Home to the Fastest Man in the World

Hazen is home to Major General Eldon W. Joersz, who officially became the fastest man in the world when he flew his US Air Force Blackbird plane at an astonishing 3,529.56km/h (2,194 mph) on July 28th, 1976.  A record that still stands today!  Major General Eldon W. Joersz, USAF (retired in 1997) graduated from Hazen High School in 1962 and went on to North Dakota State University receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and an Air Force commission from the North Dakota State University Reserve Officer Training Corps. Eldon completed his pilot training at the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. 

Joersz flew 158 combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos, served as a T-38 Talon instructor pilot, but his most impressive duty was on July 28th, 1976, when he strapped into the legendary SR-71 Lockheed Blackbird, along with reconnaissance systems officer George Morgan, and flew south to the airspace above Edwards Air Force Base, California cruising faster than a single bullet at over 80,000 feet in the air.  Joersz set the world's absolute speed record of 2,193.167 miles per hour over a 15/25-kilometer straight course! 

Joersz's extraordinary achievements are due to his leadership philosophies of "Always do the right thing" and "Tell the truth-no matter what."  Philosophies that were instilled in Joersz at an early age in Hazen.  He is an icon to the City of Hazen!  A display is proudly showcased by the Hazen High School gymnasium reflecting his life.  The airport located in Hazen is named the Al Joersz Field. The Hazen Convention Visitors Bureau Board of Directors are eagerly working on implementing a metal structure of the SR-71 Blackbird that would be a point of interest to the City of Hazen, Mercer County, and the State of North Dakota.