It seemed so easy…you just scan the QR code on the sign, which takes you to a web site so you can sign up for both the silent auction and the live auction. 

 Hey folks, The Prairie Warrior Auction took place last Thursday night at the North Dakota State Fair Center, and I knew that after wandering past a few of the items that were on the silent auction, I would need to get registered for the online bidding system. 

 After I walked up to the table where the registration sign was, I was having issues getting my phone on the same page as me. A young Airman who obviously was assigned to help folks like me walked over and offered his assistance. Getting assistance from someone younger is pretty common for me, I have 4 grandkids who have a variation of tablets, iphones and Apple watches. For us grandparents the common joke is “if you are having trouble, ask your grandkids.” 

 I had tried several times to use the QR code to get to the Prairie Warrior Auction web site, and was wondering why they couldn’t have used those bidding sheets, like they used to at silent auctions. “Well,” the young Airman explained to me “this allows for everyone to be bidding on the silent auction items from their seats, while also enjoying the live auction.” 

 At that point in time, I felt rather ignorant. But the young Airman just smiled and said, “we’ll get this” with a tone of encouragement. Sure enough, we went through the steps together, but I have to be honest, I did hand him my phone a couple of times to speed up the process. Dang! Can those young kids type on a cell phone. Once the registration was complete, we went to a different screen and got my “Live” auction number, which another Airman wrote on a bidding sheet for me. I told the young Airman, “Hey thanks for your time,” and he in turn said “I enjoyed working with you. Take care and I hope you get what you want tonight.” 

 That really gets me to the point of my article this week. I am always, and I really mean always, impressed with the quality of the Airmen I meet at Minot Air Force Base.  Not only at the Prairie Warrior Auction, but it starts at the gate when you enter Minot Air Force Base. While checking your ID card they give you a smile and wish you a great day, even on those days when it’s below zero and the wind is blowing creating one of these “North Dakota only wind chills.” 

You might say “well Rod, that’s what they are told to do” and I will agree. But it certainly would be easy to have a bit of a chip on your shoulder when weather conditions are extreme, and I am pretty sure that not everyone who drives up to the gate is having a Grade A day. Still, hats off to the folks at the gate for extending what we call North Dakota nice.

And then there was the older lady stopped on the side of the road on Highway 83, with her flashers on and a look of despair. It took me a bit to turn around and head back to where she was parked, but before I got there a couple of cars had already stopped. You probably guessed it. They were Airmen from Minot Air Force Base stopping to help. They were dressed for a trip to Minot for the evening, and it was certainly not comfortable standing out in the wind and cold. Soon it was determined that it would be wiser to provide a ride to Minot rather than attempt to fix the car out on the highway. I ended up providing the ride, but only after the Airmen offered their assistance.

And finally…A Shout Out
I have often said that working for the Northern Sentry and being given the opportunity to meet and interview the Minot AFB leaders and Airmen is perhaps the best job I have ever had.
We know that Minot AFB has the largest number of first term Airmen in the Air Force. These Airmen do a great job and represent the Air Force and Minot Air Force Base well.

Because of the nature of what the Northern Sentry does on base, we work hand in hand with a group of Airmen assigned to Public Affairs. Our friends from PA (as we refer to them) are the liaison between the Minot AFB and the Northern Sentry. Over the past 12-18 months the world has started to change, and so has the mission of the Minot Air Force Base. The group that is responsible for communicating the mission of Minot AFB to the community of Minot and surrounding communities, is Public Affairs. And they do that job so very well. Looking at the quality of the product including editorial and photos that they produce every day, it is top notch!

Yeah, a shout out to this group of professionals who do their job so very well. Not to say that others don’t, but we are so very fortunate to have these folks on speed dial when we need information. Unfortunately, like almost every facet of the Air Force, these folks PCS out approximately every 2 years. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we will soon get to meet someone new. It’s kind of humorous as we struggle to learn the new person’s names and where they are from. But soon they’ll stop calling us Mr. and refer to us by our first names.

Best Kept Secrets
Well it has to out to Bogey’s this week…comfortably located in the downstairs area of Whisky Nine. The menu and the atmosphere are different from Whiskey Nine (still open), so stop on down for what is described as “the best damn Happy Hour in town!”

Today’s Chuckle
A quitter never wins and a winner never quits, which is a good reason to just avoid starting in the first place.