Hurd to deploy to Afghanistan
Alex Hurd will deploy to Afghanistan in March and will serve for five months as an Air National Guard flight crew chief/mechanic. Hurd and his father Dean are pictured in Lake Benton prior to their family Christmas celebration last week.
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
Alex Hurd, son of Dean and Wendy Hurd ofRichfieldand grandson of Ray Hurd ofLakeBenton, is preparing to deploy toAfghanistanin March.
Hurd, a 2006 graduate ofRichfieldHigh School. graduated from U.S. Air Force Basic Training at Lackland, AFB on April 1, 2008.
“I was interested in planes since I was in grade school,” said Hurd. “My Grandpa Ray and my Uncle Dave served and I always wanted to experience it so I can say that I served, too.”
Hurd spent three years on active duty as a flight crew chief/mechanic at Nellis AFB inLas Vegas,Nev.and got out a year early in the Palace Chase program to join the Minnesota Air National Guard on April 4, 2011.
Hurd has spent one weekend a month and will be training at the 133rd Air Base inSt. Paulfor the next three months before his unit deploys to Bagram Air Base inAfghanistanthe first week of March for five months.
“The only place I went was to Tindahl AFB inPanama City,Fla.so I wanted to travel and seeAsiaand want to do my job in a deployed state,” said Hurd. “I have friends that have been there and have some there now.”
“I’m not nervous but don’t know what to expect going into a country at war, but I’m ready to go.”
Hurd was born inSioux Falls,S.D.and moved toRichfieldwhen he was two. His mother Wendy is from Tyler and his father Dean graduated fromLakeBentonHigh Schoolin 1978.
“I’m proud that he’s serving in the armed forces,” said Dean Hurd. “His grandpa’s proud too. My proudest moment was when he graduated.”
“We shook hands with a bird colonel whose son graduated with Alex and gave kids hugs whose parents couldn’t be there.”
Hurd was in town for the Hurd family Christmas and will be back in time for the Hurd Open, a family golf outing held in July at Pipestone.
“Mom’s not as worried now that we have Facebook and can stay in contact almost daily,” said Hurd. “Before she was anti-war and wouldn’t allow guns in the house. My dad wears a keychain which is a miniature version of a flight streamer that they remove before a plane takes off.”
“I’ve been waiting to go for a couple of years now.”
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