New Guard unit activates in October 

Rapid City – The South Dakota Army National Guard will add a new unit on Oct. 1, 2003.   The unit will be the Counter Drug Rapid Assessment and Interdiction Detachment or better known as RAID.

            Two OH-58 Helicopters and eight soldiers consisting of pilots, mechanics and technical inspectors make up this new unit. Half of the members will be full-time Guard employees and the rest will serve as part-time personnel.    

“The unit will provide support to law enforcement agencies throughout South Dakota,” said Lt. Col. Les Wermers, Counter Drug Coordinator for South Dakota.  “The units’ helicopters are equipped with Forward Looking Infrared Radar, a million candle power spotlight, a state of the art communications system as well as the ability to produce video tape.  This service has been available for the past 10 years, but now we will have a unit stationed in South Dakota.”

The South Dakota National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility at Rapid City Regional Airport will be home to the new unit. 

The helicopters will be maintained and inspected by the unit and on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  The unit will provide support for homeland security measures, search and rescue missions, and respond to natural disasters as directed.