“Would you do it again?” “In a heartbeat,” says Glen

In honor of Veterans Day, the Grygla Eagle Newspaper conducted an interview with one of our local veterans, Glen Limesand, Jr., of Gatzke. The interview has been left in its original form with Glen reflecting back on his years of service as a First Sergeant in the Minnesota Army National Guard. 

We thank Glen for sharing his story with us and also for his many years of service and dedication to our country. 

What branch of service did you serve in and what was your rank? Minnesota Army National Guard, First Sergeant. I retired in 2016 after 24 years of service.

What made you join and pick that specific branch? I thought about joining the Navy, but a post card came in the mail from the Minnesota Army National Guard; they offered a $2,500 enlistment bonus in 1992. This was a lot of money at the time, so I decided to go this route. 

How old were you and where were you living at the time? I was 17 years old and still living at home. The National Guard would allow you to perform basic training between your junior and senior year in high school. After graduation, I had to go back to complete Advance Individual Training. 

Where was your Basic Training location and when? Both Basic training and AIT were conducted in Ft. Benning, GA. 1992 for Basic and 1993 for AIT. Of course both training periods were 8 weeks long and landed between the months of June and August. Being from Northern Minnesota, the summers in Georgia were dreadfully hot! Upon completion of AIT, my duty station was Bravo Co 2/136 in Thief River Falls, MN. 

Which war or wars did you serve in or where were you stationed? Afghanistan - stationed at a Marine Combat Base - Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province (Desert of Death). 

I was also deployed to Bosnia in 2003 in a Peace Keeping mission. We spent ten months on hilltop 1326. We were also the first Minnesota unit to get deployed from one country to another. Just three weeks from going home we were activated and sent to Kosovo due to riots that broke out across the country.

Do you recall your first days in service? We arrived to Ft. Benning in the middle of the night and were given a place to sleep. The next morning, we were awoken by someone yelling. The first week we were given a haircut, our army clothing, gear, and vaccines that I still can’t count. We had some time to spend outside; it seemed we were in a valley. My buddy and I could not tell you which way north was. After the week was up, we were all told to line up with our gear. Several trucks came rolling in pulling cattle trailers. We all loaded into these trailers, around 50 soldiers or so per trailer, very compacted, the trucks took us to our barracks. What seemed like miles, because it took hours to arrive, ended up being only a couple of miles. Drill Sergeants were screaming for us to get off the trailers and into formations. Looking back, I think we were yelled at for the entire day, only to start back up at zero four thirty the next morning. 

What did you feel like in those moments? I think I was excited and awaiting what was to come. I had no clue how intense training would be or what to expect. We had the privilege of conducting a pre-basic training course at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, prior to arriving at boot camp. They showed us how to march, standard formations, how to answer when spoken to, etc. I believe this training was a huge disadvantage for those that didn’t take it. 

What was it like when you arrived to war zone? We landed in Kabul late afternoon and were sent to a base that was just hit the day before. Your first few days are spent with in-country briefs, including actions taken if attacked, Rules of Engagement, etc. I vividly remember doing roll over drills in a Humvee. They had a Humvee set up to turn upside down; once turned over, we had to get ourselves out. The entire unit was very exhausted from travel, we spent a week conducting drills and then were sent to Camp Julien via an Upped Armored Bus (south side of Kabul) to conduct more drills and training for our mission. This is where I learned that I would be sent to Camp Leatherneck. I heard that it was really hot in Helmand province and I remember asking a Marine when we loaded a C-130, “How hot is it?” He told me to imagine holding a blow dryer to your face on high heat. Sometime soldiers and marines can embellish, but let me tell you, when we landed in Helmand and I stepped off the plane, he was not kidding!

What was your job/assignment? I was attached to a Unit that conducted Counter Insurgency Operations. We trained the Afghan Army, Afghan Police, and the Afghan Border Patrol in counter insurgency operations. Pretty straight forward task, until you learned that one out of ten were Taliban. Several instructors were attacked. Moving forward, we had to have “Guardian Angels” - someone in a high location over watching with a loaded rifle. 

Any injuries sustained while in the service? No, I’m very grateful that I was able to come back home injury free. 

How did you stay in touch with your family? We had a Conex set up with many phone booths in it on Camp Leatherneck. Any time someone was injured or killed, all communications were shut down. I flew out every week to small combat out posts; there were no means of contacting home. When I would arrive back to Camp Leatherneck, my first duty was to try and call home.  

Did you have any leave during that time? Yes, we were all given two weeks and given an opportunity to choose when. My first request was right after Christmas, and I got it. I went home and spent two weeks with my wife and children. I remember giving my wife grief, asking her, “How fast are you driving?” To me it felt like we were going 90mph, driving around base for 6 months, never going over 20mph. 

Tell us about a couple of your most memorable experiences. Boy, there are so many. One I laugh about the most is the time I was flown to a Combat Outpost with the Marines near Lashkar Gah. It was a very small post that had limited resources, such as no running water. They had set up PVC tubes into the sand to urinate in, along with outhouses built in the middle of the post with no doors. Our first night, I told my Afghan Interpreter, I had to go! He said he had to go as well but he did not know how to use a WAG BAG. I taught the young interpreter how to use one and proceeded about my business. It was pitch dark, and sitting there, gazing at the stars, something rubbed against me. It ended up being the biggest black cat I have ever seen! Talk about a scream! The guards in the tower turned on the spot lights…there I sat!

It was not uncommon to receive indirect fire. The alarms would go off and we would get into our bunkers. After one night of receiving indirect fire, we learned that an artillery round landed less than a hundred meters from our tent; it was a dud. We did not know it landed that close until the next morning.  

Another memory that comes back to me was when the Secretary of Defense came to our base. We had several local Afghan civilians that worked for the U.S. base, again, one out of ten were Taliban. One found out that the Secretary of Defense was showing up. He stole a pickup and hit 3 or 4 British soldiers walking on the road across from our tent. The Marines ended up stopping him before he reached the airfield. Once pinned down, the Afghan doused himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire. 

Can you tell us about the day your service ended? We were given plane tickets home and my flight landed in Minneapolis. I got a plane to Thief River Falls with a stop in Hibbing. When we landed in Hibbing, I found out that we could go no further due to communication issues between the plane and airport in TRF. They arranged for a driver and a van that would drive us. We arrived in St. Hilaire and all of a sudden police sirens came on. I quickly realized I was getting a police escort. The poor lady driving thought she was getting pulled over. After arriving to the TRF airport several hours late, there were a ton of people there to welcome me home. It’s a feeling I will never forget. 

What did you do in the days and weeks afterward? I took my family to Alaska for three weeks - probably the trip of a lifetime. We visited my wife’s aunt and uncles and went Halibut fishing. I took the summer off to get things done on the farm. I built a deck and just enjoyed spending time with my family. After being home for 90 days, I went back to work for Polaris.  

Are you a part of a veterans organization today? Yes. I am a lifetime member of the VFW and a member of the American Legion, 

How did your service and experiences shape you? I believe that the service taught me many valuable lessons in life - respect, honor and discipline. One of the main reasons I stayed in for over twenty years is camaraderie; I made many friendships over the years that will last a lifetime. 

Would you do it again? In a heartbeat. Over the years, friends and family ask me to talk to their children about joining the service. I tell them, “Don’t send them my way if you want me to talk them out of it!”