Thousands of military members in North Dakota as well as North Dakotans serving with military units in other states have been deployed since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America.
The North Dakota National Guard, along with other reserve units nationwide, has been called upon extensively since 9/11
According to N.D. National Guard officials, more than 5,400 of its members more than 3,600 soldiers and more than 1,800 airmen have been mobilized.
Currently, about 175 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense, Guard officials said.
About 3,500 personnel from Minot Air Force Base have been deployed since 9/11, according to Gordon Martin, chief of Installation Personnel Readiness for Minot AFB.
Currently, Minot AFB has nearly 200 personnel deployed to various areas including about 70 to Iraq and about 120 to Afghanistan, Martin said.
Eloise Ogden
Following is a timeline of the North Dakota National Guard's involvement in the global war on terrorism:
Sept. 11, 2001 Three North Dakota Air National Guard F-16 fighter jets scrambled from the 78thFighter Squadron's detachment, the 119th Wing's alert detachment, at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks the N.D. National Guard, by order of the president, assumed the airport security mission and reported for duty across the nation. The National Guard carried the mission for eight months, with up to 8,200 soldiers on duty in Title 32 (active-duty as a Guardsman) status, before transferring responsibility to the newly established Transportation Security Administration. During that time, the N.D. National Guard effectively deterred threats and restored public confidence in air traffic security.
Sept. 11, 2001-Oct. 10, 2006 The N.D. Air National Guard flew at least two sorties daily across the U.S. in support of the global war on terrorism.
Oct. 7, 2001 Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan.
Fall, 2001 Firefighters from the 119th Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron mobilized for four months to Bagram, Afghanistan. Numerous deployments would follow for them, including Kuwait and Balad, Iraq.
Feb. 28, 2002-October 2002 Three 45-day rotations of 13, 13 and 18 airmen from the 119th Wing's Security Forces Squadron mobilized to Bahrain.
2002 Four airmen with the 119th Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron's Emergency Management deployed to Bahrain for four months.
2003 Two airmen with the 119th Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron's Emergency Management deployed to Iraq.
Jan. 16, 2003 957th Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge) receives an alert for a potential mobilization. They would leave less than four weeks later (Feb. 12, 2003) for Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. They left for Kuwait on April 23, 2003, and returned home about a year later on April 18, 2004.
Jan. 30, 2003 142nd Engineer Combat Battalion (630 soldiers) received an alert for a potential mobilization. They would leave for Fort Carson, Colo., just eight days later. They left for Kuwait April 9-10, 2003. Group officially welcomed back home May 15, 2004.
Feb. 14, 2003 132nd Quartermaster Company received an alert for a potential mobilization. Unit left for mobilization station at Fort Lewis, Wash., March 18 but were demobilized May 21, 2003.
February-March 2003 Thirteen airmen with the 119th Wing's Security Forces Squadron mobilized to Bulgaria.
March 12, 2003 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment received an alert for a potential mobilization and later reported to Fort Riley, Kan. They were released from federal active duty July 12, 2003.
March 19, 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom began in Iraq.
April 27, 2003 142nd Engineer Combat Battalion entered Iraq at midnight local time, becoming the first North Dakota unit in the country for the war. They arrived at LSA Anaconda at 11:59 p.m. local time the next day. They returned home nearly a year later, on April 3, 2004.
July 22, 2003 Spc. Jon P. Fettig, of Dickinson, was killed and Spc. Brandon Erickson, both 957th Engineer Company, seriously wounded when their convoy was ambushed north of Baghdad.
July 2003 Fifteen N.D. National Guard soldiers mobilized to Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporting SFOR 14, until April 2004.
Nov. 6, 2003 Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Company B and Company C of the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, along with Company B and Company C of 164th Engineer Combat Battalion (480 soldiers) received an alert. The 164th's companies would become Company A of the 141st for the deployment, with the mobilization orders coming Nov. 28, 2003,and federal active duty starting for the battalion Dec. 18, 2003.
Jan. 24, 2004 Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hendrickson, of Bismarck, and Sgt. Keith Smette, of Makoti, both 957th Engineer Company, were killed when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle near Fallujah, Iraq.
February 2004 Five N.D. National Guard soldiers mobilized to Kosovo as part of KFOR5B peacekeeping operations supporting Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team. They returned in August 2004.
March 1, 2004 Battery F, 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (100 soldiers) was alerted for a possible mobilization. They mobilized for Iraq in December 2004 and returned to N.D. in December 2005.
April 21, 2007-May 15, 2007 Seventeen with the 119th Wing's Maintenance Squadron deployed to Balad, Iraq, in support of Duluth's F-16 mission.
May 3, 2004 Spc. James Holmes, of East Grand Forks, Minn., Company C, 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, was wounded by an IED and then evacuated to Germany, where on May 8, 2004, he died of his wounds.
May 8, 2004 Spc. Phil Brown, of Jamestown, Company B, 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, was killed in action by an IED near Samarra, Iraq.
May 19, 2004 1stSgt. Kevin Remington, 957th Engineer Company, was awarded a Silver Star medal for his actions in extracting the body of Spc. Jon P. Fettig and evacuating Spc. Brandon Erickson from the kill zone of an ambush on July 22, 2003. He also received the Bronze Star with "V" Device for valor. He's the only N.D. National Guard member to receive a Silver Star during the global war on terrorism.
June 25, 2004 Detachment 42 Operational Support Airlift (8 soldiers) was alerted for a possible mobilization. They later mobilized on Sept. 12, 2004,and arrived at their mobilization station, Fort Bliss, Texas, six days later. They arrived in Afghanistan Oct. 6, 2004,and returned to the U.S. March 10, 2005.
Sept. 22, 2004 Staff Sgt. Lance Koenig, of Fargo, Company B, 141st Engineer Combat Battalion. was killed by an IED south of Tikrit, Iraq.
Nov. 4, 2004 Spc. Cody Wentz, of Williston, Company A, 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, was killed by an IED and Spc. Philip A. Sorenson was seriously wounded and evacuated from Iraq to Germany.
Nov. 4, 2004 119th Security Forces Squadron mobilized to Iraq, returning March 15, 2005.
July 2005 1-112th Command Aviation Battalion (23 soldiers) mobilized for Operation Noble Eagle, Bosnia. They left Bismarck for the mission on three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
April 18, 2005 Soldiers with Company A, 164th Engineer Combat Battalion were alerted for mobilization. Their mobilization orders came June 20, 2005,and 115 soldiers mobilized Aug. 5, 2005. Trailblazer operations (clearing roadways of IEDs and other obstacles) began in Iraq by mid-November and they returned home Nov. 10, 2006.
May 6, 2005 About 50 members of the N.D. Air National Guard's 119th Wing began a series of volunteer assignments supporting U.S. Air Force missions around the world. During the following two weeks, individual and small-team assignments took place in Iraq and several other nations in Southwest Asia and the Arabian Gulf region for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
October 2005 119th Wing Security Forces Squadron mobilized to Iraq, returning in April 2006.
November, 2005 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment JLENS (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensors) mobilized 39 soldiers to Afghanistan. They arrived Feb. 2, 2006,and returned home Feb. 8, 2007.
Nov. 14, 2005 1/129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (13 soldiers) were alerted for possible mobilization for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The mobilization orders came Jan. 12, 2006, and they left April 13, 2006, to support U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., and DVIDS Hub in Atlanta, plus further deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, Horn Of Africa, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar. The unit returned July 2007 and transitioned to the 116th Public Affairs Detachment.
December, 2005 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment SECFOR (Security Forces) (152 soldiers) mobilized for a security mission in Afghanistan. They arrived in March 2006and returned April 3, 2007.
2006 Six airmen from the 119th Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron deployed to Afghanistan as heavy equipment operators, clearing bomb-laden land for military base construction.
May 23, 2006 Spc. Michael Hermanson, of Fargo, Company A, 164th Engineer Combat Battalion, was killed in action in Iraq.
June 6, 2006 Sgt. Travis Van Zoest and Cpl. Curtis Mehrer, both Bismarck, were killed and Sgt. 1st Class Tim Wicks was wounded when an IED struck their vehicle in Afghanistan. All members of the 1-188th ADA SECFOR. Van Zoest was a student at Minot State University.
Sept. 12, 2006 Gov. John Hoeven and Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk announce the largest transformation of the N.D. National Guard in more than 50 years. The changes allowed the N.D. National Guard to keep pace with the active Army's modular concept and provide better opportunities to N.D. Guardsmen
Sept. 29, 2006 Engineer Brigade, 34th Infantry Division(45 soldiers) was alerted for possible mobilization. They arrived in Iraq April 2007 and returned March 21, 2008.
Oct. 12, 2006 119th Wing's Detachment 1, which responded on 9/11, conducted a deactivation ceremony at Langley Air Force Base, Va., officially ending the mission that began in 1998.
Nov. 20, 2006 132nd Quartermaster Company (21 soldiers) was alerted for possible mobilization. They arrived in Iraq July 5, 2007, to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. They returned to N.D. April 26, 2008.
Nov. 20, 2006 164th Engineer Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company (119 soldiers) was alerted for possible mobilization. They mobilized for Iraq in September 2007and returned to N.D. May 3, 2008.
Nov. 23, 2006 Cpl. Nathan Goodiron, of Mandaree, is killed and Spc. Sam Floberg and Sgt. Claude O'Berry are wounded with an rocket-propelled grenade strikes their vehicle in Afghanistan. All members of the 1-188th ADA SECFOR.
Nov. 29, 2006 Cpl. Christopher Kleinwachter, Wahpeton, a member of the1-188th ADA SECFOR, is killed in a vehicle rollover during military operations in Afghanistan.
Dec. 26, 2006 Lt. Col. Brad Derrig, 119th Wing, flew F-16 82-929 - the one he flew over the Pentagon on 9/11 - to McChord Air Force Base Museum in Tacoma, Wash.
Jan. 23, 2007 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment RAID (Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment) (39 soldiers) mobilized for Afghanistan. They returned Jan. 24, 2008.
Feb. 16, 2007 815th Engineer Company and 817th Engineer Company notified 104 soldiers of potential mobilization. They arrived in Iraq in September 2007 and returned June 7, 2008.
July 2, 2007 An announcement was made that the 119th Wing had flown its first remotely piloted aircraft, the MQ-1 Predator, from Hector Field in Fargo.
July 23, 2007 191st Military Police Company (168 soldiers) was notified of a possible mobilization. They mobilized to Iraq April 6, 2008, and returned home Jan. 14, 2009.
2008 Thirty five airmen with the 119th Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron deployed to Iraq.
Nov. 18, 2008 The 141st Engineer Combat Battalion cased its colors for the last time during a ceremony in Valley City. The unit's lineage transferred to the 231st Brigade Support Battalion.
February-March 2009 Thirteen with the 119th Wing's Security Forces Squadron mobilized to Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq.
March 3, 2009 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment RAID 3 (Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment) (39 soldiers) mobilized to Afghanistan. They returned Jan. 29, 2010.
April 2009 Detachment 42 Operational Support Airlift mobilized eight soldiers to the Horn of Africa (Djibouti). They traveled throughout the area of operations until returning home Feb. 18, 2010.
May-August 2009 Two N.D. Air National Guard C-21s plus pilots and maintenance personnel deployed to Al Udeid Air Base (379th Expeditionary Wing) in Qatar.
March 3, 2008 - Nearly 650 soldiers from the N.D. Army National Guard were chosen as the lead element in a 2,200- member U.S. and international task force in Kosovo, with 40 soldiers serving in Pristina and Sarajevo. Soldiers from numerous N.D. National Guard units mobilized for KFOR12 in Kosovo as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. They returned to N.D. the summer of 2010.
Sept. 11, 2009 North Dakota Memorial to the Fallen in the Global War on Terrorism was dedicated in Bismarck.
Dec. 16, 2009 Company C, 2-285th Aviation Battalion (47 soldiers) mobilized to Iraq. They returned to N.D. Sept. 28, 2010.
December 2009 1-188th ADA Sentinel Radar for mobilization station supporting three missions. RAID-IV (39 soldiers Afghanistan) left for its mobilization station at Fort Hood, Texas, Dec. 2, Sentinel Radar (25 soldiers Afghanistan) left for Fort Hood Dec. 9; Sentinel Radar (eight soldiers Iraq) left for Fort Hood Dec. 9. All returned December 2010.
Oct. 12, 2010 188th Engineer Company (Vertical)(162 soldiers) received alert for possible mobilization. They mobilized Aug. 21, 2011.
Nov. 2, 2010 835th and 897th Engineer Teams received an alert for possible mobilization. They were removed from the alert status on June 3, 2011.
April 18, 2011 - About 55 members of the Bismarck-based 1st Battalion, 112th Aviation Regiment (Security and Support) received mobilization orders. Soldiers with the unit are expected to mobilize in September and provide aviation support for Kosovo Forces 15.