FARGO, N.D. — Retired U.S. Air Force Tech Sergeant Russel Stabler left with a friend for battle in 1967. “A school mate of mine went to Vietnam same day I did. He never made it back. And I happened to be on leave and I saw his mom in the store, and it was basically, ‘What the hell are you…
OAKES, N.D. — Air Force helicopters brought in to help search for a missing plane and its pilot are scheduled to resume operations. Aerial crews including the North Dakota and South Dakota wings of the Civil Air Patrol and U.S. Air Force were grounded by bad weather on Saturday. The blue and white single-engine Cessna went missing Thursday between Aberdeen,…
FARGO, N.D. — Officer Matt Niemeyer didn’t get into police work for the awards. But going above and beyond his call of duty lands him the Hometown Hero award and a ride in the Air Force Thunderbirds’ F–16. “I never would’ve thought something like this would come from that. I think everybody gets into the job because they want to…
FARGO, N.D. — The 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard, also known as the Happy Hooligans, welcomed a new commander, Darrin Anderson. “Such an honor to be leading this organization. I have some bias, but it’s the best national air guard in the country, no better feeling,” he said. He started his military career in 1983. “Colonel Anderson,…
WEST FARGO, N.D. — Andy Anderson was trying to avoid dating a girl his friend wanted him to start seeing so on the day he turned 17, he decided to fix that. “I joined the Air Force. That ended that,” Anderson said. The decision Anderson made may have gotten him out of a sticky situation but it was only the…
FARGO, ND — Jon Carlson was one of those Happy Hooligans who returned home to Fargo. He is a husband, a son and a father to four children, but not everyone knew about his return home. Just a few years ago, Ashton and Eli lost the man they once called Dad. “My dad died when I was back in second…
FARGO, ND — Six months ago, groups of “Happy Hooligans” were deployed to different parts of Southwest Asia. They’re starting to return home. Families and friends gathered at Hector International Airport to greet their loved ones with open arms. Dozens of others from the 119th Wing came out to greet the six people returning home this afternoon. People greeting the…
GRAND FORKS, ND — While manned missions are no longer flown out of the Grand Forks Air Force base, unmanned aircraft still require flight forecasting. A team of air force personnel make sure that pilots of remote controlled aircraft are aware of weather conditions that could impact take offs and landings at the base as well as day-to-day operations. The…
GRAND FORKS, ND — North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven is talking up the work done at our bases in Grand Forks and Minot. During the bipartisan Air Force Caucus, Hoeven outlined the vital role the bases play to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Vice Chief of Staff General Stephen Wilson. He says leaders need to ensure funding for…
GRAND FORKS, ND — People in the military know they sign on for rigorous training and strict discipline. As KVRR reporter Jackie Kelly found out, even the four-legged soldiers are treated just as equally. Jackie, along with Chief Photographer Patrick Conteh, traveled to the Grand Forks Air Force Base to learn about training military K9s. Staff Sergeant Hamilton said his day…
