North Dakota Guardsman Steps Up to Help, Whether it's Iraq, Vegas or Fargo

FARGO, UNITED STATES

04.03.2009

Story by Spc. Chris Erickson 

North Dakota National Guard Public Affairs

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FARGO, N.D. — A North Dakota National Guard Soldier who served in Iraq and later disarmed a
gunman in Las Vegas has taken the fight to Mother Nature here.

Staff Sgt. Justin J. Lampert, of Fargo, had been instructing Air Assault courses at Fort Benning, Ga.,
when efforts at holding back the flooding Red River in Fargo began. After his last course ended, he
called up his leadership and asked what the situation was like and if any help was needed.

"Because they were short-staffed at the time, I worked with the leadership at the 818th [Engineer
Company] as well as the leadership at the school and booked a flight to Fargo," Lampert said. "I got
here on the 28th, in-processed and started working the next day."

1st Sgt. Kenneth Miller, senior enlisted Soldier for the 818th, deployed with Lampert and the rest of
the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion to Iraq from December 2003 to March 2005.

"I hadn't talked to him for a couple weeks, then I found out he was using personal leave to come up
here," Miller said.

Not only did Lampert use his leave, but he paid for his own plane ticket back in order to help his
fellow Soldiers and Airmen fight the flood.

Lampert has been working as a member of one of the many quick reaction forces in Fargo. He was
first staged at Hector Airfield, then Discovery Middle School and finally, back to Hector Airfield.

When the dike around Oak Grove Lutheran School began leaking, QRFs began responding. Lampert
was squad leader of one six-Soldier team that responded later that morning.

He said the first location his team was dropped at was perfectly fine, there were no leaks.

"Then we found out about what was happening at Oak Grove Lutheran School," he said. "We ran
about six blocks to that location. Sandbags had been delivered so we got set up and started moving
them so they could be placed."

His team continued working at that location for about eight hours.

Quickly reacting to a situation is nothing new to Lampert, who in July 2007 subdued and disarmed a
gunman who was firing at people at the New York New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. For
his actions, Lampert was later awarded the Soldier's Medal.

Miller said Lampert had extreme potential, along with outstanding performance.

"He's a go-to guy and a great mentor, just a good guy to have around," he added.

Since the response to the dike breach at Oak Grove Lutheran School, Lampert's team has continued
their efforts as a QRF. During downtime, he has taken on a role he learned, and later taught, at Air
Assault School: sling-loading operations.

"If something came up, Lampert would assist in those operations," Miller said.

In Fargo, sling loading currently involves attaching 1-ton sandbags to UH-60 Black Hawk
helicopters, which then place the giant sandbags in problematic areas of the dike.

"We have been doing some hook-up training," he said. "We trained up some South Dakota guys
first, because they were headed home, and then trained up some people from North Dakota."

After his role in the flood-fighting effort comes to an end, he will renew instructing Soldiers through
three back-to-back 11-day courses.

"My commander made it very obvious that after April 6, I would be done," Lampert said. "They
wanted to ensure the integrity of those upcoming courses won't be sacrificed."

Lampert also earned a Bronze Star with "V" device for valor while he was deployed in Iraq with the
141st Engineer Battalion.