• Born in New Rockford, North Dakota.

• Married for 37 years; he and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren.

• Enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and helping his brother on his farm.

• Describes himself as loyal, dedicated, self-motivated, caring and determined. His co-workers would describe him as a hard-working, friendly, outspoken and feisty person who takes care of his crew and has a good sense of humor.

• Can't live without his rubber gloves, high-voltage tester, hot sticks and cell phone.

Early Years

Upon discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1974, I was trying to get a job as an inside wireman but was not able to secure one. A gentleman at Job Service asked me if I wanted to become a lineman. And so began my career. I went to a one-year school and upon graduating, I was hired by Tri-County Electric Cooperative, which later merged with Baker Electric Cooperative to become Northern Plains Electric Cooperative. I started in May 1976, and after 35 years, I am still employed with the same cooperative.

My first job as an electrical lineman was as an apprentice on a two-man crew working out of the New Rockford, North Dakota, outpost. I spent my first year installing armor rod where the line was fastened to the pole. We installed 12 to 16 miles of it day all summer long.

Day in the Life

As a line foreman in New Rockford, each day is different and depends on work orders, outages and storms. For example, we read meters, fix lights, plow underground cable, build new services and upgrade current services.

Memorable Storm

I will never forget the ice storm of April 1997. I had just returned from Bolivia where, as a National Guard member, I had gone to help build a clinic. I had been home maybe four hours when I received the first trouble call. We lost 1,000 poles, and it took 11 days to get all the customers back on. We spent all summer trying to get the line back in shape.

Serving the Country

I joined the Army National Guard in 1990 and spent one weekend a month and about two weeks every summer serving my country. I would use my vacation time from the cooperative for the two weeks of training. I started with the National Guard as an inside wireman, and when that was phased out, I was trained in communications and used my climbing skills to install antennas for the communications radios. In December 2005, I was activated and went to Ft. Lewis, Washington, to train to go to Afghanistan as infantry.

I served in Afghanistan from March 2006 to March 2007. As a team leader, I had three young men who served under me; I was old enough to be their father. I taught them about the realities of war and life in general, and they would remind me what it was like to be young. We would go out on patrols looking for the Taliban and trying to prevent them from getting supplies and weapons.

It was a very long year living like the nomads of ancient times. We would go out in the field for days at a time with no electricity or running water. The temperature dipped to 10°F in the winter and rose to 150°F in the summer. We wore body armor weighing about 40 pounds. We also had to carry a weapon, ammunition, and water, so it was like carrying an extra 60 pounds every day in an extremely rough terrain.

I was grateful to return to my job at Northern Plains 17 months later. Upon my return, my cooperative posted a billboard just outside my hometown of New Rockford. The sign featured a picture of me riding a camel in Afghanistan, and it said, “Welcome Home Jim.”

Looking Ahead

My biggest challenge was returning to work after having open heart surgery, followed by a heart attack two weeks later. I was told my days as a lineman were over. With my ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) and the incision in my chest, it would be almost impossible to climb a pole and be around electrical current. However, after three months recovering, my doctor said I could go back to work and let my body tell me if I could do it or not. Two years later, I am still going. If my health allows, I plan to keep working as long as I can. I love what I do. Beyond that, I plan to spend time enjoying my grandchildren and watching them grow up.