On 2 different sides of the country there were 2 events. The fires that were turning neighborhoods in Los Angeles into apocalyptic terrain, and the history making winter storm that rocked southeastern states and brought record ice and snowfall, and brought that part of the nation to a standstill.

I do not want you to think I am comparing these 2 events as being equal in scope and devastation. Rather, I would like to point out that the Minot Air Force Base population is in most part not from this area, and I am sure that they, like my wife and I, were glued to the TV as we watched the details unfold. We had someone who we were concerned about living in the affected areas.

Our son once lived in Monrovia, a small (by California standards) community just south and east of Los Angeles. At one time he had an apartment where he could actually see the iconic front gate of the Rose Bowl. In Monrovia a couple of years ago there were wildfires that were clearly visible in the hills that overlooked the city. The Bobcat Fire, as it was called back then, also threatened the historical Mount Wilson observatory, and the many communication antennas also on top of Mount Wilson.

Fast forward to January of 2025 and again the area is ravaged by another wildfire, now named the Eaton Fire, that has destroyed thousands of homes and structures and claimed at least 16 (at the time I am writing this) lives. History will hopefully repeat itself as it now appears that fire crews will be able to save the area on Mount Wilson from destruction, but the Eaton Fire has burned through 15,000 acres. Santa Ana winds are once again fanning the fires but at least it seems that the thousands of firefighters deployed to the area are finally turning the tide as the Eaton Fire is now about 33% contained.

So, what’s your point, Rod? My point is that Los Angeles and Atlanta may seem a long way from North Dakota, but your next door neighbor could have a son, like us, or a daughter, or friends, that could be in harms’ way. A lot of people who know that my son lives in California, and in particular the Los Angeles area, have sent me emails, or text messages or even called me to find out if my son is OK? There has never, and hopefully history will not repeat itself in this case, been a catastrophic fire event like the one that is still threatening hundreds of thousands of people in Los Angeles. And even though the southeast states will get back to somewhat normal in the next week or so, based on what we saw in our 2011 flood, Los Angeles and the areas affected by the fires, will probably never be the same.

With the advent of social media and cell phones, we are fortunately, and perhaps unfortunately, given access to never before seen coverage of the events that are now becoming common place in our world. But what we also have to remember is that Minot is different from other cities that have military bases. I have often seen Minot Air Force Base referred to as a “smaller base” in the news media. But the truth is that in comparison Minot Air Force Base is much larger in terms of population percentage than other bases located closer to larger cities. It is very possible that your neighbor who is active duty could be from Los Angeles and have family members who were forced to evacuate. As connected as we have become, we can in a matter of minutes have vital infrastructure destroyed, and our connection to family, friends and relatives can disappear. Our son was able to communicate with us and (kind of) set our minds at ease about where his home was in relationship to the fires. But we quickly questioned him about others, including friends that lived near the Rose Bowl, who may still be waiting for the final word to evacuate. One family we knew had, and still have, both of their cars loaded and ready to leave. They would be lucky because there are stories of those who escaped with just their clothes on their backs.

So, for our friends and associates at Minot Air Force Base, we hope and pray that everyone you know is safe, and their homes were not destroyed. And if that is not the case, we keep you in our thoughts and prayers for safety for those you know as they deal with what is ahead for them.

One final point, and it comes as more of a final thought. Just a few short weeks ago we had one of our squadrons of B-52’s deployed to the middle east. By nature, information about the deployment was very controlled. I would run into friends at Minot AFB who had relatives that were part of that deployment. How difficult it must be to be limited, again by design, on the information about the deployment. Not knowing how long the deployment would be, and the date of return.

The Minot Air Force Base is in the business of security, both for our nation and our allies. And to serve notice, however it best be done, to our adversaries that we will do what it takes to accomplish this mission. Yes indeed, as a base, and a community, and a country…we are connected.

Best Kept Secrets

The date has been set…and we are guaranteed that the Downtown Minot Fall Festival will be held on September 13th, 2025. Mark your calendars and be sure to watch for more information coming your way.

Today’s Chuckle

This is one of those real life events created by my grandson. We had a bit of a snowstorm in West Fargo, and we woke Sunday to snow and cold. It was natural for me to look out and make a plan to shovel my son’s driveway (we were grandkid sitting). I have 2 grandsons old enough to shovel. The oldest said he was ready and started getting dressed. The next in line said “Me, shovel? No thank you.” Boy, I can’t remember being given that option when I was a kid. If you guessed that grandpa won out and grandson #2 joined us outside…you are right. LOL