Veterans Robert Olzweski, Paul Sundquist, Scott Langemo and bugler Dale Hurt, members of the Bismarck AMVETS Post 9 Honor Guard, participate in the Flag Sojourn 250 ceremony at the Burleigh County Courthouse on March 19, 2026. The flag will be raised in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – A symbolic piece of America’s 250th birthday visited Bismarck Thursday as a U.S. flag traveling to all 50 states was raised at Burleigh County Courthouse.
During the ceremony, in front of a bench commemorating three members of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office who were killed in the line of duty, Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben told attendees the event symbolized communities across the nation coming together to honor the flag during a historical year.
“This flag will fly today at this monument of honor built to remember the people of our department who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to the citizens of Burleigh County,” Leben said. “Tonight, before the hour of darkness, this flag will be lowered without fanfare, much like the military service of so many veterans who have served this great nation in our 250 years.”
Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben speaks during the Flag Sojourn 250 ceremony at the Burleigh County Courthouse on March 19, 2026. The flag will be raised at all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
Members of all five of Bismarck-Mandan’s veterans service organizations, AMVETS Post 9, DAV Adam Klein Chapter 3, VFW Post 1326, Loyd Spetz Legion Post 1 and the Marine Corps League, participated in the event, Leben said.
“I thought it was such a great ceremony really tying together the 250 and bringing the military together,” said Melissa Klocke-Joyce, program coordinator for the ND250 Commission.
Marine veteran Randy Lehmann, a member of Dakota Leathernecks Detachment 1419, part of the Marine Corps League, said the flag represents freedom and those who served before and after his own time in service.
“It goes back to the purpose of the flag, we rally around the flag,” said Chris Ebertz, a member of the VFW. He added it’s the same flag that is flown in Iraq and other parts of the world where soldiers have served, which is a reminder of our connection to each other.
The flag started its journey on June 14, 2025 – Flag Day – during an event hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America in Washington, D.C., as part of Sojourn 250, in coordination with the National Flag Foundation. It has also visited all 26 U.S. military cemeteries across 10 countries and U.S. territories in the Pacific and Atlantic before returning to the U.S. last October to begin its tour of all 50 states.
Klocke said the flag was expected to leave North Dakota after sunset on Thursday to travel to its next destination in Montana.
The ND250 Commission will award about $175,000 in grants for communities to celebrate the country’s semiquincentennial over the next year through educational opportunities, events and other projects honoring the history of the United States. So far, about $142,000 in grants have been awarded by the Commission across 20 initiatives across the state.
For more information on North Dakota events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary, visit the ND250 Commission website.
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