Mom made my favorite, Juneberry pie, from berries I picked there. She made wonderful chokecherry jelly too, gathered in the same area. A portion of one side of the steep coulee was grassy and made for perfect cardboard sliding in the summer. In the winter, when the snow wasn’t too deep, it was ideal for […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. —The 23rd Bomb Squadron’s world-famous “Bomber Barons” returned home from their most recent Bomber Task Force deployment to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 24. The contingent, composed of approximately 280 Airmen and four B-52H Stratofortress, logged hundreds of flight hours from dozens of sorties within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command […]

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — At first glance the fields surrounding Minot may seem desolate with dirt roads, wildlife and endless fields. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll see areas teeming with human activity. Surrounding Minot are fortresses enclosed with chain-link fencing operating, preserving, and protecting the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. […]

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Elements of three different bomber task forces from Air Force Global Strike Command integrated in a joint mission at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 18-19. Bomber task force missions, or BTFs, are cross-command missions directed by U.S. Strategic Command.“As a force provider, how we deliver bomber airpower has a definite […]

Alright Minot AFB, I know we military families love a good bargain on some great stuff! Which is why I NEED to tell you about the reopening of the Thrift Store and Cinderella’s Boutique on August 1st! These two are gems I found early on in my time here at Minot and was surprised to […]

I grew up in a small town like Minot. We had Fourth of July celebrations, and state fairs. I thought I knew what to expect when I moved to small town Minot with their state fair. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I thought it would be small with hometown performers, a few vendors from […]

Let’s talk about tater tots. Is that a weird opener? To be honest, I’ve been battling a bit of writer’s block. I’ve sat in front of my laptop for an embarrassingly long stretch–typing and deleting paragraphs. It’s summer, it’s fair time, back to school supplies are appearing on shelves. I could talk about any of […]

An estimated 50-100 people were gathered on the commercial aviation apron at the Minot International Airport, turning their eyes to the sky intermittently, looking to catch a glimpse of a plane carrying members of the recently completed Indo-Pacific Bomber Task Force. Monday’s Welcome Home celebration was certainly not unique, as there have been several Bomber […]

It was a day to remember, no doubt about that, from staring down the barrel of a state trooper’s handgun to having a steak with man destined for prison. Okay. I know. You are wondering what kind of goofy story is this guy writing about. Well, what follows is a real “this happened to me” […]

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 […]