Salute to Guard task force

North Dakota National Guard Spc. Andrew Dozhier's daughter Madisyn wasn't quite 3 days old the day of his Fargo sendoff to a deployment in Kosovo last year. A front-page photo from that day captured the pair, Madisyn's tiny hand reaching for the Grand Forks soldier.

On Sunday, Madisyn, in pigtails and a pink outfit, wobbled along the aisles of Fargo's Urban Plains Center. Her dad and some 300 fellow National Guard members had gathered there for a so-called Freedom Salute, a 7-year-old Guard recognition event.

Civilian and Guard leaders heaped kudos and thanks on the members of the 231st Maneuver Task Force, who returned from a year-long deployment to the Balkans in May and July. The wife of a sergeant who died during the deployment got hugs and a long standing ovation.

"I am really humbled," said Dozhier. "It makes you feel good when people recognize what you've done."

As part of the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo, the task force provided support and training for local troops, patrolled communities and reached out to schools.

At the ceremony, National Guard Brig. Gen. Alan Dohrmann pointed out it was a lower-key mission than, say, a tour in Iraq.

"Nobody's shooting at each other," he said. "Roadside bombs aren't going off. But I can assure you significant progress was made while you were there."

Congressman Earl Pomeroy concurred. The North Dakota soldiers, he said, offered stability as NATO started drawing down its contingent in Kosovo, where ethnic tensions persist. Since their return, the International Court of Justice backed the enclave's bid for independence from Serbia.

"You're part of the creation of a legitimate independent country as determined by international law," Pomeroy told the Guard members.

Gov. John Hoeven said he felt the warm welcome the Kosovo people gave the soldiers when he visited them on the ground.

"America is a force for good in the world," he said, "and you delivered this force of good. You delivered it in a big, big way."

The speakers gave special thanks to the families of soldiers who, the Guard's Adj. Gen. David Spryncznatyk said, had perhaps the toughest job: "carrying the home front" without the camaraderie and structure that sustain soldiers.

The deployment's most trying moment came with the sudden death of Sgt. Terry Lynn Rishling from a heart attack in February. His wife, Nancy, brought his fatigues to the ceremony. Pomeroy called him a "strong, stalwart man, a friend, a mentor."

Dozhier said his return to civilian life in May has been an adjustment, from lining up a job to getting to know his daughter.

"It's tough at first being back," he said.

Still, his return has been a relief to him and his family.

"I had help; I had my mom," said his wife, Andrea. "But it's not the same."

Spc. Angela Jensen said restarting her relationship with 3-year-old daughter, Jayden, can be trying, too: "She doesn't always listen to me."

But, said Jensen and her friend Staff Sgt. Shane Sager, a father of two, they look forward to spending time at home.

Said Sager, "It was nice to see our local leaders were here to support us."

Readers can reach Forum reporter Mila Koumpilova at (701) 241-5529