8/19/2009 – News
Volume 126, Number
Dodds brothers to serve a year together in Kosovo
BY RICHARD PETERSON
Brothers will be serving together in the same unit when they will be sent to Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia as part of KFor-12, a large peacekeeping force. ND National Guard members Sergeant First Class David Dodds, 36, of Grand Forks and Specialist Josh Dodds, 28, of Leeds are among the nine soldiers in the 116th Public Affairs Detachment. David Dodds is also the non-commissioned officer commanding the detachment.
They are the sons of Lyle and Darlene Dodds of rural Leeds. He is a native of the New Rockford area and she is the daughter of Harold Jorgenson of Leeds and the late Helen Jorgenson. The Dodds have another son, Derek Dodds, 34, of Minot. He is a six-year veteran of the US Air Force at Minot Air Force Base. Now a civilian, he is a biomed technician at Trinity Hospital in Minot. Lyle and Darlene Dodds own the farmstead formerly occupied by her uncle and aunt, Jorgen and Leila Jorgenson. Jorgen and Leila now live in Rugby.
"I’m proud to have two sons going to Kosovo. I know they feel the same way, proud to serve their country and do what they can," said Darlene Dodds.
KFor-12 is made up of 700 North Dakota National Guardsmen and 700 to 800 other guardsmen from 14 states. The countries of Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Armenia and Lithuania will also furnish personnel.
In all the force will probably number 2,200. ND National Guard Brigadier General Alan Dohrmann will be the commanding officer of KFor-12.
The North Dakota contingent of KFor-12 is the largest number of ND National Guard personnel to serve overseas since the Korean War.
The Dodds know of at least two other Benson County natives who will be in KFor-12. They are Capt. Brock Larson and Spc. David Young, both natives of Leeds.
Their mission is to serve as peacekeepers in Kosovo, keeping the ethnic Serb and Albanian residents of Kosovo from murdering each other and seeing to it that the population can move about the country in a safe and secure environment. Kosovo is about the size of eastern North Dakota and KFor-12 will be responsible for an area about the size of Cass County. Kosovo recently declared its independence as a sovereign country and is recognized as such by 60 countries, including the USA. If it reaches recognition by 90 countries, it will be granted a seat at the United Nations.
The 116th Public Affairs Detachment will check the media in Kosovo and pass on any information they obtain to commanders. They will provide information and serve as "tour guides" for foreign media, including media from the US. They will also put out a monthly magazine for US military personnel. The nine members of the detachment have common backgrounds in writing stories and taking photos.
This isn’t the first time the Dodds brothers have been deployed. Dave spent time in Qatar in the Persian Gulf in 2006 and 2007. The US Central Command, which runs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is headquartered in Qatar. In December Dave will have spent 20 years in the National Guard. "I spent 16 years in the Guard before going anywhere and now I’m going for the second time." In civilian life Dave was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald and recently became associate director of the UND Office of University Relations. "UND has been wonderful in regard to my deployment," he said. "My job will be waiting for me when I return."
Josh has been in the National Guard for 11 years and served in Iraq from April of 2003 to April of 2004, working out of several operating bases. He spent quite a bit of time at Logistical Supply Area Anaconda. When he got there, the personnel numbered about 2,600 and when he left, there were about 20,000 troops that called it "home."
In civilian life Josh was a deep sea diver for oil companies, doing welding, salvaging, pipeline repair, etc. In recent months he’s been helping with training at Camp Grafton for units deploying overseas and helping out on the farm.
Both Guardsmen were also deployed during the spring floods in North Dakota.
David and his wife, Jennifer have three children, Emma 7; Eliza 4; and Josie almost six months old. Josh is single.
The North Dakota National Guardsmen were given an official send-off at a July 12 ceremony in Bismarck. Among those present to see them off were Gov. John Hoeven, Sen. Byron Dorgan and Major General Dave Spryncynatyk, Adjutant General of North Dakota.
The North Dakota guardsmen will leave Bismarck August 21 for Camp Atterbury, Ind. and will spend 30 to 45 days there for training. From there they will spend about 20 days in Germany before arriving in Kosovo about November 1. They will be deployed there until August of 2010.
The Dodds family gathered at their farm near Leeds August 1 prior to two National Guardsmen in the family being deployed to Kosovo as part of a peacekeeping force. Left to right are Darlene, Codi holding Jaxon, Derek, Joshua, David, Jennifer holding Josie and Lyle. Standing in front are Jack the dog, Kaden, Eliza and Emma. Joshua and David will spend almost a year in Kosovo as part of the North Dakota National Guard’s contingent in KFor-12.
Different kind of train
This Komatzo plow train has been working its way along Highway 19 installing water line for the North Central Rural Water Consortium. Contractor Abbott Arne Schwindt, Inc. of Moorhead, Minn. will lay approximately 200 miles of line during this phase of the rural water project. The wet spring caused some delay, but now the plow train averages six miles a day. When this picture was taken it was near the Dennis Wentz farm west of Minnewaukan and heading east towards town.
Warwick School has two big grants
The administration at the Warwick School has had a busy summer supervising an addition to the school and hiring new staff.
Superintendent Charles Guthrie announced that the Warwick School is the only North Dakota school awarded one of 57 "Improving Literacy Through School Libraries" grants distributed nationwide in 24 states. Pre-K through 12th grade will benefit from this grant of more than $340,000.
According to grant writer Nancy Gjovik, the LSL grant will "enable the district to purchase up-to-date school library materials, including books; acquire and use advanced technology that is integrated into the curricula to develop and enhance the information literacy, information retrieval and critical thinking skills of students; provide professional development for school library media specialists and provide activities that foster increased collaboration among library specialists, teachers and administrators; and provide students with access to school libraries during nonschool hours, weekends and summer vacations."
Warwick also was awarded 1 of 73 PEP (Carol M. White physical education program) grants distributed to 25 states nationwide. The Grafton School was the only other school to receive this grant this year in North Dakota. This is a three-year grant with the second and third years dependent on the first year. The PEP grant is funded at $435,368 for 2009-10 and the district will receive $180,497 the second year of the grant and $148,249 the third year, said Guthrie.
The Grand Forks School received its second year of funding from this grant this year.
The PEP grants provide funding to expand physical education programs, including after-school programs. The district will be able to purchase new equipment and the funds will also provide for professional development for staff. Gjovik noted in her grant abstract that the funding has the potential to help students and staff make long-term positive changes in their eating and exercise habits. She noted that American Indians as a population are battling an obesity epidemic and that is one of several factors that can impact academic achievement. Some of the activities funded by the grant will help the 255 American Indian students at the school learn the value of physical activity and good nutrition in ways that tie in lessons from their tribal heritage.
Warwick’s enrollment has risen for the third consecutive year and Elementary Principal Steve Jacobson announced that three grades will be splitting: pre-K, kindergarten and first grade.
This article from the Warwick School was supplemented by information from an article in the August 11, 2009 Minot Daily News.
Warwick School’s enrollment has risen for the third consecutive year, necessitating the new addition on the east end of the campus. Left to right are school board president Larry Thiele, elementary principal Steve Jacobson, school board member Eleanor Cavanaugh and Supt. Charles Guthrie.
Extension office staff
The full-time staff members in the Benson County Agent’s office are pictured. On the left is Stacey Heggen, who was hired August 1 to fill the position of Extension Agent, Family Consumer Science and FNP for Benson County. Stacey earned her BS degree in dietetics from UND this year. As a native of Park River she was active as a Walsh County 4-H member and graduated from Park River High School in 2004.
She is single and just completed her term as a North Dakota State 4-H Ambassador. In the center is County Agent Scott Knoke, who has been county agent here since 1992. On the right is administrative assistant Bonita Knatterud. She has been working in the office since March of 2008. She is a native of Crary and is a 2003 graduate of Devils Lake High School and a 2005 graduate of Lake Region State College with an AA degree in liberal arts. She and her husband, Ryan Knatterud, live on a farm two miles south of Maddock. Knoke and Heggen commute from Devils Lake.
FFA hosts officer retreat
The Maddock A.S. Gibbens FFA Chapter held the ninth annual Maddock State FFA Officer Retreat Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1 at the Maddock School. Forty-two FFA members from Maddock, Harvey, Carrington, Rugby, Jamestown and Fessenden, along with six state FFA officers, attended the annual retreat. State FFA Advisor Steve Zimmerman and Assistant State FFA Advisor Aaron Anderson were also in attendance. The state FFA officers put on workshops in goal setting, individual officer duties and leadership development. Left to right, front row, are Andrea Hamel, state FFA secretary; local FFA members Rachel Olson, Erin Leier, Janna Rice and Preston Gilderhus; and Hope Johnson, NW Region state vice president. Back row: Christine Wanner, state FFA president; Erica Oderman, state FFA ambassador; local FFA members Noah Engels, John Sears and Karl Kenner; Lucas Schmaltz, NE Region state vice president; and Jessie Topp, SE Region state vice president.
Pete’s pals gather
Some of the late Pete Wetzel’s pals pause for a photo at Pete’s auction sale July 11. Left to right, standing are James Nelson (The Honorable Mayor of Oberon), James Hanson, Howard Schmid, George Reisnaur, Gene Woolley and Don Knutson. Seated in front are Larry Barko and Duane Howard.
Land judges
Four members of the A.S. Gibbens FFA Chapter of Maddock participated in the State FFA Land Judging Career Development Event (CDE) held in Rugby on Thursday, July 30. Taking part in the state CDE contest were, left to right, Megan Wald, Katherine Sears, Preston Gilderhus and Noah Engels. As land is a principle natural resource in North Dakota, it is important that it is evaluated as to its correct use. The land judging CDE helps students develop a greater appreciation of land and soil. Contestants must be competent in three skills: texturing, estimating slope and determining the depth of surface and subsurface horizons. Determining the correct land capability class is derived from these three skills.
