Nordlund Named Army National Guard Recruiter

Montana Army National Guard Recruiter (MANG), Doug Nordlund, is the new recruiter in the area, and chose to move to Malta to locate.

He has been in the Guards twelve and a half years and as of last Thursday, has been on his new job for 16 days.

Doug has a family, his wife, Jordan, and four children. They are looking forward to the change; they have been in Missoula, where he was in the flooring industry. When the job opening came up, they visited and weighed the options. No stranger to the community, they had recently been here for funerals, including for his grandpas Jerry Depuydt and Jerry Nordlund.

Traveling is not new to the family, which will help with transitioning. Doug's area of service will be from Malta eastward; from Hwy 2 to Bainville.

"We started looking for a house, and then I got the job offer and everything kinda fell together quick. Real quick!"

"For me, this is kinda coming home. I have a lot of ties to this community. I graduated from Wolf Point in 1998, I understand what it is like to be a teenage kid from Malta, Montana or Wolf Point, Montana or Poplar, Montana. I understand how hard it is to sort through all of the information that gets thrown at you, especially when it comes to college and careers, and when it comes to deciding what to do with the rest of your life."

Nordlund said, "I am here to be an asset to the community and be involved in the community. Our kids play sports, our kids are very involved in soccer. I coached our youngest son's soccer team last year and I look forward volunteering in the community and being part of this. That is something that means a lot to me. Community service is a thing I kind of grew into as I grew up and it is a tough thing to do in Missoula. There are many barriers. So coming here we are excited to be part of this community."

As to his family, Nordlund stated, "Jordan has been a stay-at-home mom, she is just finishing up her degree online in accounting. Then she will probably work remote for a firm. Because our children are such a big part of our lives it means a lot to me that when the kids come home from school that mom is there to meet them. Family is important to us and that is one of the big reasons we moved are here."

His office will be at the new Armory also known as the Malta Readiness Center, as 509 S. 10th Ave. He said he is looking forward to helping kids make a decision. If joining the Guards is for them then great, but if it's not he said he has no problem telling them so, either.

While they could have lived anywhere in his territory, he said it was important the strong pull was for here and, "Having so much history here, and wanting my kids to grow up in a town where they can ride their bicycles until dark and I don't have to worry, that means a lot. So, we are really excited to be here."

Right now, Nordlund said his kids get on the bus at seven o'clock and get to school at seven fifty-five. Needless to say, the kids will be excited, as they have started the workings and things are in progress to purchase a home south of the grade school, so they will be close to the high school when the kids are older.

"Getting out and seeing the world is great, and coming back and being a part of the leaders is important," Nordlund said.

His goal is to be at the schools in eastern Montana and recruit for the Army National Guard. He is starting by stopping by the schools, introducing himself and the programs and begin meeting with students. The ANG grows leaders. It is his plan to get in front of as many kids as he can, a mission he has is to recruit five kids a year.

As far as barriers, Nordlund said, "We are looking for leaders...that is who is going to shape the world. Overall, there is a general lack of patriotism, there seems to be a lack of motivation for some kids. We seem to be in a very digital age where everything can be done online and that is not who we are."

Nordlund said he is looking forward to meeting the community and sharing the word about the opportunities that are available through the Guards.

The Malta Armory is building a FMS Unit here, which is a Forward Maintenance Shop, and there will be some openings for federal technicians here in the next couple years. Those jobs are only open to Montana National Guard, which are great opportunities with a good paying wage. Some positions start at $50,000 a year, to change oil and do maintenance on the vehicles. It is a career one can start with...only with the Montana National Guard. Will you join today?