An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | March 27, 2009

North Dakota Guardsmen work side-by-side with civilian volunteers to save Fargo

By Sgt. 1st Class David Dodds North Dakota National Guard

FARGO, N.D. - The human sandbag chain in north Fargo today was evenly represented by civilian and military volunteers.

North Dakota National Guard Airmen and Soldiers, in their traditional camouflaged uniforms, slugged thousands of 20-pound sacks of sand alongside an army of Fargo residents and out-of-towners resolved to save the El Zagel Shrine and Masonic Temple from floodwater from the rising Red River.

It's a scene that's been played and replayed since the Guard sent in its first personnel more than a week ago to help fortify the city's last lines of defense against a catastrophic flood.

Sgt. 1st Class Dan L. Olson, a Guard volunteer from the 957th Multi-role Bridge Company in Bismarck, N.D., said the civilian workforce was critical to the success of the mission.

"The volunteers are really kicking butt; as long as we keep getting them out here helping us, we'll be fine," Olson said.

Olson said that a crew of about 50 citizen-Soldiers and citizen-Airmen worked well into the night Wednesday, before shutting down when it got too dark.

Their mission was to raise an existing two-foot high sandbag levee another two feet after new projections from the National Weather Service said the Red River would likely crest higher than previously anticipated.

Jim Savaloja, Leeds, N.D., a former Grand Master of the Masons of North Dakota and a civilian volunteer flood fighter, said the community is just as appreciative of the efforts of the Guard.

"The Guard has just been fantastic through all of this," Savaloja said. "Most days out here it's about half and half, Guard personnel to civilians, and they do a great job working together side-by-side. New friendships are being made all the time out on that sandbagging line."

Savaloja said the sandbag dike being installed between the El Zagel and the Red River may not be significant in size at only about 500 yards long, but it is critical piece of the city's flood protection system.

He said a breach at that location not only would wipe out El Zagel and the Masonic Temple, but it also would send a torrent of water down 14th Avenue North, a down-sloping grade toward several north Fargo neighborhoods.

Master Sgt. Robert Ramsett, who lives south of Horace, N.D., and is a member of the 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard, was one of the military personnel at the El Zagel site.

He's become a veteran of weather and flood fights in recent years, having volunteered for recovery missions after ice storms in North Dakota, the Red River Valley flood of 1997, and Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast.

"I hope I don't have to be doing something again too soon," Ramsett said, with a smile. "At least, not for another three years."

All of the volunteers, both military and civilian, have been treated to hot coffee and gourmet burgers, with all of the fixings, courtesy of the folks at the El Zagel.

"We're feeling a bit guilty about it all, watching the volunteers do all that work for us," said Terry Dailey, who helps out at El Zagel. "We're just happy to be able to do our part and give back."

Spc. Ryan M. Coghlan, Valley City, N.D., a member of the 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Bismarck, said he jumped at the chance to come to Fargo and help the community once he got the call to volunteer.

"It feels pretty good working with the people getting out there and mixing it up with everyone working together," Coghlan said. "I signed up to do a lot of different stuff and this is one of them."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air National Guard civilian firefighters, assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard Fire Department, pose in front of the fire truck that was the first on scene, South Burlington, VT, June 4, 2025. These firefighters provided the first fire truck on scene to a local fire.
Vermont Air Guard First on Scene of South Burlington Fire
By Airman Raymond LaChance, | June 4, 2025
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Doireann Chesbrough, a civilian firefighter for the Vermont Air National Guard Fire Department, was sitting next to the radio in the dayroom of the station as the sun began to set over the Green...

Paratroopers from the Colorado National Guard and the Jordanian Armed Forces stand together before the first joint Colorado-Jordan airborne Friendship Jump, Watkins, Colorado, April 23, 2025. Members parachuted from a CH-47 Chinook as part of an event to strengthen interoperability and deepen the partnership between the two forces.
Airborne Operation Strengthens Colorado Guard, Jordan Partnership
By Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira, | June 4, 2025
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – In a display of cooperation and capability, Soldiers from the Colorado Army National Guard and the Jordanian Armed Forces recently conducted a joint airborne operation in Watkins, Colorado.The April 23...

Army Guard Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East of the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission, also known as KFOR, host a multinational non-commissioned officer academy, referred to as the Jungleer Academy, at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, May 8, 2025. 11 Sergeants Major from seven countries shared their experience with the soldiers, and many nations showcased their weapons, gear, vehicles and took a flight or hoisted in the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Army Guard Soldiers in Kosovo Host Inaugural Event for Non-Commissioned Officers
By Sgt. Cheryl Madolev, | June 4, 2025
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – National Guard Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East of the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission recently hosted an inaugural multinational event for non-commissioned officers (NCOs), focusing on...