It seems that every year, just before the North Dakota State Fair kicks off, there are construction zones everywhere. In fact, all we have to say is “state fair’s coming to town,” and others know exactly what it means. When I first moved to this area of the state in 2000, it seemed like a […]

Lt. Col Ryan Loucks, 23rd Bomb Squadron Commander at Minot Air Force Base, the deployment of a Bomber Task Force is important. “Being in the Indo-Pacific with a Bomber Task Force allows our forces to showcase our ability to deploy anytime, anywhere, in support of the combatant commander’s objectives,” he explained. However, gathered at the […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — Humbleness, accountability, empathy, teachability, emotional intelligence. These are the qualities that Tech. Sgt. Jennel Edwards, an evaluator for the 91st Security Forces Group, says an effective noncommissioned officer must possess. Air Force Global Strike Command recently recognized Edwards as the NCO of the Year for 2022. “I’m extremely grateful […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. —On July 10, 2023, the 91st Missile Wing kicked off Operation Bully Stick, which generated the largest missile movement in 10 years. Operation Bully Stick is an operation in which the 91st MW aims to load an intercontinental ballistic missile into a launch facility as safely, efficiently, and quickly as […]

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — Whether training at home or supporting Bomber Task Force operations abroad, Airmen aboard 5th Bomb Wing B-52H Stratofortresses carry sensitive communication codes that are vital to mission accomplishment. This critical communications security, or COMSEC, information is generated, packaged and delivered to aircrews before each flight by the 5th Operations […]

Canadian Wildfires Make For An Interesting Summer Most of my immediate family are from Canada, more specifically Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Summertime usually meant packing up the family car and heading north for a week-long vacation visiting our Canadian relatives. Summers were a bit cooler, and once in a great while we would run into a […]

Good idea? Not so sure? Supposed to be. Feel good about it. Don’t want to mess with it? Give it a try. Ahhh. The recycling age has begun in Minot. Yup, some real trash talkin’ has descended upon the city. Those blue top, super-sized recycling carts are the talk of the town. Well, that might […]

There were some comments regarding the quiz in last week’s article. One person said they didn’t get any of the 10 questions correct. Another said they only answered four correctly with the others just guesses. And that was exactly my point for presenting that quiz last week. A lot of people aren’t going to be […]

To those outside the flightline observing Bomber Task Force missions from the ground, the procedures appear simple. The aircraft take off, the aircraft return for landing a few hours later, and then they do it again. What happens on the flightline between landings and take offs, however, is anything but simple. Teams of highly-skilled aircraft […]

Major Julianne Legierse, Pediatric Element Leader of the Clinical Operations at Minot AFB Clinic, had an idea that is becoming a reality. She and the Pediatric Team at the base clinic have put their heads, hearts and time into planning and pulling off the first ever (according to recent history) MAFB Health Fair on Saturday, […]

Hello everyone! My name is Brianna and I’m your new Northern Sentry Reporter. My husband, son and I PCSed to Minot in January and have been enjoying it ever since! I’m originally from a small town in New Hampshire so I have found Minot to be a refreshing home feeling. My son had never seen […]

Budweiser Donates Motorcycle For Raffle It’s always nice to be able to spend time with family during the holiday season, if you have the time and the resources to do so. Mayor Tom Ross was having a conversation with Col Daniel Hoadley and Col Kenneth McGhee about the challenges of having the highest percentage of […]

MEDAN, Indonesia — More than 60 Airmen and two B-52H Stratofortress aircraft assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, completed a bilateral interoperability exercise in Indonesia. The exercise, which lasted about a week and was supported by various U.S. Pacific Air Forces units, marked the first time U.S. Air […]

Thankfully while being overseas, the bases would celebrate the Fourth of July, so we were still able to enjoy festivities and fireworks, but there is a different feeling that comes with the holiday and being in the states. It’s no longer just a few people celebrating, it’s everyone around you. It’s this reason we were […]

Today on the 4th of July my parents took me to the small town of Velva North Dakota for their 4th of July celebration. I was excited to go because I wanted to see for the first-time turtles race. Before the races I got to pet and hold some baby turtles and a big adult […]

Summer is a time to rest, rejuvenate, and refresh from a long school year. However, there is also the potential of “summer slide” while on break. Summer slide refers to the loss of academic skills and knowledge that can occur during the summer break. There are a few ways to address summer slide and encourage […]

The story is repeated many times in a year, mostly on weekends. An evening starts out with several young Airmen arriving at the home of a colleague. It’s been a long week, even a long month, and those in attendance are able to visit, share frustrations with their job (as we all do), and have […]

“It’s enough.”This is the reminder I have been giving myself since June. Like the proverbial broken record, these words are on a continual loop in my mind. It’s enough. You’re having enough fun. You’re spending enough time outside. The kids are having enough lazy days. The kids are having enough busy days. You’re doing enough […]

I’ve known I had to write about this for quite some time but couldn’t really settle on a way to approach it.Delay. Delay. Delay. Finally, I came to the realization that was precisely the crux of the entire matter. As Nike says, just do it.I know what you are thinking – this kooky writer is […]

It’s no secret that students coming out of our high schools lack knowledge of history and geography.Is it poorly taught, does the curriculum matter to school boards, maybe students themselves just don’t like it, or is there some other reason not publicly known.Regardless, we often lack this knowledge and when we become adults and move […]