Black Hawk helicopter to be stationed at Fargo

FARGO — The Army National Guard says stationing a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Fargo will make the Guard better equipped to respond to natural disasters, search and rescue missions and other needs in eastern North Dakota.

Fargo and Bismarck also will share the UH-72 Lakota and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters on a rotational basis, the Guard announced Tuesday.

The moves are the beginning of a growing Army aviation presence in eastern North Dakota, a news release stated.

Since 1958, North Dakota Army National Guard aircraft have flown solely from the Army Aviation Support Facility in Bismarck.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple, U.S. Rep. Rick Berg, Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker and Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota’s adjutant general, are expected to address the changes during a news conference today in Fargo.

Black Hawk helicopters have been used extensively in North Dakota’s spring flood fights in recent years, including 23 missions in spring 2011.

During the 2009 record flood in Fargo, when water started spurting from under a steel cofferdam at Oak Grove Lutheran School, flooding two buildings on campus, a Black Hawk was used to strategically place 1-ton sandbags to plug the leak.

Black Hawk helicopters and a Chinook helicopter also were used in April 2009 to drop 1,000-pound sandbags to save the Clausen Springs Dam near the city of Kathryn south of Valley City.

Mike Nowatzki is a reporter at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

Tags: news, military, fargo