North Dakota county thanks Guard for flood help

Story courtesy of the North Dakota National Guard

(1/13/10) -- Soldiers and Airmen of the North Dakota National Guard recently received recognition for spring 2009 flood operations here during Cass County Commission meeting.

Cass County Chief Deputy Jim Thoreson presented Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard, with an award on behalf of the sheriff’s office and all of Cass County government to recognize the Guard’s contributions to the spring 2009 flood effort.

“The many agencies, personnel, volunteers and leaders that directed the flood fight are to be commended. Perhaps the most important to the flood fight were the members of the North Dakota Guard. … Equipment and Guard members were instrumental in saving a number of people as well as a large amount of property in our communities,” Thoreson said before he presented the award.

Maj. Greg McDonald and Capt. Grant Larson, who worked closely with Cass County authorities throughout flood operations, attended the meeting, as did Col. Rick Gibney, 119th Wing commander, and Lt. Col. Todd Branden, air operations officer for the Guard’s flood operations in eastern North Dakota.

“One of the things that I think most impressed me, in addition to how well our Soldiers and Airmen did, was the relationships and partnerships with the counties, the cities, the sheriffs’ offices — that really was heartwarming. What I saw our young men and women do over that nearly 100-day period was really tremendous in terms of building that relationship with the public, with the entities, and, of course, with the people of North Dakota,” Sprynczynatyk said before presenting a special flood coin to each of the commissioners.

“It was really amazing all the work of the men and women in the Guard and what service they provided to Cass County,” Commissioner Darrell Vanyo said after shaking Sprynczynatyk’s hand.

Sprynczynatyk closed by saying that even with about 800 Guardsmen deployed overseas, the North Dakota National Guard, which has a total strength of about 4,400, remains ready to help here at home.

“We’ll be ready, we’ll be there, and we’ll do whatever is asked of us,” he said. “And I guarantee we’ll succeed.”

During the three months of spring 2009 flood operations, more than 2,000 Soldiers and Airmen in the North Dakota National Guard performed a wide range of missions, including dike construction, traffic control points, quick-reaction teams, sandbagging, rescue operations and aerial 1-ton sandbag placement.