FARGO, N.D. — Hundreds of well-wishers gathered at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo, N.D., this afternoon to formally thank more than 300 North Dakota National Guard Soldiers who spent nearly a year on a NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Most of the Soldiers served as part of the 231st Maneuver Task Force, while 20 served in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Pristina, Kosovo, as part of the mission.
“Today, we officially recognize and thank the members of the 231st Maneuver Task Force for the outstanding job they did in Kosovo,” said Gov. John Hoeven. “I had the opportunity to see firsthand the exemplary service provided by this distinguished group of Soldiers and the strong work ethic, dedication to mission and willingness to serve others that defined their yearlong peacekeeping mission.”
Amidst the thanksgiving and celebration, Hoeven made a point to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of Sgt. Terry Rishling, of Fargo, who died of natural causes while serving in Kosovo. Rishling’s wife, Nancy, was in attendance and took his place as the Soldiers filed across the stage to be recognized.
“I thank you, the Soldiers, for your mission-focused dedication during train up and throughout your deployment, but I also thank your families and employers,” said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general. “Without their support, this would not have been a successful mission. We owe them our sincerest gratitude.”
North Dakota’s congressional delegation — including Congressman Earl Pomeroy and representatives of Senator Byron Dorgan and Senator Kent Conrad — also thanked the Soldiers and their families during the Freedom Salute ceremony.
The Freedom Salute campaign began in December 2003 and quickly became one of the largest Army National Guard recognition endeavors in history. It was designed to publicly recognize Soldiers, and takes place about three months after they return from a deployment, which allows time for reintegration weekends with their families.
Nearly 650 North Dakota Soldiers participated in the Kosovo mission, the remainder of which will be recognized with their own Freedom Salute in Bismarck next month. While in Kosovo, Brig. Gen. Alan Dorhmann, of Bismarck, commanded Multi-National Battle Group – East, which was comprised of soldiers from 37 states and territories, as well as Armenia, Greece, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
“As the task force commander who had the 231st Maneuver Task Force under my command, there is one thing I have to say to the Soldiers, the families and the employers, and that is thank you,” Dorhmann said.
Dohrmann directed some of his remarks directly to employers in the audience, saying, “I guarantee you got back a better employee than when they left because these Soldiers did fantastic things, and the experience, leadership and cultural understanding they’ve gained during the past 18 months was invaluable.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Jack Cripe, of Dickinson, said change was a constant for the Soldiers as they battled the flood of 2009 in the midst of mission train-up before continuing to mobilization training in the U.S. and Germany, and finally, the peacekeeping in Kosovo.
“This all brought us together as a family, learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
The Soldiers in the 231st Maneuver Task Force served as part of Multi-National Battle Group – East and were commanded by Lt. Col. Lee Nordin, of Bismarck, while Command Sgt. Maj. Joel Walsvik, of Verndale, Minn., served as the senior enlisted leader for the unit. Nearly 170 of them were honored as first-time deployers and 140 were thanked for having deployed a second time.
“We all know how difficult it is for the Soldiers, the families and our communities when our Soldiers are called to serve, and it is particularly challenging to be called to serve again,” said Maj. Debra Lien, who also deployed to Kosovo and served as the master of ceremony for the event. “The price of serving is immeasurable and it is difficult to find words that adequately express our gratitude for your sacrifice.”
Seven Soldiers were honored for having served on three deployments, while Staff Sgt. Austin Gordon, of Valley City, N.D., and Staff Sgt. Eric J. Carlson, of West Fargo, N.D., were recognized for four deployments. For Staff Sgt. Jacob Bollinger, of Valley City, Kosovo was the fifth deployment he volunteered to go on; that’s the most among any North Dakota Army National Guard Soldier since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism.
While all families were thanked at the ceremony, 15 were recognized by name for having taken on leadership roles with Family Readiness Groups, which bring together Soldiers’ families for mutual support. Those honored include Janet Wendel, Kay Brown, Marilyn McMurray, Mary Nicholas, Raina Askin, Cindy Rath, Peggy Pribula, Diana Phaneuf, Howard Pribula, Juanita Hertz, Melissa Bohl, Stephanie Schuldheisz, Kristi Hartel, Mollie Johnson and Kristi Nelson.
Each company within the Maneuver Task Force also chose someone to receive both an Outstanding Center of Influence Award and a Distinguished Center of Influence Award as a way “to publicly acknowledge our sincere gratitude for their outstanding support,” Lien said.
Those receiving the Outstanding Center of Influence Award were Tom Martin, Valley City VFW; Barb Olerud, who led the Company A Family Readiness Group; Tammy DeSautel, North Dakota Job Service; and Dave Seifert, Fargo Vets Center. They will receive a Minuteman statue at a later date as part of the award.
The Distinguished Center of Influence Awards went to Valley City Mayor Bob Werkhoven; Charlie Weible, West Fargo VFW; Brenda Kraft, Strata Corporation; and Raina Askin, Company C Family Readiness Group. Each will receive a framed mural.
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Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,500 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Currently, about 150 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 52 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.
Photos
High-resolution photos to accompany this release are available on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/ndguard. Navigate to the photo set titled “231st Maneuver Task Force Freedom Salute.”