Top photo: N.D. National Guard leaders and Soldiers watch Gov. Doug Burgum deliver a message virtually to the Soldiers of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment during the unit's sendoff ceremony in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 25, 2020.
Sendoff Ceremony for National Capital-Bound Army Aviators
Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, N.D. adjutant general, hosted a sendoff ceremony for Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment, at the N.D. National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 25, 2020. About 70 Soldiers will mobilize in early November for duty in the National Capital Region (NCR) for an estimated nine-month mission. The unit will operate ten UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters mission in support of the transport of personnel and light cargo within the NCR area. Due to current COVID-19 precautions, the ceremony was conducted virtually with National Guard senior leaders and staff gathered in the Black Hawk hanger, while the unit's Soldiers were assembled in an adjoining building. Families watched the ceremony from locations of their choosing while Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer along with U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong delivered pre-recorded messages of support.
Previous deployments for this unit included Kosovo Forces (KFOR) in support of peace keeping operations from Nov. 2013 to Dec. 2014 and to Iraq Oct. 2009 to Sept. 2010. Other support provided by the N.D. Army National Guard to the NCR were mobilizations that assisted in the protection of airspace by the Grand Forks-based 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment from May 2017 to April 2018 and May 2013 to April 2014. (U.S. National Guard story and photos by Sgt. 1st Class Charles Highland, N.D. National Guard Public Affairs Office)
Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, right, N.D. adjutant general, along with 1st Sgt. William "Mitch" McCoy, hold a N.D. state flag at the sendoff ceremony for Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment, in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 25, 2020. The flag will travel with the unit during its deployment to the National Capital Region.
Standing at the podium, Sgt. Tessa Hogan performs the National Anthem during the sendoff ceremony for Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 25, 2020.
Prepping for Deployment
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) activities were held for Soldiers and Families of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 24, 2020. Activities were also live streamed for those who could not attend in person. YRRP is a DoD-wide effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their families and communities, by connecting them with resources throughout the deployment cycle.
Supporting Visiting Aircraft
The 119th Wing's 119th Logistics Support Squadron is always prepared to perform their mission regardless of weather conditions, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Airman Nate Rolph refueled a visiting C-17 Globemaster aircraft in freezing temperatures with a 15 mph wind at the N.D. Air National Guard Base, Fargo, N.D., on Oct. 20, 2020. (U.S. Air National Guard story and photos by Chief Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, 119th Wing)
COVID-19 Support Continues
The N.D. National supported COVID-19 mobile testing at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 28, 2020. This mission is a part of the Guard’s continued support to the state and local communities during the ongoing pandemic. (U.S. Army National Guard story and photos by Sgt. 1st Class Brett Miller, 116th Public Affairs Detachment)
Awards Tell Story of Guadalcanal
Through the end of the war in the Pacific, the soldiers of the 164th earned 8 Distinguished Service Medals, 1 Navy Cross, 89 Silver Stars, 7 Legions of Merit, 10 Soldier’s Medals, 199 Bronze Star Medals, over 2000 Purple Heart Medals, the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, and two awards of the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
Cpl. William A. Clark, Company M, 164th Infantry Regiment was a replacement from Nebraska’s 134th Infantry Regiment, when he received the Distinguished Service Cross, for actions on Oct. 25 1942. During the Battle of Coffin Corner, Guadalcanal, when Clark’s water cooled Browning .30 caliber machinegun became disabled, in darkness with the battle raging around him, he cannibalized both his and a disabled Marine weapon to assemble one operable machine gun. This weapon played a pivotal role in stopping a renewed and concentrated Japanese attack on American positions.
Cpl. Louis Lockner, Company G, 164th Infantry Regiment, a Minnesota draftee, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, for actions on Oct. 25 1942. During the Battle of Coffin Corner, Guadalcanal, while on a mission as advance scout for his platoon, Lockner surprised and eliminated a squad of enemy soldiers. Later, volunteering for an observation post in front of the line, he was critically wounded by an enemy bullet while field stripping his jammed rifle. He warded off a bayonet attack using the barrel and receiver group of his disassembled weapon, killing his attacker. He died of wounds the next day.
Main Photo: Australian history hunter Peter Flahavin, looking south from Coffin Corner where now plenty palm trees have grown during a trip to Guadalcanal in 2013.
Smaller photo: Soldiers near the same area during the battle in 1942.
Cpl. Kevin A. McCarthy, Company H, 164th Infantry Regiment out of Jamestown, N.D., was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, for actions of Oct. 26 1942. During the Battle of Coffin Corner, Guadalcanal, McCarthy, on his own initiative, risked his life to drive a Bren gun carrier into enemy territory three times in order to rescue eighteen exhausted and wounded Marines who had been trapped in a surrounded outpost.
Pfc Herbert H. Witte, Company G, 164th Infantry (home of record: Cambridge, Nebraska), was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, for actions of Dec. 2 1942, Guadalcanal. When his reconnaissance patrol was ambushed a hundred yards behind enemy lines and ordered to retreat, Witt disregarding the order and began dragging a wounded Soldier toward the American lines. Realizing the Soldier had died, Witte hid him in the jungle, returning the next day under heavy enemy fire in an attempt to retrieve his remains.
Cpl. Willard P. Dowsett, Company E, 164th Infantry Regiment, a Minnesota draftee, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, for actions on Nov. 22, 1942, at Guadalcanal. While preparing an assault from jungle into a clearing, Dowsett volunteered to reconnoiter the area while the rest of the company remained under cover. He spotted three Japanese machinegun nests, firing at each of them so they would return fire, revealing their locations to friendly forces. Although killed by the machine gun fire, Dowsett prevented an entire company from moving into a deadly ambush.
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