Prolific Art Concepts
by Jeffrey A. Nord, Sergeant First Class (Retired Reserves)
LIFER HQ
CH 1
BACK
NEXT
CONTACT
CH 4
2001-2012 SDARNG Honor Guard
2000-2011 SDARNG State Active Duty
1978-2014 Biographical Summary
Chapter 6
THE END
2002
SD Enlisted Association Conference
SD Legislative Dining Out Event Opening and Closing Flag Ceremonies in Pierre, SD
WWII Memorial Dedication Ceremony (supported USO tent)
2003
SD Enlisted Association Conference
Governor’s Inaugural Ceremony for Mike Rounds at the SD Capitol Building in Pierre, SD
SD Legislative Dining Out Event Opening and Closing Flag Ceremonies in Pierre, SD
Shrine of Democracy POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony near Keystone, SD
2004
CPT Christopher F. Soelzer (US Army) Funeral Honors at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD
SGT Dennis B. Morgan (SDARNG) Funeral Honors at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD
SSG Corey W. Brooks (SDARNG) Funeral Honors at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, SD
SD Enlisted Association Conference Opening and Closing Flag Ceremonies
SD Legislative Dining Out Opening and Closing Flag Ceremonies in Pierre, SD
SD Korean War Memorial Parade and Dedication Ceremony at Capitol Lake in Pierre, SD
Shrine of Democracy POW/MIA Recognition Day Flag Ceremony near Keystone, SD
2005
SD Legislative Dining Out Opening and Closing Flag Ceremonies in Pierre, SD
Walmart Supercenter Grand Opening Flag Ceremony in Pierre, SD
2006
SGT Paul W. Hathaway (SDARNG) Funeral Honors in Mobridge, SD
Vietnam Memorial Dedication Ceremony Logistical Support at Capitol Lake in Pierre, SD
2007
Governor’s Inaugural for Mike Rounds at the SD Capitol Building in Pierre, SD
South Dakota Wreaths across America Ceremony at Capitol Lake in Pierre, SD
2008
Verendrye Site National Historic Landmark Rededication Ceremony at Ft Pierre, SD
Perkins Restaurant Grand Opening Flag Ceremony in Ft Pierre, SD
2012
Former SD Governor William F. Janklow Memorial at the SD Capitol Building in Pierre, SD
SDARNG HONOR GUARD
In August 2000, I supported the SDARNG’s efforts to battle the Jasper Fire near Custer, SD, by serving as a Food Service Specialist in the firefighters’ camp. I worked from 5 am to midnight on an MKT (Mobile Kitchen Trailer) for about a week, before firefighters contained the fire enough to reduce the number of firefighters on site and, ultimately, the need for our mobile kitchen trailer and my services. The Jasper Fire was the biggest ever in the Black Hills, burning 83,508 acres.
SDARNG STATE ACTIVE DUTY
HIGH PROFILE HONOR GUARD EVENTS
From 2001 to 2012, I served on the SDARNG Color Guard Team, performing flag and funeral honors on numerous occasions. I wish I had recorded each color guard event, so I would have a complete record, because I performed a number of flag details and funeral honors for Veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam, particularly at the Black Hills National Cemetery, and now have no clue as to what their names are or when the events were. Very unfortunate, I think, but on a positive note, the SDARNG is now keeping track of Soldiers' Honor Guard service for posterity.
Red Dogs indoor football games in Rapid City, SD
American Legion Baseball in Rapid City, SD
Little League Baseball in Rapid City, SD
Parade of Lights in Rapid City, SD
Parade of Lights in Hill City, SD
Presidential statue unveiling in Rapid City, SD
Various fishing tournaments in Pierre, SD
Recruiting event at Riggs High School in Pierre, SD
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Conference in Pierre, SD
OTHER COLOR GUARD EVENTS
AUGUST 2000
JASPER FIRE
CUSTER, SD
In early July 2002, I assisted in the Grizzly Gulch Fire, near Deadwood, SD, by processing SAD (State Active Duty) orders for all Soldiers participating in fire-fighting operations. The fire burned over 10,000 acres, destroyed seven homes and 13 other structures, and caused the evacuation of thousands of residents.
JULY 2002
GRIZZLY GULCH FIRE
DEADWOOD, SD
In August 2002, the Battle Creek Fire broke out, eventually burning 13,700 acres over the course of 13 days. I worked for a week in the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) mobile trailer at the firefighter’s camp about a mile west of Bear Country USA.
One day, I was able to tour the Battle Creek Fire, seeing all areas that were burning from the vehicle I was riding in. I was somewhat surprised to see so many small fires scattered over so many miles of terrain. My previously held notion of a forest fire was one big patch of forest getting burned, not several, smaller patches scattered over several miles.
Later in July 2002, the Little Elk Creek Fire broke out near Piedmont, SD, which burned over 600 acres. I also supported this fire-fighting mission by processing SAD orders.
JULY 2002
LITTLE ELK CREEK FIRE
PIEDMONT, SD
In late May 2011, while assigned to the 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, all the full-time Soldiers within our battalion were participating in a 3-day battalion full-timer’s meeting in Pierre. On the last day of the meeting, we did a team-building event, which was to fish from boats for walleyes in the downstream portion of the Missouri River, known as Lake Sharpe.
We put in the boats at the ramp near 4th Street in Fort Pierre. At that time, the river was at a level to where we had to hop across a small puddle of water to get to the dock without getting our feet wet. After a few hours of fishing, we returned back to the dock and found the water level had risen to where the previously small puddle was much bigger and we had to take a running jump from the dock over the puddle to avoid getting our feet wet.
Later that day, we saw on the news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the Pierre/Fort Pierre area would be affected by flooding in the coming days. Within a few days, the National Guard was called up to assist in flood relief operations. Task Force 152 was quickly organized and an emergency operations center was set up in the basement of the Pierre Armory.
Because my boss retired within days after the flood, I was in charge of the S1 section of the EOC and I got the personnel administration workstation set up and running within a day or two. I created a spreadsheet to track all incoming and outgoing personnel, with several data fields, including rank, unit, PMOS, gender, duty position and location, day/night shift, cell phone number, etc. I stayed very busy processing between 6 to 10 different forms on each Soldier reporting to the EOC for state active duty service. That was in addition to my normal full-time job of processing evaluation reports and awards. I also completed and submitted their travel vouchers to the State of South Dakota for payment processing (to reimburse them for their travel expenses).
Within about a week, Task Force 147 (147th Field Artillery Brigade) took over EOC operations in our armory basement. They operated the EOC for about three weeks, before handing over responsibility back to us, Task Force 152. We had part-time Soldiers in our section manning the S1 section of EOC operations during that time, so I only had to periodically monitor or troubleshoot to make sure things were running smoothly. However, I still had to process many travel vouchers.
Lake Sharpe, the body of water below Oahe Dam, on the Missouri River in Pierre, was above flood stage from 24 May through 7 September 2011.
MAY TO AUGUST 2011
MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD
PIERRE, SD
In early December 2005, I supported Operation Door-to-Door following the Thanksgiving Day Blizzard. The blizzard began as freezing rain, then dumped a massive amount of snow. This knocked out numerous power lines, causing extensive power outages.
The purpose of this mission was to drive to rural homes to make sure residents were OK. A group of about a dozen Soldiers and a dozen social workers from the Department of Social Services gathered at the Spink County Courthouse in the early morning for our marching orders. The plan was to pair each Soldier up with a social worker. The Soldiers would drive the social workers around to their designated area, so the social workers could “knock on doors” and assist residents, if needed. Our fleet included about 6 Humvees and 6 old State Vehicles (Suburbans). At about 8 am, we set out to our appointed areas. I drove one of the old Suburbans.
The first house the social worker and I were to visit was on the south side of Cottonwood Lake. I turned left off Highway 26 onto a gravel road that had been plowed (both lanes) for about a mile. After the first mile, only one lane was plowed. I didn't like the looks of it, so asked the social worker if I should continue down that one lane. She said to keep going, so I did, despite my reservations. The single lane path ended after a mile, at the edge of a cornfield, leaving us with two options. Either we drive a mile in reverse or try to turn around.
We decided to try to turn around, but got stuck in the snow. The 4-wheel drive did not work. The vehicle had, what was called, “State Radio”, but that didn’t work either. The social worker had a cell phone, but got no signal. The temperature outside was bitterly cold with biting winds. Luckily, I had plenty of warm clothes on. I told the Social Worker I would go for help and that she could stay warm in the Suburban by turning it on periodically. I walked for about a mile before an SUV full of pheasant hunters stopped. I told them our predicament and they were very cooperative. They drove me back to the vehicle and helped get us unstuck by towing the Suburban with their SUV.
By the time we finally got back to Highway 26, it was about noon. We drove back to the courthouse to eat lunch, warm up and count our blessings we didn’t freeze to death. After going through a serious survival situation, we were told to stay put for the rest of the day, rather than risk the same fate by going out again. The funny thing is that we never knocked on even one door and they sent us home the next morning. I felt kind of bad about not helping anyone during this operation, but the social worker said I was her hero for braving the cold and finding someone to rescue us, so that was a little consolation to the whole situation. Even better was the fact that the other 11 vehicles we able to accomplish their missions without incident.
DECEMBER 2005
OPERATION DOOR-TO-DOOR
REDFIELD, SD
AUGUST 2002
BATTLE CREEK FIRE
KEYSTONE, SD
SFC JEFFREY A. NORD
(RETIRED ON 10 JUNE 2014)
Name: Nord, Jeffrey A. As of: 9 June 2014
Rank and Date of Rank: Sergeant First Class, 9 June 2014 PMOS: 42A4O
Mandatory Removal Date: 30 December 2020
Present Assignment: Human Resources Sergeant,
152nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB), Pierre, SD 57501
Years of active service and BASD: 13 years / 21 Nov 2000
Total years of service and PEBD: 33 years / 5 May 1981
Civilian education: Bachelor of Science Degree, Business Administration, Dakota State College, 1983
Military education: ANCOC PH 3
Appointments and Reductions: Component Effective Date Date of Rank
PV1 ARNGUS 6 Apr 78
PV2 ARNGUS 6 Oct 78
PFC ARNGUS 6 Apr 79
SPC ARNGUS 20 Feb 81
SPC USAR 20 Jan 86
PV2 USA 18 Oct 88
PFC USA 15 Feb 89 18 Oct 88
SPC USA 9 Sep 89 18 Feb 89
SGT USA 6 Jun 91 1 Apr 91
SGT ARNGUS 14 Aug 92
SPC USA 14 May 93
CPL USA 2 Aug 95
SPC ARNGUS 14 May 96
SPC USAR 21 Apr 97
SGT USAR 26 Feb 99
SGT ARNGUS 11 May 99
SSG ARNGUS 8 Jun 02
SFC ARNGUS 15 Dec 05
SSG ARNGUS 15 Sep 08 8 Jun 02
SFC ARNGUS 9 Sep 08 9 Jun 14
Military Occupational Specialties:
13B Cannon Crewmember 1978
75B Personnel Administration Specialist (42A Human Resources Specialist) 1983
11B Combat Infantryman 1993
11M Bradley Fighting Vehicle Infantryman 1993
88L Watercraft Engineer 1999
92G Food Service Specialist 2000
92A Automated Logistics Specialist 2006
Decorations, awards and citations (in order of precedence):
Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters (2003, 2004, 2014)
Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster (1990, 2009)
Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters (1987, 1994, 1995)
Good Conduct Medal - 3rd Award (1992, 1996, 2011)
Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters (1982, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008)
National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star (1991, 2001)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (2007)
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars (1991)
United Nations Medal (1995)
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (2008)
Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon – 3rd Award (1988, 2003, 2005)
Army Service Ribbon (1978)
Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (1998)
Kuwait Liberation Medal-Saudi Arabia (1991)
Kuwait Liberation Medal-Kuwait (1991)
South Dakota Distinguished Service Award with two Oak Leaf Clusters (2002, 2004, 2006)
South Dakota Army National Guard Recruiting Ribbon with one Oak Leaf Cluster (2002, 2003)
South Dakota Emergency Operations Ribbon (2002)
South Dakota Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters (1983, 2005, 2010)
South Dakota Distinguished Unit Award (2001)
Military Education:
One Station Unit Training (13 wks BCT/13B AIT) - USA Field Artillery Training Center, Ft Sill, OK 1978
Personnel Admin. Specialist Course (75B MOSQ) - US Army Reserve Training Center, Sioux Falls, SD 1983
TAMMS Course - Schofield Barracks, HI 1986
Publications Course - Schofield Barracks, HI 1986
Generator/Compressor Course - Schofield Barracks, HI 1986
Primary Leadership Course - Reserve Component, Schofield Barracks, HI 1988
Headstart for German (language) - Hanau, Germany 1989
Combat Lifesaver - Hanau, Germany 1990
TACCS Course - Ft. Sill, OK 1991
Basic Combat Training (5 wks) - USA Infantry Training Center, Ft. Benning, GA 1993
Infantry School (5 wks 11B AIT) - USA Infantry Training Center, Ft. Benning, GA 1993
Bradley Fighting Vehicle School (2 wks 11M AIT) - USA Infantry Training Center, Ft. Benning, GA 1993
Watercraft Engineer School (88L MOSQ) - USA Transportation Training Center, Ft Eustis, VA 1998
Food Service Specialist Course (92G MOSQ) - Camp Parks, CA 2000
Personnel Security Manager Course - Ft. Riley, KS 2003
Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course (42A) - Camp Parks, CA 2003
Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course (42A) - Camp Parks, CA 2005
Automated Logistics Specialist Course (92A MOSQ) - Ft. Harrison, MT 2006
Anti-Terrorism Officer Course - 196th RTI, Sioux Falls, SD 2008
National Guard – Not on Active Duty: From To
Cannon Crewmember, Battery B(-), 1-147th FA, Salem, SD Apr 78 Sep 83
Field Artillery Surveyor, HHB, 153rd Artillery Brigade, Phoenix, AZ May 96 Sep 96
Heavy Equipment Operator, 842nd Engineer Company (CSE), Spearfish, SD May 99 Nov 00
Military Personnel Technician, JFHQ-SD(-), Rapid City, SD Nov 00 Feb 05
Readiness NCO, 881st Troop Command, Pierre, SD Mar 05 May 07
Human Resources Sergeant, 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Bn, Pierre, SD Jun 07 Sep 08
National Guard – on Active Duty: From To
Basic Training/13B AIT, USA Artillery Training Center, Ft. Sill, OK May 78 Aug 78
Human Resources Sergeant, 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Bn, Pierre, SD Sep 08 Jun 14
Army Reserve – Not on Active Duty: From To
Cadet, Reserve Officer Training Corps, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD Sep 83 Jul 84
Training NCO/Illustrator, Co D/HHD, 91st Division (Training), Ft. Baker, CA Jan 86 Oct 86
Publications Clerk, 456th Replacement Detachment, Ft. DeRussy, Honolulu, HI Oct 86 Oct 88
Watercraft Engineer, 481st Transportation Company (Heavy Boat), Stockton & Vallejo, CA Apr 97 May 99
Army – on Active Duty: From To
Personnel Administrative Specialist, HHC, 23rd Engr Bn (3rd AD) Hanau, Germany Oct 88 Nov 90
Personnel Administrative Specialist, HHC, 299th Engr Bn, Ft. Sill, OK Nov 90 Jan 92
BCT/11B/11M Trainee, USA Infantry Training Center, Ft. Benning, GA May 93 Sep 93
Personnel Administrative Specialist, HHC, 1st Bn, 6th Inf Rgmt (3rd ID), Vilseck, Germany Sep 93 May 96
Civilian Work Experience: From To
Accounting Clerk, Sherwood Insurance Services, San Francisco, CA Jan 85 Oct 85
Claims Processor, PMI Mortgage Insurance Company, San Francisco, CA Jan 86 Oct 86
Word Processor, Industrial Analytical Laboratory, Honolulu, HI Sep 87 May 88
Route Sales Representative, Pugsley’s, Inc., Devils Lake, ND Sep 92 Mar 93
Claims Representative, Social Security Administration (SSA), San Francisco, CA Jan 97 Jun 98
Hearings Office Clerk, SSA Office of Hearings and Appeals Office, San Rafael, CA Jun 98 Apr 99
Mark-up Clerk, U.S. Postal Service, Rapid City, SD Jan 00 Apr 00
Military Personnel Technician, U.S. Department of Defense, Rapid City and Pierre, SD Nov 00 Sep 08
Organization Affiliations:
Veterans of Foreign Wars - Life Member
South Dakota National Guard Enlisted Association - Life Member
American Legion – Annual Member since 2000
Third Armored Division – Lifetime Spearheader
BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY UPON RETIREMENT
 2004 Color Guard for SDEANGThis is an informal picture taken prior to the start of the ceremony. Each of us assumed a position that was comfortable for us. I liked to stand at attention, because that was the position we started with prior to marching in the ceremony, so I was always ready to go. |  2005-05 Color Guard for NAIFANAIFA is an acronym for "National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors" |  2005-05 Color Guard for NAIFA |
|---|---|---|
 2005-05 Color Guard for NAIFA |  2005-05 Color Guard for NAIFA |  2005-05 Color Guard for NAIFA5 |
 2008-05-15 Verendrye Site |  2008-05-15 Verendrye Site |
Below are the very few photos I have while performing Honor Guard.