Minot residents weather blizzard, continue mission

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ashley Avecilla
  • 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) --  Many Minot Air Force Base members were snowbound indoors due to 25.7 inches of snow, but the mission continued.

Because many missile combat crew members and security forces were delayed in the field for about a day, 91st Missile Wing officials adjusted many schedules once the snow stopped falling and roads became passable again.

"On Sunday, Dec. 27, we changed over the entire security force over a 12-hour period of time," said Col. Peter Micale, the 91st Security Forces Group commander. "Ordinarily, only about 34 people change over on any one day, on Sunday there were almost 300 security forces moving to and from the missile field.

"This operation was carried out without incident due to the professionalism of our Airmen and the leadership provided by our junior officers and NCOs and the dedication of our civilian workforce," he added.

However, the Minuteman III ICBM was not affected by the record snowfall.

"The Minuteman III weapon system is very resilient and is designed to operate in austere environmental conditions, so there was essentially no impact to the weapon system," said Col. Ferdinand Stoss, the 91st Missile Wing commander.

To help with the struggle, precautions were made to help keep the base running.

"Standard weather notifications were issued and personnel advised to make necessary personnel preparations," said Lt. Col. Monte Harner, the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. "Also, our snow removal operations adjusted to 12-hours shifts to increase manning and maximize capability."

Those who worked long hours were unable to go home to their families until the heavy snow eventually stopped, and even then those stuck at home had to spend hours shoveling snow before they could attend to their normal duties.

Although last year's snow fall was great and the temperature stayed well below zero for extended periods of time, there was not a huge downfall of snow in such a short period of time, Colonel Harner said. Along with the abnormal amount of snow fall, winds created heavy drifts. Nevertheless, last year's downfall prepared the base for the blizzard, which teams did an excellent job of handling.