Postponement and Possibilities

As you may have heard, many of the ND National Guard members have been activated to help with the flood fight in the Bismarck/Mandan area.  No one really knows how mother nature will act, so we have to roll with what we’re given.  We will try our hardest to stay true to the schedule, but we won’t know exactly what lies ahead for the March.  Right now we hope to march the second week ON TIME and as scheduled, and make up the first week sometime this summer.  The following is a letter from Paul Goodiron:

413 Mile March to Mandaree
POSTPONED

An event meticulously planned almost a year ago to honor 4 soldiers who died in action will have to be postponed. Mr. Steve Fraase and other soldiers took great care and training preparing for this long journey. However circumstances far beyond their control or conceived altered this trek.

Mother Nature stepped in causing State-wide flooding that North Dakota State Guard soldiers were activated to help fight this. It was assumed that a short-term activation would solved the issue but this will be extended into next month at the least. Soldiers involved in the "March to Mandaree" schedules changed and are now unable to complete what they had planned within the planned time frame.

The first part of July was the beginning of the NDNG training in other military exercises which too are now changed. This impacts upon what "free time" is now available in the remaining summer days. An option considered is the March to Mandaree is completed in "legs" or "sections" of the walk in light of all the soldiers involved personal time off.  This is/was an agonizing decision to make that maybe a portion of the walk will take place in August or September weather permitting.

To exacerbate this March is the closing of highway 22 which is parallel to Mandaree.  Which not only is causing transportation problems for oil field companies with oil exploration schedules. The closure of highway 22 will occur during the entire summer months for rebuilding. This impacts on the route of the March that it may force the walk to arrive via Garrison, Parshall, New Town, and finally Mandaree. This route too is heavily traveled by oil field vehicles.