Serving the U.S. in the N.D. National Guard for 3 generations

Jackie Cox

Each person in this remarkable family could tell a story— military service over the continent and three generations, and counting. Service in the ND Air National Guard started with Wayne and Pat Solberg, then their six children (Ron, Mary, Dan, Becky, Bobbi and Jennifer, all currently retired or separated) and then grandkids. Of the 20 grandkids, 8 have served or are in the process, with two still too young to enlist. There are also several spouses of the children and grandchildren that serve or have served – it’s a family thing!
Rebekah “Becky” Dohrmann, retired as a major with the NDANG. She says of her large military family: “although we were all scattered in different sections, whenever I would enter the mess hall, I could find a family member. We could be in the middle of the night training, and I could find a member I trusted without fault. If we had a problem, we could work through, confidentially.”
Their eldest child, Ron (Brigadier General retired), addressed the crowd about his family’s commitment last Veterans Day at the West Fargo VFW, and commented that only 6% of Americans serve or have served in the military, which is unlike his family’s numbers and commitment. He worries that those without military contacts don’t realize the opportunities and satisfaction of serving.
Wayne, the father, retired as a colonel with the NDANG after 32 years. He founded the Solberg law firm in Fargo and was the Fargo city attorney from 1968 to 1995 while performing his military service. Wayne and Pat were married for 71 years and lived in Fargo with their six children, and Pat was the glue that held this military service-oriented family together through all of the assignments, exercises and extra work involved. Although Wayne passed away two years ago, the commitment to military service has been duly passed on to the following generation.
Ron, Ron, Fargo, was with the N.D. Air Guard for more than 36 years, deployed to Iraq and Israel, and retired as a Brigadier General in 2017. He spent approximately 35 years in the military— Air and Army National
Guard. He was enlisted for 7 years before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 119th Civil Engineer Squadron. Ron advanced through the ranks, becoming the 119 CES commander, then served as Mission Support Group Commander, and later as the 119 Maintenance Group Commander. In 2011 he was named Adjutant General (TAG) Chief of Staff, then was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General to the Assistant Adjutant General for Air in ND. Ron and his wife Dawn, have 4 children: Rachael (Dylan Omdahl), Joseph (Sarah), Daniel (Rachael), and Samuel (Hope).
All are now married and have children of their own. The 3 boys have all been, or still currently serve, in the military, and with Ron, were all deployed to SW Asia. Joe enlisted in the USMC
in 2006 and is currently a Master Sergeant in the NDANG. He previously served five years as a marine in California, New York, and Afghanistan. Dan enlisted into the NDANG and now serves in the Montana Air National Guard. Sam was with the USMC 11 years until recently retiring.
Mary Griffin, second oldest, lives in Fargo with her husband, Dave. She served for 12 years in the NDANG, and was activated for Desert Storm to Grand Forks, but not deployed. Her husband Dave served active duty in the Navy for four years, and served in the NDANG for 6 years. He is now retired from his practice as an emergency room doctor with Sanford Health. Mary and Dave have six children, Kaitlyn (Tyler) Varriano, Connor (Moorea), Walker (Courtney), Sarah (David) Sinnott, Peter and Brita, three of whom have served in the NDANG. Tyler Varriano served in the Minnesota National Guard and was deployed to Iraq for 18 months. Connor enlisted in the NDANG and served for 5 years before
being commissioned and is now a Captain
with 13 years of service. Connor’s wife Moorea was an NCO and retired after 8 years in the NDANG. Peter was in the NDANG when he passed away in 2021, having served for 4 years.
Dan retired in 2022 from the ND Air National Guard as Chief Master Sergeant after 34 years. Like his siblings who were deployed overseas, Dan served in Qatar for seven months. He and wife Kim have three daughters, Ellen, Ana and Mya. Ellen is a NDNG as NCO, serving for 11 years, most recently in the Public Affairs section. Ana has been with the TN Air National Air for 1 year, transferring from the NDANG with 7 years of service.
Rebekah, Bismarck, was in the NDAG for 21 years and retired as a major. Her husband, Alan Dohrmann, deployed with the Army National Guard to Kosovo on two separate occasions. He was the North Dakota Adjutant General before retiring this year after having served for 41 years. Becky and Al were both attorneys, or JAG’s, and today work as attorneys for our North Dakota political leaders. They have four children, Meghan, Teddy, Will and Gabe. Gabe is a high school senior currently going through the process to enlist. Ron recalls his Brigadier General retirement ceremony, with brother-in-law MG Al Dohrmann officiating, as one of the most meaningful events in his career.
Roberta “Bobbi” Solberg, Fargo, retired from the Air Guard as a major after serving for more than 20 years, and has one son, David. She is currently a Nurse Practitioner at the VA Hospital in Fargo. Bobbi is married to Tim Laney, also a military retiree with 41 years of service.
Jennifer Shawver, who lives in Colorado Springs, CO retired as a major from the NDANG in 2011 with 21 years total, with 4 years of Active Duty and a mix of Air National Guard and Reserve assignments for over 17 years. Her husband Steve separated as Captain in 2007 from the US Air Force. They have two daughters, Abbey and Lily.
Becky says that when she was surrounded by military family she trusted, despite difficult situations, “the trust I felt led to a feeling of calmness.”
We salute the Solberg family for its military record, as well as all military veterans. They have lived their lives serving us.