As a journalist writing a story, you sometimes are forced into situations that are at best, getting information to be knowledgeable enough to write a good story, one that gets and holds the attention of the reader.Four years ago, I had the pleasure of accepting a job with the Northern Sentry. I would be in […]

I’ve lived in Indiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, South Dakota, and North Dakota. In each place I did my best to make our house into a “home.”On the casual end of the spectrum that meant painting a wall or two. On the extreme end, it meant tearing out walls during a deployment, or overhauling a kitchen […]

Often times when I’m involved with my radio hobby of DXing, I’ll run across a radio station I’d never heard of before. When that happens, I look up the distance between my location and the radio tower. In so doing, I’ve come to realize that we are closer to many places than we realize.I’m of […]

The sweet scent of fresh cut grass. Dew glistening on baseball spikes. A mouth full of sunflower seeds. Holding a freshly oiled baseball glove to your face. A full moon rising over the outfield fence and the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs drifting across the diamond and through the grandstand. Memories of Corbett Field, Minot’s […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. —Wingman. Leader. Warrior. These are the words that U.S. Air Force Captain Michael Thrasher, a director of operations for the 5th Security Forces Squadron, lives by. Thrasher is responsible for providing security to the people, assets, and aircraft at Minot Air Force Base. Thrasher has undergone years of intense military […]

PCS season is here again. The familiar comings and goings are what makes the military function. In a lifestyle where nothing is constant, the fact that life will change is the one thing that is for sure. This year marks a different sort of change for the 91 Security Forces Group. For the first time […]

The flower petals fall gracefully to the river below. The Souris river is running faster than usual this spring, but still the vibrant rose petals begin their trip down the river. It’s my first Memorial day in Minot and all I have is a sheet of paper from my news director with an address and […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month recognizes and honors the heritage of individuals of AAPI descent.1st Lt. Aaron Chen, 742nd Missile Squadron Nuclear and Missiles Operations officer, and his mother immigrated from Singapore to a small town in New York. At a young age, Chen wanted to join […]

Oh Canada! It’s another country, another government and a foreign place. But it doesn’t always feel like it. For those of you looking to take that first exciting trip out of the USA this summer and get that nonexistent stamp in your passport- I was sad to find they don’t do that when driving over […]

It’s the time of the year that is definitely not one of my favorites. You all call it PCS season, while those of us who have gotten to know and work with those who are headed down the road to a different base and community just refer to June and July as “that time of […]

The parking lot was full of vehicles. Every available parking space for several blocks in all directions was full too. The crowd was shoulder to shoulder. Parents held tightly to their children. Great excitement in the City of Minot!Huh? The year was 1962. The occasion was the grand opening of Arrowhead Mall, the first shopping […]

It was recently announced that two more North Dakota newspapers have closed for an indefinite amount of time. They are the New Town News and Mountrail County Record in Parshall. That brings the recent number of closures to six in what seems to be a stunning trend. First, it was the Metigoshe Mirror, then the […]

In order to understand the essential functions of each group in the Missile Wing and get an in-depth life and career perspective from Team Minot’s senior leaders, the Northern Sentry is running a series of articles talking to the people who understand the most about the importance of their group: the Group Commanders themselves. The […]

Did you know that prior to the late 1980s the military was actually allowed to dictate more about military spouses’ lives? Yep, that’s right. Though not actually written down as binding, spouses were de facto included in the servicemembers’ obligations and were required to attend events, volunteer and even not work outside the home. These […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. – After being laid off from his job in late 2020, Senior Airman Jesse Yang, aerospace ground engineer technician for the 5th Maintenance Group, decided to speak with one of his old mentors who ultimately convinced him to join the Air Force. After months of training, Yang completed Basic Military […]

On 5 April, as most of North Dakota looked forward to quickly rising temperatures taking the area in to the 50s and 60s, the men and women of 91st Missile Wing had a very different take: concern. North Dakota is prone to cold weather, heavy snow and high winds. These factors serve to create large […]

Summer is upon us in Hot Dish Land. For locals this means trips to “the lake.” For military families it means “PCS season.” For all of us it means days outdoors, shedding the translucent pallor of winter, and gloriously long days. There are few things better than a North Dakota summer. They go by quickly, […]

Quite often the discussion between a resident of Minot, and someone who lives and works on base will come to the existence of Richardson’s Ground Squirrels, aka gophers, or as they are referred to by military personnel on Minot AFB, Dak Rats. One of my first memories of exterminating a gopher from our yard came […]

Everyone needs a little down time now and then. Maybe sit back and relax, whatever form that may be, and get away from daily routines and responsibilities. One way I’ve found to do exactly that usually involves a fishing rod, good company, and an appreciation for one’s surroundings. Shimmering water, gentle waves, and passing cloud […]

Last week we summarized several ghost towns across the state. This week we’ll switch it up and take a look at North Dakota’s 10 newest communities. Six of them are either suburbs of Fargo or are nearby. Four are independent communities in western North Dakota. 1.) Oxbow 1988 – This is clearly the newest community […]