ND State Active Duty

For the last week I have been on State Active Duty in North Dakota for the flooding for the last week. While on State Active Duty, I have been tasked with sandbagging and dike patrols. My shifts have been 12+ hour shifts, which perhaps goes without saying that some days seemed longer than they really were...

I have enjoyed doing what I've been doing for the last week. The food from Services is awesome! I was especially glad that I didn't have to break open those MRE (Meals Ready to Eat)...if you've ever had to eat them...you know what I mean...

The Salvation Army, community members and our 1st Sgts definitely were there for us walking the dikes with sandwiches and snacks. (Having spoons for those Snack Packs is important!) One of the days I've been out patrolling the dike, I let my mom know where I was and she brought some homemade soup. She was so excited about coming out that she took one of the neighbors with her. (For kicks, I let her see the humvee we were driving that day. She loved that!)

The community of Fargo seemed to like that we were out there patrolling and watching the river and getting people out where there was a need for sandbagging or watching the integrity of the dikes. The dikes have been doing well - there have been a few leaks but they have been taken care of. We were prepared if it turned into something like last year where part of the dike broke in north Fargo near Oak Grove high school. (The photo is of Mikelson Park, which is near Oak Grove school, yesterday.)

Aside from patrolling the dikes and sandbagging, I have had 3 separate interviews about what I was up to. I was interviewed by the public affairs people from my unit, Eye Witness News, Channel 5 in Minneapolis, and KVLY, Channel 11 which is a local news channel for Fargo. I have found 2 of the 3 interviews online so far. Check them out! (One is one YouTube from the Guard and the other is linked through Eye Witness News).