Minot AFB Archives

twentynine

One thing holds true above all others in the military: You can choose your branch, but you can’t choose your duty station.

There are two kinds of duty stations: those that come ready-made and those you “make the most of.” After taking into consideration weather, morale, base amenities, stuff to do, and accessibility to major cities, it seems that some of our military’s most heroic acts of service might not be fighting battles abroad, but bravely conquering the duty stations at home.

Duty assignments are a crapshoot, and here are the losing rolls:

Army: Fort Polk, Louisiana- Most blame the misery on the humidity, the presence of every bug you can think of, or the fact that chain gangs are not at all uncommon in this swampy, far-from-everything town. The nearest towns are more than an hour away, and the nearest place you would actually want to go to is New Orleans, about a four hour drive. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and the humidity!

Fort Bragg, or “Fort Drag” as it is commonly referred to, also scores low on the list. Soldiers insist that the place reminds them of every combat zone the U.S. has visited in the past four decades.

Navy: NAS Lemoore, CA- The Navy thinks that Lemoore is a “hidden gem” with an image problem. But when everyone, including civilian residents refer to it as an “armpit” and the biggest selling point is Fresno, CA… an it is regularly ranked among the nation’s worst for air pollution.

Air Force: Cannon AFB, NM- Giant insects. Cow dung. Old houses. Locals who loathe the military. Above national average crime problem. Gang issues. Drug traffic from Mexico. Keep going? I though not.

Minot AFB, ND- The missile base is located in a desolate region of the least-populated, most-rural, least-visited state in America, with winter temperatures in the low teens. And cows outnumber people three to one.

Marine Corps: Twentynine Palms, CA- Marines call ‘The Stumps’ the place for the best training and arguably the worst social life. Not that bad if you like being in the middle of a vast desert. If you like dirt bikes or atv’s you’ll love it there. But you either freeze or boil. Life improves if you have a car and can travel to Joshua Tree, Big Bear or San Diego.

Coast Guard: By most accounts, the Coast Guard doesn’t seem to have a bad duty station.

It can be argued that the function of the Air Force’s nuclear missile community is among the most sensitive operations in the entire U.S. military. But recently, issues with discipline, leadership, morale and training have plagued the USAF commands in charge of nuclear missiles. Consequently, two nuclear commanders were fired and a third was disciplined.

On November 3, 2014, Col. Carl Jones, vice commander of the 90^th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Base in Wyoming was relieved of his duties, and reassigned as a special assistant to the wing commander. The 90^th Missile Wing is responsible for 150 Minuteman 3 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. It has been reported that Col. Jones was dismissed “for a loss of trust and confidence in his leadership abilities.” Reports of multiple incidents of extreme behavior prompted allegations of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, as well as cruelty and maltreatment of a subordinate.

The other officer who was relieved of command was Lt. Col. Jimmy Brown of the 741^st Missile Squadron at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Brown was relieved of his duties for apparent “loss in confidence” in Brown’s ability to lead his squadron by Col. Michael Lutton, commander of the 91st Missile Wing, which oversees the 741^st.

One of the main incidents that led to Lt. Col Brown’s dismissal occurred in March, 2014, when crew members under his command fell ill due to exposure to fumes. Air Force leadership believe that Lt. Col Brown failed to fulfill his responsibilities as a commander by ensuring the safety and well-being of his airmen.

Another officer in the 91^st Missile Wing disciplined after the investigations at Minot AFB was. Col. Richard Pagliuco, commander of the 91^st Operations Group, which is in charge of all three missile squadrons at Minot. The Air Force found that Col. Pagliuco “failed to promote and safeguard the morale, well-being and welfare of the airmen under his command.” Although Col. Pagliuco received disciplinary action in the form of a letter in his personnel file, he remains at his position.

The punishments issued to these three commanders were the latest in a series of dozens of disciplinary actions against senior nuclear officers over the last two years.

In June, 2013, Lt. Col. Randy Olson, commander of the 91^st Operations Support Squadron was fired. Olson was responsible for the training and proficiency of launch officers at Minot. Shortly after his dismissal, stories emerged that 19 launch officers had been taken off the job.

In August, 2013, Col. David Lynch was fired as commander of security forces for the 341^st Missile Wing, following a failed nuclear inspection.

And in March, 2014, nine officers were dismissed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, following an investigation into an exam-cheating scandal. Col. Robert Stanley resigned, and wrote in a goodbye message that he regretted having let down the American people. On the same day, the 90^thMissile Wing at F.E. Warren disclosed that it had fired Col. David Holloway, but never released a full explanation as to why.

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