FARGO, N.D. — Joel P. O’Neil, 35, of West Fargo, N.D., was promoted to the rank of sergeant first class on March 23, 2012, with Company A of the 231st Brigade Support Battalion in Fargo.
O’Neil has been a member of the North Dakota Army National Guard for 12 years. He holds the military occupational specialties of motor transport operator and horizontal construction engineer. He has served on two overseas deployments. In 2003-04, he deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom with Headquarters Support Company of the 142nd Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), Fargo. In 2009-10, he deployed to Kosovo on a NATO peacekeeping mission with Company A, 231st Brigade Support Battalion, Fargo.
O’Neil serves as a platoon sergeant in Fargo’s Company A, 231st Brigade Support Battalion.
He attended North Dakota State University and received a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He works as a general superintendent for Wanzek Construction.
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Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,800 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Currently, nearly 300 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, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.