MANDAREE – Paul Goodiron wants people to know about his son, Cpl. Nathan “Nate” Goodiron, who was killed in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving Day 2006.

Goodiron, of Mandaree, is writing a book about Nathan’s life from his birth to Paul and Harriet Goodiron, to Nathan’s funeral on Dec. 2, 2006, in the Goodiron’s home community of Mandaree on the Fort Berthold Reservation.

The book will also take people on the family’s journey when and after they learned of Nathan’s death in Afghanistan, as well as the time following the funeral. It will also include Indian spiritual traditions relating to Nathan’s life.

Paul Goodiron is including many photos of Nathan and his family and friends in the book. There will also be portions of the news accounts including from The Minot Daily News about Nathan’s death and the days that followed, his return home and the funeral.

Paul Goodiron would like to have the book placed in libraries and other locations where it will be available for people to read.

“It’s for historical purposes,” he said. “If I can give a copy to the schools around here, it would be good, too, and they would have it in there. They could put it in their library if they choose.”

“I’ve been doing this since about January,” Goodiron said. He’s putting all the information on a master CD. He will then put that information into a book.

About 114 members of Nathan Goodiron’s N.D. Army National Guard unit, the 1-188th Air Defense Artillery Battalion — Security Forces (SECFOR) arrived at Fort Lewis, Wash., from Afghanistan Thursday and will be back in N.D. in a few days. A few from the unit arrived at Fort Lewis earlier, while 29 soldiers remained in Afghanistan for a while longer.

Nathan, 25, was killed Nov. 23, 2006, in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Samuel Floberg was seriously injured and lost his lower right leg during the attack. Nathan’s cousin, C.J. O’Berry, of Beulah and Mandaree, also was injured.

Floberg, of Fargo, who has the rank of sergeant, returned to North Dakota this week for a 30-day leave, then will return to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he has been going through rehabilitation, according to The Associated Press.

O’Berry, who also has the rank of sergeant, is returning to North Dakota with the 1-188th SECFOR.

An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, Nathan, whose Indian names were “Young Eagle” and “Distant Thunder,” is the only member of the tribe who has been killed while serving in the war on terrorism. He had been in the N.D. Guard since 2001.

A student at Minot State University, Nathan volunteered to go to Afghanistan with the 1-188th. He and his wife, Eileen, would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary in late November 2006. Eileen and children, Joely, 4, and Alexander, 3, live in Minot. Nathan’s brother, Corey, a college student, lives in Mandaree, and grandmothers Lyda Bears Tail in Mandaree, and Alfreda Goodiron in New Town.

Last week, the state Board of Higher Education authorized to present Nathan Goodiron an honorary degree from MSU. He was working toward his degree in finance from MSU.

At its powwow in May, MSU will also be honoring Nathan, his dad said. He said the college also is planning a permanent display about Nathan.

Last week, Gov. John Hoeven and North Dakota adjutant general Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk announced the SECFOR unit’s return. The soldiers have been on active duty in Afghanistan since December 2005.

Nathan’s unit is credited with more than 1,200 successful missions while in Afghanistan, including training more than 2,700 personnel from the Afghan Border Police and Afghan National Police Force; humanitarian assistance missions involving medical treatment of more than 2,500 Afghan citizens and delivering food packages to help feed more than 5,000 families this past winter; and helping reconstruct three schools which serve more than 3,000 Afghan children, coordinated construction of 10 community water wells; and coordinated Commanders Emergency Relief Projects which assisted Afghans in improving their communities with various construction projects.

Paul Goodiron, who is a Vietnam veteran, said that he and his wife, Harriet, keep in contact with other families in their son’s Guard unit who also lost sons while the unit has been in Afghanistan. He said the 1-188th Family Support Group “is really good” and the Goodirons keep in contact with it.

Sgt. Travis VanZoest and Cpl. Curtis Mehrer, both of Bismarck, and Spc. Chris Kleinwachter, Wahpeton, all members of the 188th SECFOR unit, were killed in Afghanistan last year.

Paul Goodiron said the family though, still is waiting for the life insurance payment after four months, while families of others who have made the ultimate sacrifice have been paid in a month.

As for the book about Nathan, “Everything is ready to go,” Paul Goodiron said. “His picture is going to be on the front and the back,” he said.

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