It’s Big “C” Community
It’s been a few years since I was educated about the moniker of Big “A” Airmen. As it was explained to me, capitalizing the “A” in Airmen noted their importance to the success of the Air Force. “Without them, we don’t have an Air Force…the planes don’t fly themselves…the missiles don’t maintain themselves…we would have […]
North Dakota’s ports of entry are critical to commerce
Most of us are aware that North Dakota has 18 ports of entry with three of those ports open 24 hours per day. And when we look at statistics, we see that Pembina is the busiest, followed by Portal then Dunseith. The following 15, with reduced hours, have ebbs and floes regarding traffic patterns. Those […]
MAFB’s Newest Chief Master Sergeants
Congratulations to the newest Chiefs on base! Chief MasterSergeant Mary Grace Martin: https://northernsentry.com/2026/03/19/chief-martins-journey-leading-with-care/ Chief MasterSergeant Tiawanna Dunn: https://northernsentry.com/2026/03/19/chief-dunn-taking-the-scenic-route/ Chief MasterSergeant SelectJansen Velante: https://northernsentry.com/2026/03/19/the-lessons-that-built-chief-velante/ Chief MasterSergeant SelectJimmy Johnson: https://northernsentry.com/2026/03/19/chief-jimmy-johnson-family-is-everything/ Chief MasterSergeantJonathan Panchal: https://northernsentry.com/2026/03/19/chief-panchal-a-family-inspired-career/
Chief Martin’s Journey: Leading with Care
Chief Master Sergeant Mary Grace Martin, newly selected for the rank of chief master sergeant with the 5th Force Support Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, credits her family, the people she serves, and a commitment to caring for others as the driving forces behind more than two decades of service in the U.S. Air […]
Chief Dunn: Taking the Scenic Route
After more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force, Senior Master Sgt. Tiawanna Dunn assigned to the 23rd Bomber Generation Squadron has built a career defined by perseverance, mentorship and a commitment to taking care of Airmen. SMSgt Dunn, who enlisted in February 2004, originally joined the Air Force with a simple goal, to […]
The Lessons That Built Chief Velante
Chief Jansen Velante, Operations Flight Chief at the 5th Communications Squadron, is proof that one mistake or hardship does not have to define a career. Enlisting at age 27, later than many service members, he said becoming a chief was never his primary goal. “I always did my best, abided by the Air Force Core […]
Chief Jimmy Johnson: Family Is Everything
“I’m not a big fan of talking about myself, and if anything, this experience has taught me I won’t be writing an autobiography!” joked Chief James “Jimmy” Johnson of the 705th Munitions Squadron after this interview when this writer encouraged him to share more about his military career and what led him to where he […]
Chief Panchal: A Family-Inspired Career
The idea may have first come from his older brother, but from the moment Chief Jonathan Navnit Panchal enlisted in the Air Force in 2006 at the age of 20, he knew he wanted to make it a career. Although he experienced immediate personal growth right away, the only thing he was apprehensive about was […]
Eighth Air Force command team visits Minot Air Force Base
2nd Lt. Melissa Kagels, 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Ty Neuman, Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Wolfgang, Eighth Air Force command chief and J-GSOC senior enlisted leader, met with Airmen from Minot Air Force Base, […]
Glory Trip 255 underscores reliability of the Minuteman III ICBM
5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — Airmen from Minot Air Force Base facilitated a successful test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on March 3 as part of Glory Trip 255 (GT 255) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., reaffirming the reliability of the United States’ […]