recipient asthe command’s premierintercontinental ballisticmissile wing, in recognitionof outstanding support toU.S. Strategic Command’sglobal strategic missionsover the last year.Throughout the history

of the Minot Air Force Base,

an unbroken chain of mem-bers have protected us intimes of peace and foughtfor us in times of war.Standing behind thesemembers are spouses andchildren, siblings and rela-tives. The good citizens ofNorth Dakota recognize andappreciate the tirelessefforts of family memberssupporting their servicemen and women and com-munities.The unwavering patriot-

ism found at Minot is sec-ond to none. Not only hasthe base undergone manychanges throughout theyears, the military person-nel have accepted and con-quered these changes.TeamMinot has proven tobe irreplaceable since 1955,and to this day, the menand women remain evervigilant in defense of ournation and its freedoms.Peace and Liberty are

ours, because Minot AirForce Base is ours. Happy60th, Minot Air Force Base!

KEVINCRAMER

Congressman,R-N.D.

Col William W. Culbertson25 Jul 68 - 17 Jul 70

Col Bob M. Garner18 Jul 70 - 09 May 72

Col William G. MacLaren Jr.10 May 72 - 23 Jul 74

Col William A. Eveland24 Jul 74 - 27 Jul 75

Col Kenneth L. Peek Jr.28 Jul 75 - 30 Jan 77

Col James D. Gormley31 Jan 77 - 7 Oct 78

Col Pintard M. Dyer III8 Oct 78 - 04 May 80

Col Alfred D. Herring05 May 80 - 11 Feb 81

Col Fredrick B. Jaicks12 Feb 81 - 04 Mar 82

Col Allan C. Blaisdell05 Mar 82 - 01 Feb 83

Col Alan V. Rogers02 Feb 83 - 12 Jun 84

Col Robert M. Marquette Jr.13 Jun 84 - 22 May 86

Col Benard W. Gann23 May 86 - 15 Mar 88

Col John Wiley III16 Mar 88 - 23 April 89

Col Kenneth S. Boykin24 Apr 89 - 24 May 89

Col David L. Young25 May 89 - 30 Oct 91

Brig. Gen William R. Hodges31 Oct 91 - 22 Aug 93

Brig. Gen Ralph Pasini23 Aug 93 - 07 Aug 95

Col Regner C. Rider08 Aug 95 - 31 Jul 96

Col Robert J. Elder Jr.01 Aug 96 - 14 Jul 98

Col Gregory H. Power15 Jul 98 - 31 Jan 00

Col Richard Y. Newton III01 Feb 00 - 09 Dec 01

Col Kevin J. Kennedy10 Dec 01 - 10 Jul 03

Col Gregory A. Biscone11 Jul 03 - 09 Jul 05

Col Eldon A. Woodie10 Jul 05 - 04 Jun 07

Col Bruce C. Emig05 Jun 07 - 17 Oct 07

Col Paul G. Bell18 Oct 07 - 31 Oct 07

Col Joel S. Westa01 Nov 07 - 29 Oct 09

Col Douglas A. Cox30 Oct 09 - 30 May 11

Col James C. Dawkins Jr.31 May 11 - 13 Jan 13

Col Alexis Mezynski14 Jan 13 - 13 Jul 14

Col Jason R. Armagost14 Jul 14 - Present

55tthh BBoommbb WWiinngg CCoommmmaannddeerrss aatt MMiinnoott AAFFBB

Col B.H. Davidson25 Jun 68 - 9 Jul 69

Col Robert E. Mullin10 Jul 69 - 3 Aug 70

Col Grover C.Graves Jr.4 Aug 70

- 18 Mar 73

Col Charles E.McCartney Jr.19 Mar 73- 4 May 75

Col Pierce L. Smith5 May 75 - 28 Jul 76

Col William R.Brooksher29 Jul 76

- 26 May 77

Col Charles L.Lipscomb27 May 77- 17 Mar 80

Col Raymond H.Cleveland

18 Mar 80 - 6 Jul 82

Col Richard P.Jaques

7 Jul 82 - 6 Sep 83

Col Anthony T.Hogan7 Sep 83- 13 Jan 85

Col ChristopherBranch14 Jan 85- 12 Aug 86

Col John J. Politi13 Aug 86 - 7 Jun 88

Col David F. Seares8 Jun 88 - 2 Oct 89

Col Edward L.Bailey Jr.

3 Oct 89 - 29 Jul 91

Col Dennis O.Abbey

30 Jul 91 - 6 May 92

Col Howard G.DeWolf

7 May 92 - 14 Jul 93

Col Gerald F.Perryman Jr.

15 Jul 93 - 4 Jan 95

Col Frank G. Klotz5 Jan 95 - 4 Aug 96

Col Russell J.Anarde

5 Aug 96 - 30 Sep 97

Col Ronald J.Haeckel

17 Apr 98 - 7 Jun 00

Col Kimber L.McKenzie8 Jun 00

- 27 May 02

Col Mark H. Owen28 May 02- 19 Jul 04

Col Daniel S.Adams Jr.

20 Jul 04 - 5 Jul 06

Col Martin Whelan6 Jul 06 - 12 May 08

Col Christopher B.Ayres

13 May 08- 13 Oct 09

Col Ferdinand B.Stoss III

14 Oct 09 - 1 Jun 11

Col Stephen L.Davis

2 Jun 11 - 3 Jun 12

Col Robert J.Vercher

4 Jun 12 - June 2014

Col. Michael J.Lutton

June 2014-Present

60 years - 1955-2015 July 9, 2015

City of Minot synonymous with Minot AFBFor many in our commu-

nity, the City of Minot hasalways been synonymouswith Minot Air Force Base.As we celebrate the 60thAnniversary of the groundbreaking of Minot Air ForceBase, I see that event asbeing one of the first eco-nomic development plansever implemented in theCity of Minot, and a life-changer for those of us whocall Minot ‘home’ today.In the early 1950s, the

Air Force was looking atseveral locations in theupper plains to put a smallfighter/interceptor base toguard the border betweenthe U.S. and Canada, whichthey thought at the time tobe “a primary corridor forentry of enemy aircraft.”While Fargo and Bismarckboth vied for the project to

be located in their cities,they did not receive muchsupport from the communi-ty or the Air Force. Minotleaders leapt at the opportu-nity by purchasing land at acost of roughly $50,000, andthrough the Chamber ofCommerce, donated it to theGovernment of the UnitedStates. Plans were devel-oped by the Air Force for450 units of base housing,and construction of theother base facilities. A yearlater, plans were ordered for

another 620 housing unitsand additional facility build-ings. The community knewat that point, that Minot AirForce Base was going to bemuch larger than the 1,200-man operation that was orig-inally planned.Over the years since,

Minot Air Force Base hasbecome much more thanjust our ‘neighbors to thenorth.’ The base contributeswell over half a billion dol-lars to the local economyeach year. It is the largestemployer in the region, andmany of our residents todayare retirees who have decid-ed to make Minot theirhome upon leaving activeduty. Spouses of active dutyAirmen teach in ourschools, heal the sick at ourhospitals, work in ouroffices, stores and restau-

rants, and otherwise con-tribute in countless ways tomake our city a better place.Airmen of all ranks havevolunteered their time andefforts mentoring childrenthrough the Companions forKids programs, Boy Scoutsand Girl Scouts, as coachesfor various athletic teams,and inspired new leader-ship through JROTC pro-grams at the high schoollevel. During times of natu-ral disasters, our friendsfrom the base have beenright beside us lending ahelping hand whenever itwas needed. As I reflect onall of that, I can’t bringmyself to think of Minotand Minot Air Force Base asseparate entities.When a unit fromMinot

Air Force Base brings homeThe Omaha trophy, The

Blanchard, or any of theother numerous awards forshowing the rest of theworld what we alreadyknow here, it brings us asense of pride; like we feelwhen one of our local teamsbring home a State champi-onship. When we see the B-52s flying over the city, wedon’t feel scared or nervous;we point them out to ourfriends, and stare at them inawe. When we see missilecrews and security forcesheading out to the field, weknow that the finest youngleaders the world has everknown are heading out tostand watch over our nationthat night. And on all ofthose occasions and somany more, we feel likethey are a part of us — thatthey are our friends, ourfamily, our neighbors.

The slogan “Only theBest Come North” is a tru-ism that has been in placesince 1957 when the first 20people were stationed at thebase. Throughout the past60 years, as the city and thebase have grown and themissions have changed, theone constant is the profes-sionalism and excellencethat comes from all of theAirmen and families sta-tioned here now, and allthose that came before you.As we celebrate this mile-stone in the history of MinotAir Force Base, I want tothank you on behalf of thepeople of Minot. Thank youfor your dedication to theAir Force, your dedicationto our city, and for yourservice to North Dakota andthe United States ofAmerica.

CHUCKBARNEY

Mayor of Minot

91st Missile Wing Commanders at Minot AFB

Congratulations toMinot Air Force base on 60years of enhancing ourcommunity and playing acritical role in the defenseof our nation. We are proudto be your friends, neigh-bors, and supporters.

Minot wanted to be thehome community for thenew “jet base” the AirForce was going to build,so much in fact, that Minotcommunity leaders man-aged to donate land to thegovernment for it. Thataction was the foundationof the kind of relationshipthe City of Minot andMinot Air Force Base haveenjoyed for 60 years.

As the base was builtand as the airmen arrivedfrom all parts of the coun-

try, Minot citizens devel-oped ways to meet andsupport them, welcomingthose assigned to MinotAFB into the communitychurches, clubs, schools,stores. The Minot AreaChamber of Commerceformed a Military AffairsCommittee, and over timeinitiated what are now

long-standing programs likethe Prairie WarriorAuction, Wild Game Feed,and Military Day at theZoo, to benefit airmen sta-tioned at Minot. Alongwith Base leadership, anHonorary CommandersProgram gives Minot civil-ian community membersthe opportunity to get toknow officers personally

and learn in depth aboutthe various missions andjobs at the base.

Over decades, flyingmissions have changed,with fighter interceptorsand tankers departing, andchanging roles for the B-52bombers with de-alerting.ICBMs have changed frommulti to single warhead,and nuclear arms agree-ments broughtSoviet/Russian inspectorsto Minot. At the beginningof the 1990s, with the U.S.military looking to reduceinfrastructure by closingbases with BaseRealignment and Closure(BRAC) rounds, communi-ty support for Minot AirForce Base evolved toanother level.

Task Force 96 wasformed by the City ofMinot and Minot AreaChamber with the goal ofretaining Minot AFBbeyond the three rounds ofBRAC in the 1990s. Thesuccess of those effortsformed the basis for theongoing efforts of TaskForce 21 (TF21), workingwith the North DakotaCongressional Delegations,Governor, North DakotaAdjutant General, industryleaders, Department ofDefense leadership, and AirForce Major Commandsand Headquarters, to retainMinot AFB and its mis-sions. Minot AFB not onlysurvived the BRAC in2005, but a second B-52squadron, the 69th

Squadron was added. Asimplied by its currentname, TF21 wants to haveour base around throughthe 21st century.

The deepest gratitudewe have for Minot AFB isfor its people, both pastand present, who havedone excellent work,enriched our lives, andthen for the most partmoved on in their careers.Shoulder to shoulder wehave lived, worked,laughed and cried togetheras one community. Wecould not ask for better.The Air Force keeps send-ing us great people, and wewelcome them and giveunwavering support.

Here’s to the next 60years!

60 years - 1955-2015July 9, 2015

‘We are proud to be your friends, neighbors and supporters’

JOHNMacMARTIN

President, MinotArea Chamber of

Commerce

MARKJANTZER

Chairman,Task Force 21

U.S. Army Corps ofEngineersSep 56

Maj Joe E. Roberts17 Sep 56

32d Air Base Squadron8 Feb 57

Lt Col John B. May11 Aug 58

Col Frank Q. OʼConnor23 Jun 59

Col Richard F. Weltzin10 Oct 60

32d Air Base Group1 Feb 61

Lt Col Harry V. Bankard01 Feb 61

Lt Col Stacey E. Brown12 Oct 61

862d Combat SupportGroup1 Jul 62

Col Julius B.Summers, Jr.01 Jul 62

Col Benjamin M.Matlick, Jr.06 Aug 63

Col Jerry E. Upchurch17 Jun 65

Col Robert T. Hall23 May 66

Col Boyd B. White08 May 67

Col Ralph E. Kirchoff12 Sep 68

Col George E. Porter01 Jan 69

Col David W. Borchert22 Sep 70

Col Harvey B. Logan12 Nov 71

91st Combat SupportGroup1 Aug 72

Col Harvey B. Logan01 Aug 72

Col John W. Blanton31 Aug 74

Col Robert C. Spencer23 Dec 74

Col Billy B. Sifford02 Jul 75

Col Kenneth L. Holden31 Oct 77

Col Alfred D. Herring26 Jul 78

Col Harry K. Rogers01 Sep 79 (acting CC)

Col George S. Cudd01 Dec 79

Col Arthur E. Johnson10 Dec 80

Col William E. Bristol14 Jul 82

Col David M Woods22 May 84

Col Franks C. Watson30 May 85

Col Bruce D. Twine29 Aug 86

Lt Col Arthur E. Cole15 Jun 88

857th Combat SupportGroup

22 Jun 88


Col Charles L. Tatum08 Jul 88

Col Gerald L. Gerlach15 Aug 89

5th Support Group1 Sep 91

Col Gerald L. Gerlach01 Sep 91

Col Larry W. Odom14 Feb 92

Col Danny C. Rehm24 Jun 93

Col David R. Evans22 Aug 94

Col Richard C. Hughes30 Oct 95

Col Yoshi Smith21 Apr 97

Col John N. McLean, Jr.02 Nov 98

Col Paul C. Keller, Jr.19 Jul 00

Col Maryann H.Chisolm18 Jun 02

5th Mission SupportGroup4 Sep 02

Col Maryann H.Chisolm18 Jun 02

Col Jay S. Carlson18 Jun 04

Col Glenn A. Lang17 Aug 06

Col James M. Gallagher23 Jun 08

Col Michael L. Dilda14 Jun 10

Lt Col Randall S. Morris17 Aug 11

Col William P. Mazzeno24 Feb 12

Col Roy W. Collins11 Jul 14

MMAAFFBB SSuuppppoorrtt UUnniitt CCoommmmaannddeerrss 11995566--22001155

Col David M Woods22 May 84

Col Franks C. Watson30 May 85

Col Bruce D. Twine29 Aug 86


24 Apr 15 5 BW/HO, 91MW/HO857th Combat Support Group22 Jun 88Lt Col Arthur E. Cole

22 Jun 88Col Charles L. Tatum

08 Jul 88Col Gerald L. Gerlach

15 Aug 89

5th Support Group 1 Sep 91Col Gerald L. Gerlach

01 Sep 91Col Larry W. Odom

14 Feb 92Col Danny C. Rehm

24 Jun 93Col David R. Evans

22 Aug 94Col Richard C. Hughes

30 Oct 95Col Yoshi Smith

21 Apr 97Col John N. McLean, Jr.

02 Nov 98Col Paul C. Keller, Jr.

19 Jul 00Col Maryann H. Chisolm

18 Jun 02

5th Mission Support Group 4Sep 02Col Maryann H. Chisolm

18 Jun 02

Col Jay S. Carlson18 Jun 04

Col Glenn A. Lang17 Aug 06

Col James M. Gallagher23 Jun 08

Col Michael L. Dilda14 Jun 10

Lt Col Randall S. Morris17 Aug 11

Col William P. Mazzeno24 Feb 12

Col Roy W. Collins11 Jul 14

Minot Air Force Base 60th Year

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