News

Press Release 24-23

For Immediate Release August 6, 2024 

Contact: Nathan Rivard (701) 333-2129 nathan.r.rivard.civ@army.mil 

North Dakota Army National Guard Conducting Training at Kimball Bottoms and on Missouri River 

Bismarck, ND – The North Dakota Army National Guard is conducting training in the Kimball Bottoms Off-Highway Vehicle area, south of Bismarck, on August 16-18. During this period, a portion of the Missouri River in that area will be temporarily closed from 10:30 a.m. to noon on August 17

Press Release 24-24

For Immediate Release August 8, 2024 

Contact: Nathan Rivard (701) 333-2129 nathan.r.rivard.civ@army.mil 

North Dakota Military Gallery Architectural Design Development Drawings Unanimously Approved 

BISMARCK, N.D. – In a significant milestone for the North Dakota National Guard, the Capitol Grounds Planning Commission unanimously approved the architectural design development drawings for a new military gallery addition on Tuesday, Aug. 6. This will be located on the south side of the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum.

DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA, UNITED STATES

07.29.2024

Story by Staff Sgt. Michaela Granger 

North Dakota National Guard Public Affairs

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. David Hooge, 231st Quartermaster Platoon, North Dakota National Guard, rescued a woman from a sinking car in Devils Lake, North Dakota, July 29, 2024.

North Dakota is striving to become the most military-friendly state in the nation and many of you are eligible to receive money back when you file your state income tax return.

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

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

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

Columbarium Groundbreaking Afterwards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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