The Good Life – July-August 2023

ON THE COVER | A LOOK BACK AT 10 YEARS
John Dalziel, featured in July-August 2019
Overseas, soldiers face extreme conditions – including indirect fire, the
anticipation of mortars, and patrolling outside the wire – which can all add up
to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a diagnosis 11 to 30 percent of U.S.
veterans face.
The U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team deployed
in 2010 and returned home from Afghanistan victorious with all 139 troops.
Though no blood was shed overseas, 14 soldiers (nearly 10% of the troop) took
their own lives after returning home. Infantryman Brady Oberg was one of them.
In 2015, the Brady Oberg Legacy Foundation (BOLF) was born.
Growing BOLF from a Clay County foundation in 2019 to gaining supporters
across the country, Marine veteran and retired FBI agent John Dalziel said,
the exposure has “brought in additional revenue and increased our number of
combat veteran retreats from two in 2018 to seven just last year.” Volunteers like
John help raise awareness for veteran PTSD through the annual ruck march,
while the organization provides access to treatment and education.
Read it here
It was a tall order for just a few pages of words, but Brady’s story was shared,
the community listened. “The Good Life has an incredibly positive effect in our
community,” John said. “They devote the magazine to those who are protecting
and serving our community to keep it a great place to live.”
Now 60, John says very few of his core beliefs have changed. “My updated
definition of the good life is short and to the point … ‘be better – don’t suck,’” he
said with a smile.
“The Good Life has an incredibly positive effect in our community. They devote the magazine
to those who are protecting and serving our community to keep it a great place to live.”
Jesse Jahner, featured in January-February 2020
A yellowed photograph snapped in 1977 still sits on an office shelf, showcasing a
little boy dressed in a cowboy hat and homemade sign reading “Sheriff Jahner”.
More than four decades later, Jesse Jahner’s “official” badge reads the same.
Nearing the end of his term, the sheriff is as passionate today as he was when
elected in 2019 – and even at just four years old. “With community growth comes
new challenges, but our general mission has stayed the same: to provide a high
level of public safety to our citizens,” he said.
Sheriff Jahner said sharing his story garnered interest for himself and the agency.
“I’ve learned our community has a number of leaders, mentors and role models
who have excellent stories to tell,” he said. “The magazine highlights so many in
our community who have worked hard to be successful.”
While much has changed in America’s climate since early 2020, Sheriff Jahner
still stands by his original definition of the good life: “Having the opportunity to
wear this uniform every day, working alongside the men and women of the Cass
County Sheriff’s Office and to serve the greatest citizens in the state of North
Dakota.”
Read it here
“The magazine highlights so many in our community
who have worked hard to be successful.”
22 | THE GOOD LIFE