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 19, 2010

Guard quick response force helps in Lidgerwood

By Pfc. Cassandra Simonton North Dakota Army National Guard

LIDGERWOOD, N.D., - Nine National Guardsmen were called out as a part of a quick reaction force to assist in expanding the dike in Lidgerwood March 18.

The Soldiers, who serve with the 188th Engineer Company in Wahpeton, N.D., reacted to an early morning increase in overland flooding that threatened the southern part of town.

Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Porter, the operations sergeant in charge of National Guard operations in Richland County, said he received a call at 7:20 a.m., requesting National Guard assistance in preventing a complete dike breach.

The Soldiers began by applying pre-filled sandbags to the dike, and then brought in three 5-ton dump trucks to haul clay for Comstock contractors to advance the height of the dike. It was a cooperative operation among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Comstock and North Dakota National Guard members that successfully stopped the breach and built up the dike.

"If we weren't out here this morning flipping sandbags, we would have lost the dike," said Staff Sgt. Jon V. Benedict, of Wahpeton. "Water was rising and spilling over in places."

Benedict, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the quick response force, said the team spent the morning unloading 25 tons of sandbags while the trucks hauled sandbags in to support the dike. The Lidgerwood-Wyndmere Fire Department also was assisting in sandbagging operations.

"We're here to give the Comstock engineers any assets they need or could use," Benedict said. "Everything's going really smoothly."

Porter said they saved the town of Walcott, N.D., from similar circumstances on Wednesday, and by Thursday they were on to help Lidgerwood.

"We are on a roll," Porter said.

Benedict said, had the dike been breached it would have taken out the retirement center and then spread through town, but the quick response of Guard members coordinated with civilian assistance had everything safely handled.

Porter said two trucks loaded with sandbags remain in reserve for the expected continued overland flooding from the Wild Rice and Bois de Sioux River over the next week.

 

 

Related Articles
Lt. Col. Zachery Powell cuts the ribbon at the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Medical ribbon cutting ceremony April 17, 2025, at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, to mark the opening of a new Medical Training Facility. The building, which provides laboratories, exam rooms, administrative areas, classrooms, record storage, and mobility-training storage for the 124th Fighter Wing’s 124th Medical Group, was completed in March 2025.
Idaho Air National Guard Opens Medical Training Facility
By Staff Sgt. Jadyn Eisenbrandt  | April 18, 2025
GOWEN FIELD, Idaho —The Idaho Air National Guard held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to mark the opening of a new Medical Training Facility on Gowen Field for the 124th Fighter Wing.The building, which provides...

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Steven Lucas, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter standardization instructor with F Company, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard, performs rescue hoist operations aboard a Black Hawk in collaboration with the Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, April 9, 2025. MD-HART is made up of firefighters who routinely train with the Maryland Army Guard in preparation for response efforts during the hurricane season, tropical storms, and other emergency situations.
Maryland National Guard conducts rescue hoist training with Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team
By Staff Sgt. Amber Peck, | April 18, 2025
EDGEWOOD, Md. — Soldiers with the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, Maryland Army National Guard conducted rescue hoist training with the Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, April 9...

Soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are honored during a deployment ceremony at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, April 13, 2025. Approximately 700 Soldiers are deploying in support of Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo and Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa, where they will provide security and support operations.
La. Guard’s ‘Tiger Brigade’ holds deployment ceremony for overseas mission
By Louisiana National Guard | April 18, 2025
PINEVILLE, La. - About 700 Soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the “Tiger Brigade,” were honored last week during a deployment ceremony.The Guardsmen are deploying to...