Yep, PCS season is certainly upon us, and we are about to go through the change of command for both the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing. I want to say right up front that I am excited for both Col Burrel and Col Chapman to assume command of the 5th & 91st. Having worked with both of them, I know that they will keep leading Minot Air Force Base on a positive path, and more important, they will continue the mission(s) that have made Minot Air Force Base a key to our nation’s defense posture.

However, wouldn’t it be nice to add a couple of years to the tenure of our Airmen and commanders (those Airmen who only stay for two years) at Minot Air Force Base? I ask this question, and yet I am certainly not the person who long ago made the decision that commanders at Minot Air Force Base are here for only two years.
In asking this question, I also have to refer back to our experience at the Northern Sentry. Certainly, anyone taking command of either wing at Minot AFB is ready to assume the military side of the duties that are associated with the job. But from the outside looking in, we (the Northern Senty staff) can see that there is a plethora of “other important stuff” that is associated with the job. I am sure these added duties make the list they deal with very long.

But I really want to get back to the root of why I think four years is more preferred from our side than two. First, it seems that the first year literally flies by as the commanders experience their first time at a lot of different activities. State Fair Parade, Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting, Home for the Holidays, Prairie Warrior Auction…just to name a few. In a two year tenure the commanders get to experience their first, and their last of these events. Next, the spouses of the commanders normally also get involved in a lot of activities. Here again, year one is a lot of first(s), year 2 is a lot of lasts. It seems like they just gain traction in their community work both on base and in the community, and they are talking about when they will be leaving with their spouse for their next assignment, or when they will retire.

Next, is the family members who are affected. Let’s say that a young family member arrives in Minot when they are a freshman (9th Grader) in school. If their family is assigned for 4 years, they will be able to attend the same high school for four years, and potentially graduate from the same high school after 4 years. Of course it’s not going to work for every military student, but being able to spend four years in an education system as strong as Minot’s will be an advantage for any student, no matter how old they are. I just recently talked to one of my friends on Minot Air Force Base and he said his daughter was able to spend one year (she was a Freshman) at Minot North, and it was the best year of her life. However, she will be moving this summer, and of course that means she will not only have a new academic home, but she plays soccer and will have to try out to make a different soccer team.

Again, I am not speaking for any one particular person at Minot Air Force Base, rather I am only one voice that works intensively with folks on the Minot AFB, and I just really dislike saying good bye to those folks who have found the Minot community to be a warm (OK, from a personality standpoint) and accommodating place to live and raise a family.

Finally, there is the recreational aspect of Minot. If you own a boat, a camper or even an ATV, summers are the highlight of your year. But what if you were going to purchase a boat for instance, and you know that you potentially have only this summer and next summer to use the boat. Then you receive orders for Germany, albeit Germany is a great place to be stationed, but your recently purchased boat gets to spend two years (minimum) in storage. With four years you have more opportunity to recreate on all of the great lakes and in all of the parks and other recreational venues around Minot.

If you are saying “Well Rod, you are kind of looking at this through a very narrow portal” you are totally 100% correct. Many people would argue that two years is too long, and more often than not it is the cold winters that they are happy to leave behind. My argument for that is; There are weather challenges no matter where you live.
And you can all me shallow for my views, but I really do not like saying goodbye to good friends. And yes, you did read in my last article about making all of the new residents who are PCS’ing into Minot welcome, and we certainly should. But my point is this; It just seems to make more sense, even financially for the Air Force, to move people less often. And if it were up to me the cycle for moving would be four years instead of two.
But enough said…I guess I have stated my case. Good luck again to those who are leaving or retiring in the summer of 2026. If I had my way….

Ramblin’ Around…
Never been one to camp? Don’t have the equipment? I would suggest that you tour the ND Parks web site (parkrec.nd.gov) for the cabins, yurts and even a covered wagon at Fort Ransom State Park, that you can rent. They come with everything except bedding and linen…and food of course, and there are different sized options. We have enjoyed a yurt at Cross Ranch, and a cabin at Lake Metigoshe and Little Missouri State Park, just to name a few. There are great pictures of the units on the ND Parks web site.

Today’s Chuckle
People who fish for compliments ought to learn how to scale them down.