An Average Day

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. —It was a winter day like any other at Minot AFB: cold, snowing and rife with ice covering roads and walkways. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Thompson, 5th Security Forces Squadron response team leader, was starting his afternoon shift after a cozy morning at home. ”I got up to […]

A Hard Place to Leave

Not all of us have lived in a location that we find undesirable. But if you have, you may have borrowed a quote from a song by Mac Davis that talks about “happiness seeing Lubbock in your rear view mirror.” It may be true that heading south because you can’t go north is going toward […]

Airmen of GT: 791 MMXS Airmen
participate in GT 245

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, ND —The Airmen who perform the vital mission of ensuring intercontinental ballistic missiles meet operational standards are some of the most skillfully trained and dedicated personnel in the Air Force. Late last year, a crew of these Airmen from the 791st Missile Maintenance Squadron pulled an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM out […]

Generals Grow from Minot AFB

With double the amount of Wing Commanders on this base compared to most Air Force bases, Minot therefore has two times the chance of seeing those “full bird” Colonels move on to the illustrious rank of General. Over the past decade, MAFB has had several previous wing commanders, either on the 5th Bomb Wing or […]

Summer Camping: NDSP Booking Window Opens

The energy is in the air. The daylight is making itself known longer and longer. The home stretch is approaching. Feel it. Say it. Winter is coming to a close, well sort of. Even though it is officially winter for another month, and the cold is likely here for months after that, there is a […]

A Snowman in Sunshine

KEY LARGO, FLORIDA — I’ll admit it’s a goofy concept, at least that’s one perfectly acceptable way of looking at it. I’m talking about a North Dakotan going to the Sunshine State and completely covering up in opposition to it. Yup. Goofy. Wait now. If a fair-skinned Norwegian from North Dakota doesn’t cover up in […]

The Flying Saucer Phenomenon…

These stories about flying saucers just don’t seem to go away. People continue to talk about seeing them or evidence of them all over North Dakota. Numerous people continue to tell me about their experiences with UFOs. They tell me in confidence because they don’t want to be ridiculed. The thing is, these people, many […]

The Pace Never Lets Up

Soon enough, the 2023 Nuclear Surety Inspection at Minot AFB will be over. We have been hearing about preparation for the Nuclear Surety Inspection in our Military Affairs Committee meetings. From what we hear in those short briefings, a lot of time and effort has gone into getting ready for the NSI, and Team Minot […]

The “Best Of MAFB” is up to YOU!

What makes something “The Best”? Is it the service, the attitude, the work ethic? You get to decide! The Northern Sentry is kicking off the brand new Best Of Minot AFB Awards. We want to highlight the places that the Minot AF base community treasures, but we need your input to find out which places […]

AFGSC leadership address questions from the field on missile base health concerns

Barksdale Air Force Base, La. —The Commander and Command Chief, Air Force Global Strike Command, held two virtual town halls on Jan. 30 with AFGSC leadership teams and Airmen from the nuclear enterprise to discuss concerns from Airmen about the “Malmstrom Initiative Slide Deck.” In that discussion a number of questions were put forth to […]