Published excerpts of story from May 21, 1987
Camp Gilbert C. Grafton near Devils Lake, usually thought of as an Army Guard training center, will be used more in the future by the North Dakota Air National Guard.
Lt. Col. Tom Polkinghorn of the “Happy Hooligans” Air Guard unit at Fargo said Wednesday he is “bullish” on Camp Grafton. Speaking at a Devils Lake service club luncheon, Polkinghorn said: “The word is out about Camp Grafton. Units from across the country like the excellent facilities and training they receive at the camp and are lined up to come here and train.”
The Air Guard officer said the addition of several thousand acres to the south unit of the camp near the Sheyenne River has opened up all sorts of combined Army Guard-Air Guard training possibilities. “The camp provides total, combined, realistic situations at the south area. Everything we need — from ground troops to radar enplacements to air cover — can be done there. It’s all there, and more and more reserve and regular military units are waiting to take advantage of the excellent facilities,” he said.
Other training already performed at the camp includes security police tactical training for Air Force and guard units, and exercises for civil engineering units, the so-called “prime beef” construction teams.
“The camp offers a perfect place for that kind of training,” Polkinghorn said.