It was in September of 1963 that the first LGM 30A Minuteman I would arrive at Minot Air Force Base, eventually becoming combat ready in April of 1964. Now some 62 years later as Minot Air Force Base waits for the eventual replacement of the Minuteman III which became combat ready in August of 1970 and is now 55 years old, Minot will be the host community for the annual Association of Air Force Missileers (AAFM) National Meeting on August 5th through the 9th of 2026.
There was an evening reception held at the Air and Space Forces Association conference this last September in Washington, D.C., for all missileers. Many Minot AFB personnel were in attendance and raised a couple of rousing “Bully” chants when Minot was mentioned. This would be the first time that the AAFM would have their annual meeting in Minot and as always the community wanted to make sure that everyone in attendance certainly felt welcome if they chose to attend this year’s annual meeting.
For more information on the AAFM annual gathering go to the AAFM website at AFMissileers.org. There is a lot of information on the AAFM on the site including a link to an application for membership.
Missileer’s Hall of Fame
As part of the program at the AAFM gathering at the AFA Director Linda Aldrich talked about the Missileer’s Hall of Fame. At the annual meeting in Minot the AAFM will induct members that were nominated and accepted by the Hall of Fame committee to the Missileer’s Hall of Fame.
Our local Air and Space Forces Association chapter is looking for missileers to nominate to be admitted to this very prestigious Hall of Fame. Besides forwarding name of people you may know who you think deserve recognition, you may want to nominate someone yourself. Nomination information is on the AAFM website. There is a lot of information about the Missileers Hall of Fame, as well as instructions on how to nominate someone. If you have a suggested name please forward it on to me at sentrysales@srt.com.
The End, And The Beginning
This will be our last Northern Sentry for 2025. Because Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, which is the day that our papers are delivered to our distribution folks and carriers, it just didn’t make a lot of sense to publish a Northern Sentry on that day. We will have our normal “Year In Review” edition expertly crafted and edited by the head of our graphics Nikki Greening on January 2nd, and then it’s back to normal papers on January 9th.
The vision that we at the Northern Sentry have for our paper is to be the official source for news and events at Minot Air Force Base. Of course, that ties closely with getting news and events from Minot and surrounding communities to the Minot Air Force Base active duty military, their dependents and of course anyone else that takes an interest in just what is happening at Minot Air Force Base and on a larger scale what is happening in the U.S. Air Force.
It is absolutely amazing to me the depth of the leadership at Minot AFB. But it isn’t only me that appreciates those leaders who make Minot one of, or let’s just say THE BEST base in the Air Force. Hardly a day goes by that a major story breaks about something happening in the military arena that can’t be followed back to Minot AFB or someone who has had a leadership role at MAFB.
And here is where I step in and do a big shout out to these past leaders who when they recognize you are from Minot will go out of their way to talk about how proud they were to serve at Minot Air Force Base, and what a unique relationship the base and the community had “when I was there…and I hear it continues today.”
There isn’t enough room in this article to mention them all. Whether it be a VIP visit to the base or in a conference room at the Air & Space Forces convention, the light shines bright when Minot is part of any conversation.
Sure, it can be cold, and windy, and sometimes living here is a challenge, but as one former MAFB commander said to me “You know the cold weather is beat out every time by the warmth of the people.”
As we look ahead to 2026, and several mid-summer change of commands at Minot AFB, we can rest assured that the mission that has been established for those serving at our base will continue…non-stop.
I close out 2025 with a story that shows the dedication of our Airmen. Thursday night we were traveling back from West Fargo. Our grandson had a choir concert, and of course grandparents don’t miss choir concerts. The wind was 24 miles per hour plus. The temperature had started to drop, and to add to this weather challenge, there was a freezing mist that coated everything with ice. About the time I was feeling sorry for myself having to endure all of this, I looked to my left, and there in a missile silo area that was lit up bright as day was a group of our Airmen doing maintenance work. I am not privy to what they were doing on this weather challenged evening, but if they had to be outside in the elements, the weather definitely got their attention.
That’s what it takes to be the best…even when the chips do not quite fall into place. Back with you in 2026. Have a great holiday season.
The Winter Adventure Guide
You’ll find our annual Winter Adventure Guide in this week’s paper, and on our distribution stands around Minot and Minot AFB. Grab one and learn about all of the exciting things to do right now! No need to wait. There’s a great world of North Dakota adventure waiting for you.
This Week’s Chuckle
It’s hard to know what to think of the younger generation. We’ll probably just have to wait until they’re old enough to talk.
